Dateline Hawthorne – Some chesty political hardliners in this blue-collar community not only do not want to retain incumbent Mayor Chris Brown, they don’t want any voters to choose him or even find his name.

A dim-minded, low-information voter strode into Ramona Elementary this morning before going home to rest of the day. With a magic marker-like gadget, he or she attempted, vainly, to strike Mr. Brown’s name from the laminated ballot

When voter Loretta Hagerty entered Ramona Elementary at 9:15 this morning to mark her ballot for Mr. Brown in the four-way race, she found a slug had committed a potential crime by trying to blot out the name of the sometimes-controversial mayor.

She reported the infraction to election authorities at her small Ramona precinct, contacted Mr. Brown, and he advised her to call the Hawthorne Police Dept.

At last report, police were uncertain how to proceed.

“I told one of the gentlemen at Ramona Elementary there was a black line through one of the names on the ballot,” Ms. Hagerty said. “He said ‘We’ll fix it.’ I did not even say whose name it was. But this is not right.”

Reacting promptly, precinct workers were close to resolving the anti-Brown stunt by the time Ms. Hagerty was leaving.

She said it has been “nastier than usual” campaign, and she has seen posters where Mr. Brown’s name was crossed out.

Admittedly, the mayor has encountered personal difficulties in his two years in office. Conversely, Mr. Brown is making sweeping commercial, structural upgrades to a community that can use them. He is hoping to ride that wave of approval to a four-year term.