At 8:39 p.m. Tuesday night, only one thing seemed certain: Richard Forster had little to worry about.

Barring a last-second write-in campaign for Mickey Mouse, the unopposed supervisor was poised to return to his District 2 seat for a third term. Meanwhile, the results of a top-heavy race in District 1 and a faceoff in District 4 were less obvious. But on a night when an unusually low number of Amador County voters turned out to the polls, each race would yield a definitive winner.

With all 59 precincts reporting on Wednesday, unofficial tallies showed safe margins of victory for District 1 challenger John Plasse and District 4 incumbent Louis Boitano.

Plasse's 54 percent margin of victory was especially surprising, as the 49-year-old retired businessman was competing against a city mayor, county planning commissioner and long-time activist.

"I was surprised it didn't go for a run-off," said Ken Berry, a Jackson software developer who won 13.87 percent of the vote.

Berry followed closely behind county Planning Commissioner John Gonsalves and Jackson Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla, who received 17.27 percent and 14.83 percent of the vote, respectively.

Boitano's opponent, financial planner David Pincus, received 42.25 percent in unofficial election results.

Wednesday morning, Cris Boitano was enjoying the "afterglow" of her husband's victory. The reelected supervisor had left early that day for a meeting at the Bear Valley resort, following a heady night of phone calls and tracking the results online. Their daughter, Holly, a TSPN anchor, also worked the phones to keep the Boitanos abreast of the latest results.

"We had our finger on the pulse of what was going on," Cris told the Ledger Dispatch. "We got the word pretty early."

Looking across the county to the District 1 race, Cris wasn't ready to speculate on how Plasse's strong victory would change the dynamic of the board of supervisors. "It says he has some support over there," she said. "The other candidates really split the vote, didn't they?

"There were a lot of good people running, a lot of energy."

Cris wasn't as surprised by Berry's showing, even though he reported no campaign contributions and wasn't as well known as his rivals. "He's been around for a long time," she said. "He's not afraid to knock on people's doors."

And knock on doors he did, passing out leaflets and pamphlets that took aim at Pryor Escamilla and Gonsalves. Berry took no issue with Plasse, and he was satisfied with with the results. "John Plasse is a good person," he said.

Pryor Escamilla was at home hosting a party "when the crime occurred." The Jackson mayor had her sense of humor intact Wednesday, following her third-place finish. "Are you calling to see if I'm licking my wounds?" she jokingly asked.

Like many, she expected a run-off, but was philosophical about the results.

She called Plasse a bright person who campaigned hard early and has the ability to learn quickly on the job, but worried he may not be ready to govern in times of controversy. As for herself, she has one year left as Jackson's mayor and may decide to do something else after that.

"I'll be fine," Pryor Escamilla said.

District 1 inhabits mostly Jackson and some of Martell; District 2 encompasses Sutter Creek, Martell, Ione, Buena Vista, Camanche Village and Camanche North Shore; and District 4 covers Pine Grove, as well as parts of Sutter Creek and Martell.

Look for expanded coverage tomorrow.

On the net:

http://www.co.amador.ca.us/depts/elections/index.cfm?id=10