A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been elected to the city council in Visalia, California. 52-year-old attorney Warren Gubler (pictured at left with his wife and one of his five daughters), described as a devout practicing member of the LDS Church and a former bishop of his ward, was one of the top three finishers in his first try for elective office, checking in second during the November 3rd election. All city council seats are at-large; in this election, the top three finishers win.
There were still over 5,500 absentee ballots to be counted. As of this post, 4,200 of them have been counted, and Gubler's victory can be considered secure. The county elections office has up to 28 days to complete and certify the vote count, and the new Visalia City Council will have its first meeting on December 7th, after certification of Tuesday's results.
Local media sources disclose that Gubler waged a strong, well-organized campaign, raising thousands of dollars; as of October 30th, Gubler had raised $13,000. Gubler garnered organizational support from the local Republican Party as well as the Visalia City Firefighters Association. A pro-business candidate, Gubler campaigned on an aggressive strategy to recruit new jobs and investment to the city and limits on taxes and city fees. He also promoted a return to basic city services, such as public safety. Gubler said the election was a sign that the "city needs to tighten its belt and live like the rest of us in this tight economy." The Visalia Times-Delta has a rather poorly-written candidate summary on Gubler HERE.
Gubler is conversant in Japanese (guess where he went on his mission?) and is a graduate of Brigham Young University. More information is available on his campaign website.
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