Like many who practice hyperlocal journalism, your Editorial Team frankly resents the way national news, especially around a presidential or midterm election, sucks up all the oxygen in the room. Constantly we are urging people to tear themselves away from the spiegeltent of endless BS that passes for news coverage of the federal government, with little success. No matter how many times we say what happens locally usually has far more impact on our lives than the latest hoo-ha from D.C., it feels like we’re talking to the wind. The carnival our federal government’s become, with real-time reports and “analysis” from an ever-expanding universe of talking heads, is far better marketed than local news and a lot more sparkly than stories about what the planning board is up to.

We must admit, however, that this year’s congressional elections are exponentially more interesting than what we have to offer. Scads of tourniquet-tight races across the country, with the fate of the nation and the world hanging in the balance. (Or so we’ve heard, endlessly, since 2016.) But the races in Kingston and Ulster County are, we are bold to say, snoozers, with local Democrats expected to cruise to victories either unopposed or against underfunded – and sometimes a little weird – Republican candidates.

It would be against our Prime Directive to use our platform to hype up things to make these races more interesting. We have no favorites, and we’re not any politician’s favorite. We’re just here to take notes and write stories which stay as closely as possible to the truth. But in an election cycle where the results are 99.99999 percent predictable, like they are in Russia and North Korea, what are we to do with ourselves?

Some Editorial Team members who do their civic duty by turning out to vote in pre-determined elections, choose to amuse themselves, if no one else, by writing in the names of people. Some are serious, others are not, but it brings a small amount of joy and agency to a process which otherwise would be pretty dull and existentially absurd. (Until the end, when you get a cool sticker.) With early voting set to get underway on Saturday, Oct. 24, we thought this week we’d put out some suggestions of whom to write in, regardless of what race it is. Enjoy!

Hugh Reynolds: If tens of thousands of people did what we did a few years back, Hugh would already be county executive. But we think our columnist, friend and mentor can do any job, from highway superintendent (he served in the Seabees, after all) to Kingston alderman to district attorney.

Nadine Ferraro: Seriously, her light and positivity are just what any number of elected offices need right now. Leadership isn’t easy, but we’d follow Nadine into a hurricane.

Suzanne Timbrouck: The longtime KHS math teacher recently gave us a great “Real Lives of Kingston” interview, which leads us to think she’d be great in office.

Shayne Gallo: The colorfully mercurial ex-mayor would certainly liven things up at any office he might win. Maybe a legit disruptor candidate for mayor next year?

Amberly Jane Campbell: Her job as county spokeswoman keeps her pretty busy, but we can expect a roller skate for every foot in Ulster County.

Jim Sottile: Yes, we know, the ex-mayor is happy in retirement down in Florida. But he was a good public servant and a good guy, qualities we can never get enough of in Kingston.

Diane Reeder: For years, she helped Kingstonians who needed help the most. Her compassion and talent for getting things done would bring credit to any public office.

Frank Guido: If there’s anyone better at bringing people together at a table than the iconic Frank, we’d certainly like to know. (But we wouldn’t believe it anyway.)

Lara Hope: Kingston’s leading songstress is universally loved in town. Her talent and charisma would be useful in a variety of roles, and maybe she can write a city anthem.

Zack Short: Currently a free agent after stints with the Tigers, Mets, Yankees, Astros, Red Sox and Braves (not necessarily in that order) the KHS baseball standout would be great at fielding whatever problems would come his way.

Frank Waters: The MyKingstonKids founder tried to start at the top with an unsuccessful primary challenge of Steve Noble a few years ago, but we’d like to see him make another run for something.

Dan Barton: The Kingston Wire managing editor would wage war on the scourge of over-capitalizing in government documents and bring order to public punctuation chaos. Good grammar, like cleanliness, brings us closer to godliness. (He says that if elected, he will respect the Oxford comma’s right to exist.)

Mariel Fiori: The editor and Radio Kingston host would bring a host of Spanish-speaking residents into a closer relationship with local government. Both parties need that more than ever these days. (Come to think of it, the city could for real use a lawmaker from the Latino community. As it stands now, a substantial part of the populace have no real voice in local government.)

Oliver the 911 Call Center Therapy Dog: Because honestly, we could all use a little therapy right about now. Our penchant for electing humans doesn’t seem to be working out, so why not look to our furry friends? (No, guy dressed up as a squirrel and lasciviously carrying a tub of lubricating nut butter, we don’t mean you.)

Last year, many readers were unhappy with our editorial which brought up the question of why someone should feel obligated to vote in unopposed or nominally opposed elections and wondered if a “voter strike” might be in order. We are not suggesting that – as always, people should vote and vote for the candidate of their choice. It could literally be 100 years or longer before the other party regains enough strength to field local candidates with a chance of winning. While a vote for someone actually on the ballot just goes into a pile of numbers, write-in votes are specifically recorded in official tallies. Just imagine: A future historian (if we have either a future and history in years to come) analyzing voting trends in the early 21st-century Hudson Valley might come across a name and wonder, “Who the hell wrote in this guy?” You did, and guess what? Now you’re immortal.