Political newcomer Jennifer Montgomery of Serene Lakes, near Donner Summit, held a solid lead all night en route to a win against incumbent Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz of Colfax.
With all 86 precincts reporting, Montgomery claimed 55 percent of the vote to 45 percent for Kranz.
"I am looking forward to doing what the voters elected me to do," she said from a celebration in Soda Springs. "We want to increase the economic base but keep our communities the way we like them."
District 5 is the largest in the county in terms of geography. It encompasses communities east and north of Auburn, including Foresthill, Colfax and Placer County areas in the Tahoe region such as Tahoe City, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and Kings Beach.
Democrat Montgomery, 47, earned a spot in the District 5 runoff when she received 41 percent of the primary vote in June.
Republican Kranz, 59, received 37 percent of the vote.
But many observers think another Republican, Robert Houston, who finished third in June with 22 percent, played a major role in the Montgomery-Kranz race.
Houston endorsed Montgomery in the runoff.
Kranz said he was confident that he could win back Houston's Republican votes.
"In the primary, I was running against two people," he said during the campaign. "It's tough to run against two people, especially when one is (also a Republican)."
Kranz is a retired state parks supervisor who also has been a field representative for former Assemblyman Tim Leslie, a Republican from Tahoe City.
He said his top issue was protecting taxpayers.
Montgomery owns a concierge service that "provides just about anything" for mostly second-home owners in the Tahoe Donner area.
She said her top priority as a supervisor would be balancing the county budget.
As the campaign was winding down, Kranz said the biggest difference between him and Montgomery was his support of business.
"I represent the business community," he said. "I have the endorsement of virtually every chamber of commerce and business group out there.
Montgomery said Kranz was "dead wrong" to characterize her as being anti-growth and anti-business.
"I own my own business," she said. "I want to encourage good business models for both business and development."
Another issue in the race was Kranz's appointment of Michelle Ollar-Burris, a Realtor, to the Placer County Planning Commission.
Ollar-Burris had worked on his previous campaign, and Kranz appointed her on the day he took office. She was later removed by Kranz after news reports disclosed that she had split properties, a possible violation of the State Subdivision Map Act.
Montgomery took him to task for his early support of Ollar-Burris. "I honestly believe I will show better judgment on appointments," she said.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.