A long night... and it's not getting any easier

It was 2 a.m. by the time Mayor-elect Carl Brewer got out of his election party at the Courtyard by Marriot in Old Town. And he was up before sunrise and working by 7:30 a.m. today to figure out how he'll leave his post at Spirit AeroSystems in the next few weeks and responding to a batch of congratulatory e-mails.

At his neighborhood city hall, he got hit with TV interview after TV interview after Hall Monitor interview this afternoon. He even picked up a cold somewhere along the way. It's not getting any less hectic. He's setting up meetings with the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce (to talk about bringing in new businesses), City Manager George Kolb (to talk about a citywide wireless internet system), newly elected Council member Jeff Longwell (to get to know him better) and others.

Saturday morning, he'll be at Ryan's Grill Buffet & Bakery, 3323 N. Rock Rd. (See map.), for his monthly breakfast with community residents -- only this time near record attendance is expected. Some of them are likely to be people who want to fill the District 1 seat Brewer is leaving. "I think you'll see who's interested if you come there," Brewer said.

(People interested in petitioning for Brewer's seat can learn how the city fills vacancies here. See the full city ordinance here.And see a map of District 1 here.)