Humphrey Concedes - No Recount Planned

ZINT BREAKS THE NEWS
Confirming news announced by Bradley Zint of the Daily Pilot on his Facebook site a short time ago, in a telephone conversation with me former Costa Mesa councilman Jay Humphrey told me he has decided NOT to ask for a recount of the recent city council election in which he finished third, 47 votes behind incumbent mayor Jim Righeimer.

PRESS RELEASE PENDING***
Humphrey cited not only the cost, but the turmoil involved in a recount and the fact that chances are quite slim that he would pick up even a few votes as a result.  He has prepared a press release on this issue and will release it later this evening.  HERE is the Daily Pilot article on the concession.

HE'S GRATEFUL TO HIS SUPPORTERS
Humphrey expressed to me his extreme gratitude to those Costa Mesa voters who cast their ballots in his favor and, especially, to all those tireless workers who walked precincts, sent out fliers, made telephone calls on his behalf and otherwise worked tirelessly to support his candidacy.  He assured to me that he will continue to be actively engaged in municipal affairs and, as is quoted in Zint's Facebook entry, "be part of this community and continue to share the word of people who are not being heard."

A GOOD MAN RAN A GOOD CAMPAIGN
From a personal standpoint, I admire Jay Humphrey for the high road he took on his campaign.  There was plenty of controversy, particularly swirling around the endorsement he and Katrina Foley received from Costa Mesans For Responsible Government and the angry reaction by potential candidate Harold Weitzberg.  Through all that and the negative campaigning by his opposition, he held his head high, addressed important issues, answered every question, attended every meeting and continued to demonstrate what good citizenship is all about.  I'm sorry Jay didn't win a seat on the council, but know he will continue to be involved and be a voice of maturity and reason as he addresses important issues in the city.

***HERE IS THE COMPLETE TEXT OF HUMPHREY'S PRESS RELEASE, ISSUED JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER I POSTED THIS ENTRY: 
This has been an exciting but challenging election and the time has come to bring it to an end.  My supporters and I watched the excruciating closeness of the ballot count between Jim Righeimer and myself, with Tuesday’s certification showing Mr. Righeimer leading by 47 votes—less than one-tenth of one percent of all the votes cast in Costa Mesa on November 4th. This count show the importance of "Every vote counts"


Since then, I have thoroughly reviewed the vote count as well as data on the history of recounts to consider whether to request a recount.  I owed a thoughtful review to the wonderful people supporting my campaign and the people of Costa Mesa I hoped to serve.  After consultation with the County Registrar, my supporters, and election experts and attorneys, I have decided to work for tomorrow and the future of all in Costa Mesa.


Accordingly, I have called Mr. Righeimer to congratulate him on his re-election to the Council, and to wish him well in his next term.


I also want to thank so much all the people who worked so hard and gave so much to support my campaign, as well as everybody who voted for me.  I especially thank the members of Costa Mesans for Responsible Government, who put heart and soul into this election.  They and I are committed in the future and We are not going to stop working for the values we fought for in this campaign.


I will continue to share the voice of the people of Costa Mesa who need to be heard.  I will continue working on issues critical to the future of this city—not just public safety, development, and City Council process, but the health of our economy and livability of the city and issues that affect them like the minimum wage, support for small business development, preservation of open space and the like.  I will work always to support the needs of the people of the city of Costa Mesa, to respect their voices, and to raise my voice whenever it can make a difference.