And now, the winners ...

Published online on Wednesday, Jun. 04, 2008

For these candidates, the election season is over -- and it ends on a winning note. Tuesday, voters made final selections in city council, board of supervisors, judicial and other races ranging from Fresno to Porterville and Madera County to Kings County. That means no more campaigning, no more fundraising -- no waiting for November runoffs if unofficial election night results hold true.

Fresno City Council, District 2

Law professor Andreas Borgeas won the race for the northwest Fresno seat on the council.

With all precincts reporting, Borgeas had about 68% of the vote compared to 32% for Michael Karbassi.

Borgeas received support from a wide range of elected officials and political organizations.

"I worked my tail off," said Borgeas, a professor at San Joaquin College of Law. "You need to reach out to the voters and ask them what they care about."

He will replace Brian Calhoun, who must leave the City Council because of term limits.

This was Karbassi's second run for the council seat, even though the college student and businessman is only 24.

Fresno City Council, District 4

Even though he missed the last two weeks of the campaign, Larry Westerlund held onto his seat on the council, according to unofficial results.

With all precincts reporting, Westerlund received about 60% of the votes, compared to about 40% for Susan Good, district director for state Sen. Dean Florez.

Westerlund stayed in touch with supporters Tuesday night in Fresno while he was stationed at a military base in South Carolina, where he's preparing for a yearlong deployment with the Naval Reserve, including a stint in Iraq.

But, facing a three-hour time difference, and having to get up at 5 a.m., he told his wife he had to go to bed before all the votes were counted.

"Even though he's not here, he still got 60% of the vote," said Dora Westerlund, Larry's wife, who helped run the campaign when Westerlund left Fresno last month. "We feel very, very thankful."

Attorney Paul Caprioglio was appointed by the council to serve the remainder of Westerlund's term. District 4 covers east-central Fresno.

New council members will be sworn in Jan. 6.

The next council will pick a temporary replacement for Westerlund.

Fresno City Council, District 6

Businessman Lee Brand won the race in District 6, outpolling attorney Michelle Jorgensen and Realtor Matt White.

Brand pulled in a hefty 70% of the vote with all precincts reporting, according to unofficial totals. Jorgensen picked up about 27% while White got around 3%.

Brand attributed his success to an early and aggressive campaign. A former member of the Fresno Planning Commission, Brand campaigned for City Council for nearly two years, and spent far more than his opponents on TV, radio and other advertisements.

"I think it was a combination of going out really early, and securing endorsements and support," Brand said.

Brand will replace Jerry Duncan as council member for the northeast Fresno district. Duncan must give up the seat after serving two four-year terms.

Fresno County Board of Supervisors, District 2

Incumbent Susan Anderson fended off two challengers to avoid a November runoff and keep her seat on the board, unofficial election results show.

With all but one precinct reporting, Anderson had a comfortable lead with just more than 53% of the vote. Fresno City Council Member Brian Calhoun had close to 30% of the vote, and certified public accountant Paul Dictos had just more than 17%.

"I'm feeling pretty good about it," she said close to midnight, as her campaign party wound down. "It doesn't appear that there's going to be a runoff."