He once decided his company needed to cut $2,000 in costs on each home it built. It worked with people at all levels to figure "where we could cut $50 here, or $20 there. We had a cost-control meeting every other week to keep on target. We did it. . . . I think that's the sort of thing we may be able to do with the county."

He also says he learned how to attract some of the best builders to work with or for him, even though he knows little about construction himself. "You have to believe in people and delegate," he says. "I know how to make people happy. . . . That principle is going to be important if I am lucky enough to be elected mayor."

So Ivory is touring the county in a bus made to look somewhat like a pencil (to encourage write-in votes if necessary), watching his grandchildren (dressed like pencils) and volunteers handing out pencils, and finds optimism from past experience that he can overcome his late start and problems appearing on the ballot to win.

"A lot of people thought I was crazy," he says. "But we can win. I can make a difference."

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E-mail: ldavidson@desnews.com