MOSES LAKE - Construction business owner Mick Hansen won the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District election by 259 votes.

Hansen received 2,256 votes and his opponent, Bill Bailey, a former Grant County Fair manager, received 1,997 votes, according to official results provided by Julie Smith, the district's administrative assistant, on Monday.

Absentee votes were counted Monday, then added to ballots cast at the polling place on Dec. 13.

"There are more than 250 votes between us now," Hansen said.  "I think the chance that local people turned out, that's what saved me, quite honestly."

Hansen said the absentee ballots hurt him again, just like during last year's election. He lost the 2010 election by 217 votes to current board director Ron Covey.

When absentee votes were counted, Hansen said he was "extremely worried about halfway through."

At one point, when he gained 280 votes, Bailey received 1,000 votes, Hansen said.

"The bottom half of the pile ended up in my favor," Hansen said. "I totally lost my lead about halfway through, until the very end, until we got to the bottom of the hopper."

To celebrate, he is planning a party for his supporters Tuesday night.

"This has been a long time coming," Hansen said. "I'm very happy about the results."

He takes office in January, filling former director Norm Benson's seat on the board. Benson did not run for re-election.

Voter turnout was down by 994 votes from last year, with 4,253 votes cast, as compared to 5,247 votes last year.

Approximately 24 letters to the editor were printed in the Columbia Basin Herald about the election.

The Columbia Basin Herald was unable to reach Bailey for comment Monday afternoon.