Thank You / Moving Forward

Hello Neighbors,

Thank you to all who took the time to get out and vote. You understand that voices and votes really do matter in local elections. Here are my thoughts after taking some time to reflect on the 2022 campaign experience.

I want to thank the Franklin City Clerk and her staff for all their hard work and dedication to maintain election integrity. I have personally spoken with Sandi and have gotten to know her professionally over the past months. She and her staff deserve recognition and I applaud them for their efforts and fully trust the integrity of their work.

A huge thank you to all of those that supported me along the way. I am humbled to have received your votes. 47% of yesterday’s voters, roughly half of District 5 wants to see change from where the incumbent is taking our city. It’s going to take more work on our behalf to see this change through. We need to do a better job when it comes to engaging the community as evidenced by the 21.97% voter turnout for the district.

My campaign centered around three pillars. One of which is integrity. I put forth all I had and sacrificed much, all with integrity and almost won the District 5 seat. I ran an honest and clean race in accordance with election and campaign laws, working diligently to get factual messaging correct in all my literature, Mr. Barber cannot say the same.

Respect and trust are earned and must never be undermined. I cannot respect someone that lies and misleads people in an effort to collect more votes. There was a severe lack of respect, and integrity exhibited from Mr. Barber’s campaign.

Mr. Barber and others need to be held accountable for any election or campaign laws violated. Moving forward, citizens need to pay attention to make sure Mr. Barber doesn’t continue to be a rubber stamp asleep at the wheel.

It was my hope to be your Alderman and bring transparency, honesty, and integrity to District 5. Regardless of the outcome, my goals are the same. I hoped that the hits and personal attacks I endured along the campaign trail would have served as a sign that it is possible to take the high road and move forward working together to build up the community vs tearing it and its citizens down. I will continue to do my best to hold our city officials accountable. I will continue to watch for government overreach and rampant spending that led me to running for office in the first place.

Thank you again to my amazing and incredibly supportive wife and family, and all my supporters! I am glad to call many of you friends and look forward to making more enriching connections in the years to come.

Sincerely,

Marcelino Rivera III

Rivera III Post Election Thank you!.pdf

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