On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the town of Fairfax organized a special election to recall Mayor Lisel Blash and Vice Mayor Stephanie Hellman from office. Earlier this year, Fairfax residents started a petition over disagreements and allegations surrounding local issues and earned over 1,500 signatures, enough to trigger a special election. By election day, however, the majority of Fairfax voters voted against the recall, keeping Blash and Hellman in office.

The recall effort began due to Blash and Hellman’s controversial plan to build a six-story apartment complex at School Street Plaza, a two-acre plot of land in Fairfax. Blash and Hellman faced accusations of pushing their own agenda forward and mismanaging funds to support the housing plan.

On election day, voters cast their ballots at the Fairfax Women’s Club or voted from home in the weeks prior. In Downtown Fairfax, demonstrators on both sides of Broadway Boulevard held either pro or anti-recall signs.

Sean Fitzgerald, a Fairfax resident, participated in the pro-recall demonstration on election day. 

“They say the reason [for the housing development] is that we need housing in California. But do we need housing in Fairfax for 500 people? Is that really necessary for Fairfax, and does it serve our citizenship? We think no,” Fitzgerald said. 

Fitzgerald spent nine months canvassing for the initial recall effort to get signatures, and conducted a petition to gauge public support for holding a new election. 

“We found through our petition that 30 percent of the population felt [the mayor and vice mayor] were not doing a good job, and we wanted to put them back up for a vote,” Fitzgeral said.

Bruce Seltzer, a Sleepy Hollow resident, supports the recall based on information he has read and what he has heard from friends in Fairfax. Although he does not live in Fairfax, he was compelled to support the recall after listening to Fairfax homeowners.

“I’m not affected because I live in San Anselmo rather than Fairfax. But what I read by the homeowners, I thought, was fairly persuasive, more persuasive than the rulings and the regulations posted by the town council over the last two years,” Seltzer said. “Many homeowners felt they weren’t being listened to and their voice was not being believed by the members of the town council.”

Khristine Bell, a Fairfax resident and former Archie Williams parent, voted against the recall. She believes that the housing plan would have positive effects on the Fairfax community.

“If there’s more low-income housing, then that would be awesome… There would be more people who feel like they’re a part of this community, instead of feeling like they have to hide in the shadows or be unhoused. It affects the traffic and [Fairfax’s] environment,” Bell said.

Bell also feels skeptical about the future if the mayor and vice mayor lost their positions.

“In all the people I’ve had conversations with, I didn’t ever get the sense that there was a plan or resources to fight what might come [after the recall],” Bell said.

The recall did not pass, meaning that Blash and Hellman will stay in office until their terms end in November 2026. Following the results, Blash said in a public statement, “As your mayor, I am committed to enhancing civility, transparency, and engagement in Fairfax… My goal is to restore calm and put the ‘unity’ back in community.”