UPDATE:
The first post-election report released this afternoon continues to show the recall effort in Blue Lake trailing at 174 yes votes to 213 no votes.
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The Jan. 6 election to recall Blue Lake City Councilmember Elise Scafani had 156 votes in favor and 197 votes against in the election night final report.
The Humboldt County Election’s Office reported that as of last night, 353 of the bucolic city’s 866 registered voters, or 40.76 percent, had cast a ballot. It was not immediately clear how many may remain to be counted.
The bid to remove Scafani from office marks the first recall election to take place in the county in 20 years and was the culmination of months of deepening divisions over actions by the city council, including the removal of longtime City Manager Amanda Mager.
A total of three council members were targeted, but only the petition regarding Scafani succeeded in gathering enough valid signatures to move forward to a recall election. Her term ends this year.
Costs for the recall, which are estimated to be between $10,000 to $12,000, are being paid for by the city.