Our mailbox has been crammed full of election material lately, especially for the Oakland mayoral race. Last week we got one that said on its front, "If you thought Ron Dellums was a good mayor... you'll love Jean Quan!"

A little background for the non-locals: Oaklanders are very, VERY displeased with our current mayor. SF Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson urged Dellums to run for re-election, because

I favor a Dellums re-election run for purely democratic reasons: His entry into the Oakland mayor's race virtually assures a high voter turnout.

There are citizens who might not care whether the Oakland Athletics leave town and others who prefer the monthly Art Murmur in downtown Oakland to a Raiders home game, but hardly anyone in this city is apathetic about Dellums' performance as mayor.

On the inside, it had a listing of Quan's past decisions and actions (and the ways in which she's been Dellums' right hand, according to the mailer). Wondering who was responsible for this mailing, I turned it over to check the back.

On the back, in large, easy-to-read print, it said THERE ARE NINE OTHER CANDIDATES FOR OAKLAND MAYOR. VOTE FOR ANY OF THEM.

You know, I don't think I've actually seen a true "vote for ANYBODY but Candidate X" mailing before this. Ouch.

(FWIW, I intend to vote Kaplan/Tuman/Quan in our new ranked-choice voting system. I don't think much of Quan, but I think much less of Perata.)