Update, 5:01 p.m.: The final results for the election are out. MacLean has been recalled by a vote of 50.1% to 49.9%, with a 19 vote difference between the two sides. Dave Leckness will replace him. Full results here.
Update, 10:50 a.m.: Niyaz Pirani at the Register is reporting that there are still 1,140 ballots to be counted. With only 118 votes separating the “yes to recall” and “no to recall” sides last night, that could make a big difference. The OC Registrar's website says the next update will come in about five hours.
Well, this is a mixed-bag for everyone. The Registrar of Voters reports that with 100% of precincts counted, Mission Viejo voters on Tuesday decided to boot Mayor Lance MacLean from office–and replace him with David “Dave” Leckness, an apparent ally of MacLean's.
With a 22.1% voter turnout, the results as of just past midnight, Feb. 3, are as follows: 50.4% s in favor of recalling MacLean, with 54.3% in favor of candidate Leckness over challenger Dale Tyler. [Note 5:01 p.m.: These numbers have changed, get the new ones here]
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Leckness, a former planning commissioner who owns a copy shop, was generally well-liked in Mission Viejo before campaign season. He admitted to not being all that politically involved, but said he liked the direction the council was going in. To most observers, that meant he intended to side with the recent council majority that MacLean had been a part of.
Tyler, meanwhile, has been an outspoken critic of city hall for more than a decade. He was signatory number one on the initial notice of intention to recall MacLean, and he was the de facto candidate of the pro-recall side. In the months leading up to the election, though, he'd been hit with negative publicity for campaign disclosure violations and for failing to register his cars in California after living here for more than two decades.
On street corners in Mission Viejo, most “No on Recall” signs were accompanied by some message supporting Leckness. Leckness himself has said that he thought the recall was unneccessary. And so, while the election means a change in who is on the council, it's not clear that it means there'll be a large change in the things the council does.
This saga has roots in old, bitter conflicts. More to come for sure.
