Higginbotham apparently wins Pismo Beach mayoral race by 2 votes

The old adage that every vote counts is ringing true in San Luis Obispo County.

With all the ballots counted in several close races, the results Friday revealed quite a few close decisions, including an apparent two-vote win for Pismo Beach Mayor Shelly Higginbotham over challenger Kevin Kreowski.

The results still have to be certified to become final. Once that is done, Kreowski can ask for a recount if he chooses, because the race is so close.

On Friday, Kreowski declined to comment, saying that he had not received official notification from the county clerk that all ballots had been counted.

Higginbotham, who has been on vacation, could not be reached for comment.

In Arroyo Grande, Mayor Tony Ferrara continued to trail the number of votes for a write-in candidate, 49 percent to 51 percent.

On Monday, county elections staff will begin determining how many of the ballots cast for a write-in candidate go to challenger Jim Hill.

In the race for two Paso Robles council seats, Councilman John Hamon finished in the lead with 22 percent of the vote. Jim Reed finished with 2,606 votes, only 14 votes more than challenger Mayor Duane Picanco, who is running for a council seat.

There are still 386 provisional ballots that need to be counted on Tuesday. However, those ballots are from other parts of the county and won’t affect these races, said Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald.

The clerk’s office has until Dec. 2 to certify the election results but hopes to be finished by Thanksgiving.

This story was originally published November 14, 2014 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Higginbotham apparently wins Pismo Beach mayoral race by 2 votes."