Early results in Tuesday’s election show Fairfax voters oppose the recall of Mayor Lisel Blash and Councilmember Stephanie Hellman, but by narrow margins.
The first returns released Tuesday night showed 55% of voters chose not to recall Blash, which was just 265 votes more than recall supporters. Hellman’s supporters appear to have avoided a recall with more than 54% of the vote opposing it.
The recall election was the result of a bitter local conflict over housing mandates, turning a debate over growth into a fight for political control.
Under the state’s new eight-year housing cycle, Fairfax must plan for at least 490 new residences by 2031, with a buffer of extra zoned sites bringing the total to 583.
The issue has become a flashpoint between those who feel the building as necessary and those who say local officials did not do enough to find alternative spaces to add housing.