In Orem, it was apparently a "toss the bums out" mentality that prompted voters to oust the current mayor and reject all three City Council candidates who had any previous experience in local government.
Challenger Joe Nelson cleared the night with 69 percent of the vote, nearly 4,000 votes above Stella Welsh in the final but unofficial tally of 30 districts and 9,819 voters.Bill Peperone came in first for one of the three council positions, beating out incumbent Stephen E. Sandstrom, planning commissioner ReNae Brereton and former councilman Kelvin Clayton.
Mike Thompson was in the second top position for the City Council, and 21-year-old Joseph Andersen was third.
The three newly elected councilmen will serve for their first time on a city council.
Nelson said he is surprised at the percentage gap between him and Welsh, although he'd been told all along he was winning.
"I think (the voter results) are a combination of things. I think it's an anti-vote, and then the issue, the neighborhood issue, is the number one issue. I talked about that all the way through my campaign, and obviously it rung a bell with people," said Nelson.
Welsh said people have misunderstood several council and city decisions, including the land swap that netted 200 acres of open space for Orem and the negotiations that brought a Ford dealership to Orem from Provo.
"I think people are tired of growth, and there was a very well organized campaign against us," said Welsh.
"With the rumors going there was no way to convince people it (the land swap) was the right thing."
Sandstrom said the special interest groups "obviously won out" and he'll be surprised if those voted in can measure up to what he sees as some unrealistic expectations.
"I'm surprised (at the loss) because I felt like I listened to people. I think there's kind of an anti-incumbent fervor. I heard there was a really big phone bank campaign going.
"I just hope these guys don't abandon some of the good things we had going," said Sandstrom.
Thompson said his campaign workers literally covered every single district and let people know he was willing to listen to them.
Peperone said he believes the votes are a real message being sent to the current City Council.
"I think the discussion of involving neighborhoods more heavily struck a real chord," he said. "People want to feel they're being heard."
Andersen, whose father Hans Verlan Andersen ran for mayor against Welsh in the last mayoral race, said he feels people chose him because he'll go in without experience and therefore be willing to ask questions and learn.
"I feel good. I think the position I took that said people felt they weren't being represented helped me. Young as I am, I'm going to listen."
Current City Councilwoman Judy Bell said the newly elected councilmen are facing a major learning curve experience. "There's some very big expectations out there and a lot of promises have been made without the knowledge of how to do it," she said. "I think experience is something that's really important."
Clayton said he remembers it taking just about 18 months to really grasp the complexities of city government. "Constituents help educate you in a hurry though," he said.
Brereton found the election results totally bizarre. She said she's surprised to find voters choosing no experience over the quality of experience she feels she's gained by serving several years on the planning commission.
"I'm not so sure I'd run again if this is what happens," said Brereton.