An effort to recall the mayor of the small town of Fairfax, in Marin County, appears to have failed, at least based on early returns, with 54% of voters saying "No."

Embattled Fairfax Mayor Lisel Blash and Vice Mayor Stephanie Hellman both may get to keep their jobs following Tuesday's election — whether they still want them or not is another question. As the Marin Independent Journal reports, the recall campaign against both women was failing in early returns on Tuesday night, with 54.3% voting "No" on the question of recalling Blash, and 53.7% voting "No" on the question of recalling Hellman.

These results come after 2,804 ballots were counted, out of a possible 5,999 registered voters. The "Yes" side is about 240 votes behind as of the last count, per the Chronicle.

As noted last month, a furor erupted this year in the town of 7,500 people over a plan to build a 243-unit apartment complex, a plan the mayor does not like but says the city is powerless to oppose. Given the state's mandate for cities to meet their obligations to build new housing,

The project, proposed by a Florida developer, feels out of scale for many in the town, including Blash. But, she says, if the town tries to reject the project, it could result in the state declaring them out of compliance with their Housing Element goals, triggering a "builder's remedy" that would allow developers to run rampant with any properties they choose.

"I understand people are upset," Blash told the Chronicle last month. “We could all be upset about this and see what we can do — or keep tearing each other apart."

She added, "People say the building will ruin the small-town feeling. But, unfortunately, that’s already happening."

Meanwhile, Blash and Hellman, having faced months of nastiness in their tiny town, both say they do not plan to seek reelection when their terms are up in 2027.

The fight in Fairfax is being echoed elsewhere in the state, as local planning boards come against a state that is taking a hardnosed approach to getting new housing built at any cost. In San Francisco, where the suburban-density west side neighborhoods are afraid of being forced to accept seven- and nine-story buildings in their midst, this fight is likely to play out for years as the city also faces a probably unachievable goal of approving 82,000 new housing units in the next six years.

Proponents of the Fairfax recall effort say they are not done, and also this election isn't yet settled.

"There are still hundreds of votes left to count in Fairfax and we are committed to ensuring every last voice is heard before the outcome is determined," said recall campaign leader Sean Fitzgerald, speaking the Marin IJ."

Fitzgerald added, "Regardless of the final result, we are not going anywhere. Our movement will remain fully engaged in local government and ensure that the interests of our residents are represented by the Town Council. We can do better in Fairfax, and we are confident that, in time, we will see a return to common sense leadership in our community."