Ellis
Ivory’s Run for Salt Lake County Mayor
By
Richard Lambert and Clint Day
Ellis Ivory,
a recently retired Utah homebuilder, little knew what a difference a
day would make when he went to bed on a Friday night in late
September of this year.
Very early the next morning he awoke with the idea of running
for Salt lake County mayor In the upcoming election. It was
something he had never before even considered as his time was
fully occupied serving on boards of directors, for several important
civic and business organizations, as a LDS stake president,
and pursuing his passion for golf.
When he woke up his wife Katie to run the idea past her, he
was met with disbelief. Both were aware the Salt Lake County mayor’s race had been
mired in controversy, with the incumbent mayor facing felony
charges. Additionally a series of scandals had rocked county
government. With only a few weeks to go before the election
and no apparent chance to get on the ballot, Katie’s skepticism
seemed more than justified.
After an early Sunday morning meeting, a friend handed Ellis
a copy of a Meridian Magazine
article describing the successful write-in candidacy of
California Congressman Ron Packard. Reading the article inspired
Ellis with the hope that a campaign was possible. Katie also
read the article, and while still concerned, pledged her full
support.
A week later, on Tuesday October 5th, Ellis Ivory
announced his candidacy as a write-in candidate for Salt Lake
County Mayor. (Salt Lake County consists of over a million people,
has a budget of 750 million dollars, and employs about 7,000
men and women, full time and volunteer.) With a scant four
weeks to go before the election Ellis launched his unique campaign.
Because he saw money at the core of the county scandals, he
adopted Four NOs: No salary, No county car, No county credit
card, No campaign contributions. Later he added four YESes:
Yes to lower taxes, Yes to better service, Yes to intergovernmental
cooperation, and Yes to a planned future.
With now just a day to go before the election, the past four
weeks have been a real roller coaster for candidate Ivory.
After deciding to run, Ellis quickly assembled an outstanding
team of advisors, and volunteers, largely drawn from family
and friends. Billboards, pamphlets, and newspaper ads soon
appeared promoting Ellis as THE WRITE CHOICE for county mayor,
with a drawing of a yellow pencil representing the write-in
effort. A converted school bus was similarly decorated to be
used in the campaign.
Unexpectedly within a few days of Ellis entering the race,
the County Republican Central Committee withdrew its support
from the incumbent mayor and declared Ellis their candidate.
Soon after the embattled mayor withdrew from the race. The
Republican Party then unsuccessfully tried several times to
get Ellis Ivory’s name on the ballot but was prevented by procedural
roadblocks. Finally, last Wednesday morning, less than a week
before the election, the county clerk certified Ellis as the
official Republican party candidate, and directed poll officials
to place his name on the ballot. Only seven hours later a state
judge ordered him off the ballot. The next day the Utah Supreme
Court in an extraordinary special session, telecast throughout
the state, heard arguments on the matter. Two hours later it
reversed the lower court order and reinstated Ellis Ivory on
the ballot. Throughout this process Ellis refused to be drawn
into the legal controversy or run a negative campaign. Whatever
the voters decide tomorrow, for Ellis and Katie, the experience
has been worth it. They want to make a difference.
Biography
