The numbers began to stack up in favor or West Valley Mayor Gearld L. Wright with the first returns. They never wavered.
By 10:40 p.m., one of the many grandchildren who joined Wright in the lobby at City Hall to watch the results come in stated the obvious."Looks like we've got things well in-hand, Grandpa," the boy said.
Yes indeed. Wright walloped challenger F. Kenneth Olafson by a comfortable three-to-one margin, according to final but unofficial results.
Residents also returned City Council members to office. Barbara Thomas, who ran unopposed, will retain the at-large seat.
Duane R. Moss beat opponent Marjorie B. Oswald with 62 percent of the vote in Council District No. 2, which roughly covers the area bounded by 2700 West and 4000 West and 2100 South and 4700 South.
Janice Fisher trounced Tricia Stewart with 75 percent of the vote to retain the seat in Council District No. 4, which roughly covers the area between 4800 West and 7200 West to 8800 West and 2100 South and 6600 South.
Turnout in the election was among the lowest in the state: just 11 percent of registered voters in the city cast ballots. But those who did overwhelmingly backed Wright's bid for a second term.
He is the first mayor in the city's history re-elected to a second, full term.
"I think the thing that worked is the people out here knew me well, and all the scurrilous things said about me - people knew they weren't true because they know me and trust me and the city is doing so well right now," Wright said.
Wright pointed to Centennial Park as a testament to the city's good fortune. The park is being funded with money from growth in the tax base.
"It's something that makes you proud to be a part of the city and a part of the program," he said.
Olafson said he might have made more headway given a few more weeks to campaign. He thought the complexity of his message about the city's finances hampered him. And Olafson, who grew up in North Dakota, said he lacked a coterie of childhood friends that might have boosted his campaign.
But Olafson made no apologies for his biting attacks on the mayor and city administration during the campaign.
"I was really trying to break a trend and show people what's going on," he said.
A watchdog group Olafson is associated with, the Coalition for Accountable Government, has failed in recent years to get any of its candidates elected to office. Despite that, Olafson sees no need to change the group's tactics.
"For me to come to a community with a message that's maybe a little more abrasive than people are used to hearing and get 25 percent of the vote - that's quite an accomplishment," Olafson said.
He predicted that in four years, his message that the current leaders are misleading residents about finances will "run very, very strong. Time will prove me right," he said.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Wright's victory a historic moment for W.V.
Gearld L. Wright earns a spot in the history books as the first mayor in West Valley City elected to two full terms.
Wright was humble about the honor, acknowledging only that it felt "pretty good."
"I think it's not just me, it's really fortuitous the whole city is growing and is being managed well," he said.
Until Tuesday, mayors in the state's second-largest city seemed to wear out their welcome in city hall by the end of their first terms - or sooner in some cases.
1981: It started when residents ousted Henry Price, West Valley City's first mayor, after he served just one year in office. He placed third in the primary. Gerald K. Maloney won the mayor's seat.
1985: Residents again were ready for a new face when they turned out Maloney and voted Michael R. Embley into office. But less than 18 months later, Embley was forced to resign after pleading no contest to soliciting sex from a police vice decoy.
1987: Brent F. Anderson, a member of the City Council, was named acting mayor to replace Embley. He subsequently beat fellow Councilman Wright to serve a two-year term. Anderson ran unopposed for a four-year term in 1989; he chose not to run again when the term ended.
1993: Wright became the city's fifth mayor, defeating challenger Bill Barton, a former state senator.