When the votes were tallied Tuesday night, the recall of Lebanon School Board chair Josh Wineteer and vice chair Rick Alexander failed by a wide margin.

Alexander received 2,149 votes in favor of recalling him, and 4,210 against. Wineteer had 2,150 votes cast for his recall and 4,200 against.

The overall voter turnout was 39 percent, according to the Linn County Clerk's Office.

The wide margin - 2/3 against and 1/3 for - got the attention of both sides.

"They were very successful in making this about the superintendent and not about themselves. Politically, I give them credit," said John "Tre" Kennedy, president of the Lebanon Citizens Alliance for a Responsible Education System(CARES) - the organization backing the recall.

"I was a little surprised it was so lopsided," Wineteer said. "I was surprised their message didn't resonate."

The revelation that 47 percent of high school students taking Algebra 1 last spring received an "F" and another "21" percent earned "Ds" focused attention on former Superintendent Jim Robinson, Kennedy said.

Robinson resigned on Oct. 6, the day before ballots were counted.

Citing the two board members alleged favoritism toward Sand Ridge Charter School and accusing them of making board decisions outside the boardroom, CARES launched a recall effort against the two in June. Initially, the group filed a recall petition against Debi Shimmin, but dropped it a few days later after a private meeting with her.

Alexander and Wineteer say as board members they have the right to discuss issues with other board members on a one-to-one basis.

"You show me where we violated public meeting laws,"Alexander said. "You have to be able to communicate with other board members and the community."

CARES spent about $5,000 on paid petitioners to gather enough signatures to qualify the recall for a vote.

A grassroots effort sprang up to defeat the ballot measure in the absence of an active campaign by either board member.

"First, It was an effort solely by the community to keep two duly elected officials. Secondly, it showed the community that doctors, lawyers and the elites can't by an election," Alexander said.

Two local blogs, Lebanon Truth and Rhetorical Wasteland, frequently discussed Wineteer and Alexander's alleged misdeeds. Wineteer credits the creation of an anti-recall blog, Lebanon Proof, three weeks before the election with helping defeat the recall.

"When people started repeating the truth it had an effect," Wineteer said.

He is hoping to see more cooperation in the community around education after Robinson's resignation and the defeat of the recall.

Improving the district's special education program and modifying the high school small academy system are the two issues he wants to the board to focus on, Wineteer said.

"I'm not suggesting we just demolish the academies. I am suggesting there needs to be a real discussion with parents, the community and teachers," he said.

Alexander said he would like to see "administrative overhead" at the district office eliminated, but declined to comment on what positions he thought should be cut.

Kennedy expressed regret that the recall may have added to the conflict between Sand Ridge and the district administration.

CARES will work on education issues at the high school, continue to monitor board activities and plans on recruiting candidates for the May 2009 election when Wineteer, Alexander and Chris Fisher are up for reelection, Kennedy said.

"I want to be very clear, we're (the school district) is definitely in a transition and things are going to change," Kennedy said. "No part of me wants them to fail. I'm going to go to the next board meeting and put my hand and offer to help. The time for fighting is over."

"I'm willing to work with CARES if they admit they were running a campaign of disinformation. They need to be honest to have legitimacy," Wineteer said.

Alexander wouldn't rule out working with CARES but wants an apology from the group over what he says were false charges made during the recall campaign.

Alexander also took exception to Kennedy's remark in a story in last week's Lebanon Express implying he and Wineteer had a conflict of interest in approving a $400,000 resignation settlement with Robinson because it killed a tort claim notice the former superintendent filed against them in July.

"If CARES wants to spend as much time and effort as they spent trying to recall me, I'd be glad to see them help," Alexander said.