Well, technically I’ll be traveling by plane, but you get the idea. I’m headed to Cancun this week with my lovely wife. I’ll be back, ready to post and hoping for good news on Election Day. See y’all next week!

The City Paper reports on its own polling this week indicating that Nashville’s mayoral race is headed toward a photo finish. Pat Nolan, omnipresent throughout the months of forums that have showcased all of the candidates, shared his thoughts for the story:

“All the campaigns have been very careful for weeks to not be claiming victory and to say that this was a race that as best they could tell was indeed a dead heat, too close to call and within the margin for error. Now, obviously, each side would have said they had the slight advantage — which I think is possible even within what you’ve got …” Nolan said, adding, however, that the campaigns have indicated an undecided vote larger than 6 percent.

Because the CP poll queried likely voters for the runoff election, it is amazing to me that six weeks after the general election, there are still undecided voters who expect to cast a ballot today or next Tuesday. The race has–largely accurately–been described as dull by many observers, but the runoff campaign has featured more drama (such as it has been) than at any other time since all of the candidates declared. The two candidates seem to me to be very different, and each have their diverse flaws. How is it that people who pay attention, at least nominally, to local politics still don’t know who they want to be mayor?

Evans Donnell, media director for Howard Gentry’s mayoral campaign, was kind enough to answer a few questions I posed recently. Nashvillians who follow local politics closely know that Donnell had a bittersweet time on election night watching Gentry come painfully close to qualifying for the mayoral runoff election, but many don’t know that he got some wonderful news about a new addition to his family the very same day. Here’s more from Evans on the election and more.

1) What are you doing now that the campaign is over?

I’m spending more time with my wife and soon-to-be-fully-adopted daughter. We found out on election day that we’ll finalize adoption on Sept. 26, which was great news on an otherwise bad day. As much as I wanted Howard to win, I think people will understand that nothing means more to my wife and I than completing our family.

2) Are you helping or supporting a candidate in the runoff? If so, which one and why?

I support Karl Dean in the runoff, and I voted for him at Howard School on the second day of early voting. In my work for Howard’s campaign I attended more than 40 of the mayoral forums so I got to hear and see all the candidates as they answered just about every imaginable question.

I have nothing against Bob Clement, who was a fine congressman for our district and has always been quite kind to me, but I think Karl Dean thoroughly understands not only the city but Metro government. I’ve probably heard all the arguments for and against both of the remaining candidates and I think Mr. Dean is the better choice.

3) How would you describe your personal experience on election night as the results came in?

I felt I was on a rollercoaster ride but I still had to stay focused on my job as Howard’s press secretary. First there was the exciting high when we thought we had a good chance of getting in the runoff and then the absolute low of ending up 395 votes behind Mr. Clement and knowing our campaign was over.

My father once lost a judicial race elsewhere in Middle Tennessee by 147 votes, and there’s a part of me that would rather lose by a great deal than come so close. In both instances I’ve had people say things like, “You should be proud you did so well” to me. That’s a nice sentiment, and I know they mean well, but losing stinks. Nothing makes you feel better about coming up short. It was also sad to realize that my work for Howard with campaign colleagues like Bo Roberts, Jennifer Hatten, Mark Shafer and Alfred Degrafinreid was ending. They’re a fine bunch of folks.

4) What’s next for Howard?

That’s a question for Howard to answer. I know whatever he ends up doing, though, that promoting and strengthening Nashville will always be important to him. We’ve been friends for many years, and he’s been a mentor to me as well. I’m very grateful for the privilege of knowing and working for him. His family are also dear to me, and I’m thankful to have crossed paths with all of them.