San Luis Obispo County’s longest-serving supervisor has been re-elected by a narrow margin.
Supervisor Bruce Gibson won re-election by just 13 votes in a district that was recently redrawn to include Atascadero.
“We always knew it was going to be a close race and didn’t necessarily expect it to be this close. Of course, I’m thrilled, “Gibson told KSBY as he celebrated a razor-thin win over his opponent, Dr. Bruce Jones.
Gibson won 11,722 votes while Jones received 11,709.
Bruce jones declined an on-camera interview, but a campaign spokesperson confirmed they plan to file for a recount, “we are looking into our options at this point.”
Jones--who ran as a fiscal conservative--ran to unseat Gibson in a race that became more competitive after District 2 was redrawn to include Atascadero and exclude San Luis Obispo, Los Osos, and Morro Bay.
“As we saw in the primary, the accuracy of our election staff is outstanding,” said Gibson. “That recount produced zero changes in votes so I’m quite confident that this margin is going to stand.”
Some Atascadero residents say they are in favor of a recount and strengthening voter ID laws while others say that the voters have spoken.
“If it’s that close—I’m maybe under the idea that the public has spoken,” said Atascadero resident Louis Quezada.
Gibson has served on the board of supervisors for 16 years and says he looks forward to working with a new board majority.
District 2 now includes Cayucos, Harmony, Cambria, San Simeon, San Miguel, and Atascadero.
