A recession hit while he was away. When he returned, his company was heavily in debt on land it could not sell and was losing $2 million a year. So he decided to start building homes himself — not just selling land for them — and offered affordable starter homes with quality, amenities and warranties he says others lacked.

"The economy in the late '80s and '90s finally came back," Ivory says, and business boomed again. He sold his share of the business to his oldest son (who is still making payments on that arrangement), and he retired in 2001.

Ivory says he wanted to do something more important in retirement than just golf (even though he has been serving as president of his LDS stake for five years). By late last month, he had the idea of running for mayor. He talked to others about his idea and decided to see what campaign professionals were available.

Within a week, he was a write-in candidate.

He's pledged to spend $400,000 of his own money. He's vowed not to accept contributions from others. He says he will not take a salary if he wins, nor will he accept a county car.

"Money was at the root of all the problems and scandals with the county. I'm not in it for power or for money," he says.

Ivory says he is making arrangements to avoid conflicts-of-interest if he becomes mayor. For example, he took a leave of absence from his position on the Deseret Morning News board just before he announced his candidacy and said he will resign if elected.

Ivory says being mayor would bring few conflicts with his old Ivory Homes, especially because he sold his interest in it. He says the Planning Commission handles zoning decisions, and it is appointed by the elected County Council, not the mayor. "There are checks and balances," he says.

Of note, records show that Ivory Homes owes $2,077 in unpaid Salt Lake County property taxes on eight parcels, with most of that dating back to 2000 and 2001, about when Ivory left the company. He said that is his former company's problem, not his. "In my management of Ivory Homes, we never lost a piece of property to delinquent taxes," he says.

Ivory has been sued individually or jointly with his businesses 21 times since 1986, which he says is not that many times considering how many homes he has sold. He won the majority, or they were dismissed. Among those that went against him was a suit (later settled) with homeowners in a Murray subdivision where basements were flooded as the water table rose, and a personal injury lawsuit by a man who rode an off-road vehicle into a barbed-wire fence on property owned by Ivory's company.

"I have learned some things that could help the county," he says. For example, he says he knows how to hold down costs.