Pepper concedes

At 10:30, David Pepper supporters watched Mark Mallory's victory speech. Just as the speech ended, Pepper came down to the party to speak to them.

With him were his family, former 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Nathaniel Jones, for whom Pepper was a law clerk, and his girlfriend, former Channel 9 reporter Andrea Canning.

Jones introduced Pepper to the crowd, who clapped and cheered despite the loss. He quoted Adlai Stevenson, who once said losing hurt too much to laugh but was too big to cry.

"So we're all too big to cry,'' Jones said. "David ran a wonderful campaign. Your support was unfailing and consistent.''

"David, I want to say to you that I've never been prouder of you in my life than I am at this moment.''

He asked that the crowd "embrace him with a round of applause.'' Everyone did.

Pepper thanked them.

"Unfortunately, the only remarks I had were victory remarks,'' he said. "We didn't write a speech for losing, so unfortunately, I"m going to have to wing it.''

He congratulated Mallory and said the city has needed a "real mayor's race for a long time.''

Mallory "obviously brought passion to this race.''

He hadn't called his opponent yet, but said he would as soon as he finished the speech.

"I just want to be really positive here,'' Pepper said.

Pepper said he will continue to "be cheering very loudly for this city as a citizen.''

He said he might even have a plan he'd like to offer to all of them, poking fun at himself for the book-size plan he wrote for the unsuccessful campaign.

"This race has been a whole lot of fun,'' he said. "And it's been reaffirming as to what a wonderful, wonderful city we have.''

He said the election provides the City Council with an opportunity to turn the city in a new direction. And he thanked the crowd of supporters in front of him as well as the family that stood behind him on the stage.

He thanked Jones for being "a wonderful mentor.'' He said he was privileged to have the endorsement of the city's hard-working firefighters and police officers. He said he hoped to see council candidate Wendell Young try running again and thanked Council winners Leslie Ghiz and Cecil Thomas for endorsing him.

"I think they're good people,'' he said of City Council members. "And with the right leadership...I think they can be a great team.''

He thanked his campaign and office staffs, down to his interns. The young ones are so great, he said, "because they're optimistic about politics. What they brought to this table was...the belief that politics can do great things.''

He described Canning "as unbelievably supportive and patient'' to put up with his political work.

He thanked his parents, John and Francie, because "their example of giving back has inspired me my whole life. Obviously, I"ll continue to follow that path however I choose to do it.''

-- Jane Prendergast