YAKIMA, Wash. -- Since his name was the only one on the ballot under Yakima county prosecutor, Jim Hagarty didn't have to worry about Election Night jitters.

The incumbent had 98 percent of the 23,716 votes counted as of Tuesday night.

Hagarty, 59, was appointed to the elected position by Yakima County commissioners last December, when Ron Zirkle opted to retire early rather than finish his term. No one filed to run against him.

Hagarty's victory in Tuesday's election means he'll remain prosecutor until January 2011. He plans to run again in November 2010 for a full four-year term.

In the meantime, the veteran prosecutor says he'll continue seeking improvements in efficiency and caseloads among the 30 attorneys in the office. As one of his first acts in office, he established a gang-crimes unit in the prosecutor's office.

"... We've got a lot of room for improvement, and I think we are working hard at that," Hagarty said in a recent interview.

Before Yakima County prosecutor, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in Yakima. He previously was the prosecuting attorney in Klickitat County and a chief deputy for the Skamania County prosecutor.