I lost the election. I may need to get a job, or something.

The election was Tuesday, November 3, and I lost somewhat resoundingly. Okay, I got only 7%, but at the same time, more than 36,000 people lived in New Albany this year and didn't run for mayor, so I'm serene.

Put up or shut up? Rest assured I won't be shutting up.

I knew all along it would be hard to break through the "same old same old." However, I'm satisfied that my goals were met, apart from the distraction winning. We competed in spite of having very little money, and I put together a platform that was coherent and detailed. The campaign had substance and gravitas. No one else touched the issues the way I did. It was a learning and a growing experience, even at the advanced age of 55.

In the aftermath, here's my political reality: ON THE AVENUES: Confusion, exile, ignobility and resistance.

The big question now: What's next in terms of my career in beer?

I'm not sure. My leave of absence from NABC to run for mayor has concluded, and during the political process, my partners and I decided that they'd be buying me out of the business. We've not concluded these negotiations, so that's the first step.

The truth of the matter is that after eight months away from the daily beer business grind, I'm refreshed, reinvented, encouraged and interested in pursuing future options. Just know that insofar as NABC is concerned, the die is cast.

From games of chance in which the outcome is determined by the throwing of dice or a single die. Popularized by its use by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon to begin a civil war in the Roman Republic, indicating the commission of an irreversible act, whence also cross the Rubicon.

I'm an owner of NABC until I'm not an owner. Let's hope this settlement comes sooner rather than later, but be aware that legalities can be extensive. Any involvement I have with NABC in the short term is likely to be casual. As far as I'm concerned, I'm a free agent as of now, and very excited about piecing together a few revenue streams.

Wish me luck, and your ideas are appreciated. Thanks to all my friends in the craft beer cosmos who've been so very supportive of my quixotic political stab in the dark. To know me well is to know it's something I had to do, and may do again.  

Until then ... back to blogging.