Change Is In The Air With Jimmie Hughes As St. George’s Mayor

Running for an office can be incredibly nerve-wracking.

Jimmie Hughes, who won his race Tuesday and will become mayor of St. George when the new year ring's in this coming January, said he had a good feeling about the race, but admits it was just a feeling.

"I've had a few campaigns," said Hughes, who has been on the St. George City Council for 14 years. "But this campaign felt different. I had a lot more people, volunteers and people that called me and offered to help and some people that just helped without me even asking. It felt a lot different, just a tremendous amount of volunteers."

"My gut, although I didn't trust it, I've been through this before, I felt pretty good," he said.

As election day wore on, Hughes admitted the wait was interminable.

"You try to stay busy, do some work things and some family things," he said. "But you really don't find anything out until the polls close at 8 p.m."

Hughes said he was watching the Washington County voter website closely when a friend called him and said the numbers looked really good.

"I was like 'Hey, where are you finding this information,'" Hughes said.

As it turns out, the early information his friend gave him was spot on. Hughes indeed, was doing well and was on his way to receiving about 55 percent of the vote for mayor. He said the vote was not an indictment on the current mayor, Michele Randall, but rather the voters' way of saying it was time for a change.

Hughes cited a sports analogy to explain it, saying Andy Reid, current coach of three-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, never won a Super Bowl in his 14 years as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since his departure from Philadelphia, he has guided the Chiefs to three championships. But the Eagles have also been very successful, even winning the Super Bowl themselves last season.

"Michele did a fantastic job, but sometimes it's just time to get a new coach," Hughes said. "I truly believe Michele will continue to flourish and so will the city of St. George."

Hughes takes office in January, when he will begin what he hopes is just his first term as mayor of St. George.

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