Cain is able, 20% win in North Ward, to cap 1st run
“I didn’t have to do any negative campaigning against my opponent. He and I, we had a discussion right off the bat and said, ‘Look, we’re not running against each other, we’re running for a position,’” Cain said about he and Devlin.
No negativity was needed by Cain, who enjoyed an impressive winning result at the polls. Cain will be the new face on Town of Farragut’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen, having defeated Devlin 60.47 versus 39.53 percent (1.074 votes versus 702) to earn the North Ward seat following all the voting, which culminated on Election Day Thursday, Aug. 1.
“I was very surprised that the size of victory was as large as it was,” said the new alderman-elect, who is waiting for Knox County Election Commission to certify all voting results before he can be sworn-in. Cain said he was told that should happen by Monday, Aug. 19, allowing him to take the oath of office and begin his service during the Thursday, Aug. 22, BOMA meeting.
“I was out at (Farragut) Middle School at the polling place for the North Ward all day long, … The response from the people coming to vote was very good,” he said. “I felt very confident that it was going to be a strong day, but I never thought I was going to win by 2(0-plus) points.”
Looking back on how things started, “I was the first person to pull a petition with (Knox County) Election Commission back in February and was putting together a good group of people just to advise me,” Cain said. “… There was a good group of friends and acquaintances that were going to advise me. We all thought everything was going to go well.
“Then Adam Atherton announced in the farragutpress that he was going to run as a write-in candidate in the race, so that became a speed bump for us,” he added.
However, Atherton ultimately decided not to run “and supported me,” Cain said. “Then we went through the early part of the summer and things were rolling along real well.
“Then we got into the part of the campaign in June and July. … A strong ground game and communication game with the voters worked,” he added.
Expressing gratefulness for all of his support, “I had about a dozen people that were out in the different neighborhoods, door knocking and getting campaign material out to mailboxes and front doors,” said Cain, owner/operator of a corporate security consulting and concierge transportation company, Tristar Executive Solutions.
“They were just amazing the whole time. They worked tirelessly,” he added. “It didn’t matter if it was hot, cold, rainy. They were out all the time. And I’ve got to thank my parents (Michael and Martha Cain) for their support.”
In addition to keeping in touch with North Ward voters, “Those people that live in the South Ward that didn’t have a chance to vote for me, I want to put together a couple of meet-and-greets with them so they get a chance to meet me and talk to me like I did out here knocking on doors,” Cain said.
“I knocked on over 500 doors and talked to people here in the North Ward,” he added.
