I fought a good fight!

I fought a good fight and I stayed the course. But in the end, the incumbents won re-election to another term now on their way of serving 12 years. Only 23.5% of the registered voters decided for the other 76.5% who would serve as the elected officials of their community. Joe Johnson will be the first Bountiful Mayor in decades to serve a third term. He defeated Jeff Novak 64.8% to 35.2% of the vote. Both of the City Council incumbents with Fred Moss taking 31.4% of the vote and Tom Tolman received 28% of the vote. I carried 23.6% and Ernie Cox got 17% of the vote. The incumbents got what they were hoping for, a low voter turnout which is always to the advantage of the incumbent.

I am so grateful to the scores of supporters, the nearly 3,000 people who voted for me and all of the wonderful people, who made phone calls, walked the neighborhoods, handed out campaign literature and did what they could to help with my campaign. I am indebted to my campaign manager Dalane England who dedicated countless hours to organizing my campaign. She is a true friend and a gem of society. Thanks also to her husband Mark for his longsuffering during the process. I am also very thankful to my beautiful wife Shaun for her undying love and support and to my children who all helped and understood the true meaning of the Primary song about how the children sang as the walked and walked and walked and walked. I love my family and all of my friends and the many, many new friends who believed in me enough to do what they could to support me in this election.

What's next? I love my community and I have no intention of disappearing. I will sharpen my skills and stay involved with the issues that impact Bountiful and my family. I will never become part of the 76.5% of registered voters who don't see the importance of being involved in their community and who allow apathy or indifference to choose their future. I am a fighter. I know that I have been blessed with a good mind, a kind heart, a love of country and community and I believe that it is my responsibility to use the talents I have been blessed with for the benefit of others. In two years there will be three city council seats up for election. Although I have not yet decided my plans, if I do decide to run I am confident that I will win a seat.

Thanks again to everyone who supported and voted for me. It took Reagan and Lincoln many attempts before they were elected to office. If I decided to make another attempt it will be due to their perseverance and inspiration. Until then, let's hope and pray that our city will be in good hands.