MODESTO -- About 7:50 Tuesday evening, Garrad Marsh made a toast to his supporters, saying his campaign for mayor of Modesto was the greatest trip of his life.
About 15 minutes later, that trip reached its destination with a vote count showing a clear victory for Marsh in the runoff election.
He captured 13,839 votes, or 56 percent. His opponent, Brad Hawn, had 10,614 votes, or 43 percent.
Hawn conceded on his Facebook page minutes after the unofficial results were posted by the Stanislaus County election office at 8:05 p.m.
"I called Garrad and congratulated him," said Hawn, who recently termed out after serving eight years on the City Council. "I told him I would be willing to help any way I can."
Marsh celebrated the victory at a party at the McHenry Museum, which was packed with jubilant supporters who had carried him to the win. The businessman served two terms on the council, starting in 2003, and will return to the governing body as mayor later this month.
"It's these people," Marsh said, referring those attending his celebration. "I was confident that I would win. I didn't think it would be this big of a win."
Marsh, the co-owner of McHenry Bowl, came close to bowling a strike in the November election by getting 44 percent of the vote, but needed just more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.
Hawn, who finished second in November's four-way race with 31 percent, expected to close the gap in this month's runoff by getting an endorsement from third-place finisher Bill Zoslocki, who had taken some of the pro-business vote from Hawn.
But Marsh rode his popular support into the mayor's office.
Joe Cleary was among the hundreds of people who helped out with Marsh's campaign.
"Garrad is very generous to the community, and I respect that," Cleary said.
The election office still has to count slightly more than 3,000 ballots, which arrived in the mail Monday and Tuesday or were taken to drop-off sites. Those ballots can't change the outcome. It appears the turnout for the runoff was about 29 percent.
Mayor Jim Ridenour, who is terming out this month, said that Marsh will be sworn in Feb. 28.
Ridenour supported Hawn, but said he wasn't surprised at the outcome, given Marsh's strong showing in the November vote.
"It turned out the way people figured," Ridenour said. "It was a good race."
The outgoing mayor congratulated Marsh at the museum and offered help with the transition. "I told him I will be around," Ridenour said.
The next mayor will lead a city grappling with budget constraints, the rising cost of retirement benefits and a stagnant economy.
Hawn made public employee pension reform a key issue of his campaign. He wrote the three pension advisory measures that were approved by voters in November.
In the past four weeks, he also struck at Marsh's image as a smart growth advocate by calling attention to his real estate deals in Village I.
Marsh countered with claims that Hawn was influenced by developers.
Marsh, 63, has promised to make City Hall more accountable to the public and less receptive to special interests.
"I will work hard to make Modesto a better place for all of its citizens," he said after Tuesday's win.
Councilman Dave Lopez said he expected Marsh would change the tenor of the mayor's office.
"It will be a pretty open mayor's office, more accessible," Lopez said. "Not that Ridenour didn't do a good job. I just think the doors will be open a little more. Garrad likes to talk to people."
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at kcarlson@modbee.com or (209) 578-2321.
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