Breakin' Tomorrow morning my nose will be intimately visited by an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon to correct a deviated septum that prevents me from breathing correctly. To put it politely, I will be out of commission for about two weeks.

Once the bandages come off, my campaign for North Adams City Council will swing into high gear. There will be around 6 weeks of hardcore retail politics until the election in November. I will be holding a few events, knocking on hundreds of doors and doing everything I can to convince a thousand or two of my neighbors that I am a reasonably thoughtful guy who is not afraid to do what is needed on behalf of our town.

There are lots of issues to press - like the city's completely opaque budgeting process, and many more ideas to hash about the future of North Adams. There are some very strong challengers this year and some well entrenched incumbents. It will not be easy.

We've got lawn signs to pound and many of the standard techniques in store, but more importantly, it will be hard work that can take this candidacy from underdog status to a contender. And actual hard work is something that only a few of the candidates for council seem to understand. It is time for that to change.  ¶ 7:51 PM