UP — To Austin.

The neighboring cities of Mason City, Clear Lake, Mankato, Rochester, Owatonna, Fairmont and Faribault all have four-year mayoral terms. Now Austin does, too. That city’s voters on Tuesday approved switching the city charter to require mayors to serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms. Meanwhile, Albert Lea remains stuck in the past with two-year terms and no ongoing effort to change the charter. Alas, there is hope. Mayor-elect Vern Rasmussen said during his campaign that he would like to see the city charter changed so Albert Lea, too, has four-year terms. It gives the position greater stability and allows the mayor to get some goals accomplished. That would be good because at the present rate Albert Lea switches mayors as often as the state switches its biennium legislative sessions.

DOWN — To “cancer” being used in sports broadcasting.

If you don’t follow Kevin Garnett, he got into some hot water for calling Charlie Villanueva a “cancer patient.” He meant no offense to actual cancer patients. The incident did bring up a good point about how sports pundits — mainly the ones on television — use the term cancer, meaning someone is bad for the entire team. They say, “Terrell Owens is a cancer in the locker room,” or, “Will Randy Moss be a cancer to the Titans?” Owens and Moss do not deserve to be compared to cancer, nor does any athlete. They might disrupt the sense of team that is so crucial to winning, but they never killed our loved ones. And if a disease metaphor must be used in sports, why do the talking heads pick one of the most insidious diseases? Just say they cause discord, disrupt harmony, shake up the atmosphere or something more straightforward and clear. Sports pundits can’t really blame Garnett when he merely is using the bad lingo that the sports pundits themselves purvey.

UP — To all who ran for elective office.

It’s not easy to put your hat in the ring. It’s even harder to lose. But running is doing more than many people who never get involved in civics, yet moan and groan about everything. Thanks.