Mayor survives recall election

Carson voters have let embattled Mayor Jim Dear keep his job -- at least for six more months.

Opponents of Dear who accused him of being in the pocket of developers saw their recall measure defeated in Tuesday’s special election by roughly 1,200 votes. Only about 7,600 voters cast ballots.

Dear, who received large contributions from developers for his campaign, said he is pro-development because it makes economic sense for his city.

“Essentially this recall election is the kickoff to my reelection campaign,” Dear said.

But critics of the mayor vowed to keep up the fight.

“It was a rough night,” said former Mayor Vera Robles DeWitt, who helped organize the recall campaign. “It’s clear special interests are in charge of our mayor.”

-- Ari Bloomekatz