As expected, the election season continues to rear its ugly head, producing forgettable, mudslinging moments.

Try Murray vs. Rossi, Reichert vs. DelBene.

And count this fall’s race in the 31st Legislative District among the sordid campaigns. Such a state Senate race has left Auburn-area voters, not to mention the local media, disillusioned, frustrated and disgusted.

The Nov. 2 general election cannot come soon enough.

Lost in all the negative rhetoric is the need for a genuine discussion and advancement of key issues that affect a recession-bitten constituency.

These are the political days of big personalities and small characters. Negativity shrouds the process.

When voters peruse their pamphlets and cast their mail-in ballots, they will make a choice among:

• Pam Roach: The presumed favorite, the fiery, five-term Republican incumbent with past conduct issues.

• Matt Richardson: A Republican challenger with a questionable background, dogged by a trail of allegations.

• Brian Gunn: A late write-in Democratic candidate, a software tester from Auburn, who adds a different flavor to a soured race.

Roach, who won a lopsided primary, likely will win reelection. She has the savvy and experience, having been in Olympia since 1991. While she is temperamental and confrontational at times, she is unquestionably a fighter for constitutional rights, open government and public safety.

She sponsored the performance audit law that exposed millions of dollars of wasteful and illegal government spending. She co-sponsored of new law to keep dangerous felons from being free on bail. She has attacked the integrity of the DSHS. She has championed efforts to keep homes and neighborhoods safe.

She has the endorsements of the establishment, including Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis and some Democrats who have found Richardson to be an “unacceptable risk” because of allegations related to his past.

While Roach has been effective as a senator, her temper remains her own worst enemy.

Fellow Republicans banned her from the Senate Caucus earlier this year after colleagues told her she had repeatedly mistreated staff and should get counseling to manage her anger. Republicans barred her from the caucus room.

Roach acknowledges her battles, but it remains to be seen if she can push along her agenda without pushing around her staff and opponents.

Richardson, meanwhile, has his own problems. The Sumner City Councilman has been tied to a history of allegations, including sexual misconduct that extend far back to his teen years and a series of court proceedings that allow him legally to claim he has never been convicted of a sex crime.

Furthermore, he recently was placed on administrative leave and given a stern reprimand in 2006 after students in his Federal Way middle school class accused him of inappropriate behavior, his employment records show.

Richardson reportedly has had a history of short-and-soured working relationships with school districts.

Most recently, Richardson was found guilty of a reckless driving incident in Puyallup.

Just last week, a fellow councilmember asked Richardson to resign because of his personal woes.

Through all of this, Richardson maintains his innocence, denying the allegations and maintaining his service to the community. He says he is a victim of a Roach campaign committed to personally discrediting him.

Roach, meanwhile, is disturbed that a candidate with such a questionable past should even be on the ballot.

Caught in the middle of all this is Gunn, a newcomer to the sport, who summed up the ugly legislative race this way: “The choices left to the voters of the 31st (Legislative District) by the Top 2 Primary are intolerable. … The chain of absurdities that got us to this point might make a good sitcom, but it’s bad for the district and bad for the State of Washington. … To send either of those people to Olympia would be an embarrassment to the good people of the 31st.”

As Mr. Alternative Candidate, Gunn is a regular guy, someone who cares and plays an active part of his community.

Not only that, but he supports the principles of “clean elections,” and the belief in grassroots fundamentals.

It’s not exactly a novel approach, but a welcomed respite in a stormy, forgettable race.