Lehi's mayor and two candidates for city council held a news conference on Wednesday to explain why they are running as a team of write-in candidates.

Ed James, KaeLene Marsden, and Mayor Howard Johnson, who lost the primary election, said newer areas of the city need representation, and the city's old pool should be kept open. The news conference was attended only by the Daily Herald.

Johnson said that re-electing him also will allow him to continue his fight against UDOT over how roads in Lehi should be built.

"They way they are doing it, I see as an abuse of Lehi," the mayor said. "And it doesn't need to be an abuse of Lehi."

James said he decided to run after being disappointed by the selection of other candidates.

"It was a ticket that spelled disaster for the city," James said. "The same-old, same-old."

All three candidates said they acknowledge that they face an uphill battle.

Marsden said that if elected officials close the city's old pool, it will kill one of the largest swim teams in Utah.

The city needs fresh ideas from newer residents, she said. The council should represent all areas of the city, even newer subdivisions.

"People who haven't lived here forever can bring in new, fresh ideas," she said. "There are people who want to hold on to values from 20 years ago."

People who have moved in from larger cities have a different perspective, based on experience, of how to manage growth, she said.

"I think it is good to have people who have lived here forever, and people who have lived in cities where they have seen bad decisions made," she said. "They have been involved in bigger cities and know the growth pattern."

In addition, she would like to do more with arts and sports programs, which have been neglected, she said.

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