Yesterday afternoon, CP contributor Arthur Delaney launched his write-in campaign for his local ANC post. He announced his historic candidacy on this blog.

At 11 a.m., City Desk checked in with Delaney’s campaign. We reached the young man at his apartment/campaign headquarters.

Delaney tell us that he went by his precinct at Payne Elementary this morning to “just scope it out” before going to the gym (just like Obama does most mornings).

But Delaney’s campaign hit a snag. He says he is currently washing his pants.

“My washing machine is about to explode,” Delaney says. “It’s just old and the spin cycle kind of gets jammed. You have to reach in there by hand. I have to turn the spin cycle around by hand. It gets stuck and it makes this burning smell.”

Delaney admits to another crucial problem. He has not made his campaign fliers. “I have to go to Kinko’s to get them printed,” Delaney says. He adds that he will be at his precinct in a “couple hours.”

“This is a last minute campaign,” Delaney explains. “Carol Schwartz, who is waging a write-in campaign, got started at the last minute. According to polls, she’s doing well also. Now she has somebody at Payne. I’m going to stand with that guy. For everyone that says they’re going to vote for me, I’ll give them a pencil with my name on it.”

You have pencils? “Yeah, I’ve had them for a long time. I never knew what to do with them but now I know.”

Delaney is optimistic: “I have received several pledges of support on the Hill East listserv.”

City Desk questioned the fact that he isn’t at his precinct. That maybe it would have been a better idea to wash his pants the day before the election. “I know my opponent is not there either,” Delaney argues. “He’s not going to be there until 5:30.”