Incumbent Jim Patterson appears to have secured another term as Fifth District Supervisor and continues to hold the marginal lead he gained over his opponent on election night.

Challenger Debbie Arnold conceded on Thursday, following the count of absentee ballots that left Patterson ahead by 288 votes as of 5 p.m. that day.

A number of ballots within the Fifth District, including 140 provisional ballots, were expected to be counted as of press time Tuesday, Assistant County Clerk Recorder Tommy Gong said Monday, noting there was still a remote possibility Arnold could win the race.

Unofficial final election night results posted Thursday afternoon show Patterson earned 51.9 percent of the June 3 vote while Arnold earned 48.70 percent.

“I’m obviously pleased with the outcome,” Patterson said, noting that with the exception of his own race in 2004 the Fifth District has seen close races for the last two decades. “I look forward to continuing my service as supervisor.”

Patterson joined the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors in 2004 after defeating Arnold’s former boss, incumbent Mike Ryan. Arnold served as Ryan’s aide before she became the legislative assistant for Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee.

The supervisor said he will continue to work on the issues he campaigned on such as smart growth principles and affordable housing. In addition, Patterson said he will continue to make himself more accessible to constituents to encourage increased public participation in local government.

Although the county faces budget challenges Patterson said the board is working on a number of solutions such as enhanced savings and expenditure cutbacks.

“We’re anticipating the downturn to last more than just a single year and we’re preparing for budget shortfalls for the next year or two,” he said.

Patterson moved to Atascadero in 1975 after receiving a degree from Cal Poly in natural resource management. He owned and operated an Atascadero landscaping business for a number of years before a four-year stint farming alfalfa and dry land grain in Shandon and a 10-year career as the manager of the conservation program at Atascadero Mutual Water Company.

Once seated in January, Patterson will join First and Third District Supervisor newcomers Frank Mecham and Adam Hill who respectively defeated incumbents Harry Ovitt and Jerry Lenthall by wide margins in the recent primary. Also on the board are Fourth District Supervisor Katcho Acadjian and Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson who will be continuing their current terms.

The Fifth District includes Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Garden Farms, Creston, Pozo, California Valley and part of San Luis Obispo.