Blue Lake City Council

Elise Scafani is the incumbent, seeking a second term after moving to Blue Lake in 1988 and buying her home there in 1991; she currently serves as the council's Mayor Pro Tem. In her own candidate statement, she says the city has worked through "a backlog of accounting tasks essential to support numerous municipal functions and funding sources," and that she wants to help develop sustainable revenue streams for the city; she names public safety, seasonal flooding, assessing the bike park from an engineering/safety/insurability standpoint, and affordable housing as her priorities going forward. She survived a voter-initiated recall election in results finalized around January 2026, winning roughly 55% to 45%, after a 2025 recall effort targeted her and two other councilmembers over the contested exit of city manager Mandy Mager.

Adelene Jones is a former Blue Lake councilmember with more than 30 years on the council, including 12 years as Mayor. She lost her council seat in a 2024 tie-breaker coin toss, and was passed over the following year for a council appointment to the vacancy left by Chris Firor's resignation -- the council chose Terri Bayles instead, who isn't seeking reelection this year. In her own candidate statement, Jones points to specific completed projects from her time as Mayor: the roundabout at the city's entrance, two bridges over Powers Creek, Blue Lake's portion of the Annie & Mary Trail, safety improvements along Greenwood Avenue, and the city's acquisition of the empty lot across from the post office that's now the Town Square. She says her focus now would be implementing the city's Housing Element through an affordable-housing complex and completing the Bike and Skate Park in the Powers Creek District. She was one of two proponents, with Charis Bowman, of the unsuccessful 2025 recall effort against three councilmembers, including opponent Elise Scafani.

Verda Winona Pitts was born and raised in Blue Lake and is now raising her own two children there. She's a member of the Karuk Tribe, a full-time college student studying Early Childhood Education and Social Work, a care provider, and a member of the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission, per her own statement. This is her second council run -- she ran in 2024 and finished last in a field of seven candidates. In her own candidate statement, she says she doesn't claim to have all the answers but will "listen, ask questions, do my research, and take the time to learn" before deciding; she supports affordable housing generally and wants the city to look more seriously at accessory dwelling units, while distinguishing her concerns about a specific proposed project, the Danco development, from opposition to affordable housing itself. She also addresses the city's water-tank supply issues and the potential use of eminent domain, saying those decisions "deserve careful thought," and supports completing the bike park, which she says her son uses. Incumbent Elise Scafani has publicly endorsed her for the other open seat.

Charis Bowman has lived in Blue Lake since 1988 and runs Joyology, a bespoke furniture-restoration studio in a 140-year-old building in town, having earned a BFA from Humboldt State (now Cal Poly Humboldt) roughly three decades ago. In her own candidate statement, she describes a long record of local civic involvement: the city's Economic Development Commission, the board of Dell'Arte International (the physical-theatre school based in Blue Lake), a past presidency of the Blue Lake Education Foundation, service as the city's Event Coordinator, and her current role as a director on the Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce. She says she raised two children in Blue Lake and is running on "a common-sense approach to economic resilience, responsible growth, and recreational development." She was one of two proponents, with Adelene Jones, of the unsuccessful 2025 recall effort against three councilmembers, including opponent Elise Scafani.