The fate of two elected officials in a Marin County town is now in the hands of voters after separate recall petitions garnered enough signatures to place their removals on the ballot.
The Marin County Department of Elections verified signatures from more than 25% of registered voters — which is 1,479 voters in Fairfax — on petitions to recall Fairfax Mayor Lisel Blash and Vice Mayor Stephanie Hellman, the county said.
The petition for Blash had 1,552 signatures verified and the one for Hellman had 1,569, according to data from the county.
Recall proponents, led by the Committee to Recall Hellman and Blash, accuse the two of being unwilling to address a homeless encampment by Contratti Park, budget mismanagement and support for what it says on its website are “extreme and unpopular” policies, including rent control and just cause eviction ordinances. Recall proponents also point to the two’s support of the School Street Plaza, an apartment complex development.
Proponents said they were “ecstatic” about qualifying the recalls for the ballot.
“This is a righteous victory for the people of Fairfax — democracy truly in action. Our community entrusted us to amplify their voices and demand a fresh vote on leadership that reflects their values and concerns, and we are thrilled to have delivered. Onward to the ballot box,” proponents said in a statement.
In a statement, Blash and Hellman said many signed the petitions “under false or misleading pretenses.”
“This recall effort has become a microcosm of broader national trends: a flood of misinformation, tactics pulled from the MAGA playbook, and a growing reliance on fear-based, low-information appeals,” Blash and Hellman said in a statement posted online.
The two said the recall would not exempt the town from state housing mandates, stop development of School Street Plaza, or resolve a federal lawsuit that blocked the dismantling of the homeless encampment near Contratti Park.
The Town Council will have 14 days from its next regularly scheduled meeting to call for a special election. Blash and Hellman said in their statement that, along with a certification of valid signatures by the town clerk, a special election would be called at the Aug. 6 meeting.
Should the recall elections prove successful, the council will have the decision of filling the vacancies through a special election or an appointment.