A group of residents in Dallas District 13 plan to initiate a recall effort against their council member, Gay Donnell Willis, after what they say has been "years of escalating disputes" between their representative.
The plan was announced Tuesday by the D13 Together Coalition, which formed in August.
The group says three zoning cases — Preston Road and Royal Lane, Walnut Hill Lane and Melshire Park neighborhoods — "show a broader, systemic breakdown in trust" between Willis and the neighborhoods she represents.
Some residents in those neighborhoods have pushed back on the proposed zoning cases due to concerns over the height of the buildings.
Doug Hazelbaker, with D13 Together, told KERA that they recently asked to meet with developers over delayed zoning cases, but that never happened.
"It was about that time that we knew that we had to do something," Hazelbaker said. "So, while we're hopeful that something would have happened, we're prepared to move forward."
Council Member Willis told KERA in an email that one of the zoning cases — at Preston and Royal — is still moving through the city's standard review process and has had multiple revisions based on neighbors' input. She added that she is "always available" to listen and understand the viewpoints of residents.
"I’ve met with residents, neighborhood groups, and stakeholders throughout this process, and I will continue to do so," Willis said.
Hazelbaker said they plan to officially submit the recall paperwork next week, which will require 9,600 signatures signed in person within 60 days. He says they already have a database of around 5,000 signatures of residents who opposed the heights of the zoning cases.
He's hopeful that with November election canvasing efforts, the group will reach their signature goal in time to submit the recall for a May 2027 election.
Residents feeling unheard
The D13 Together Coalition was formed in August with, at the time, 4,000 residents calling for an end to five years of "neglect and harmful zoning" under their council member.
At the time, the group asked Willis to vote against any agenda item that threatens the preservation of Dallas City Hall and to delay all August zoning cases in District 13 for 120 days to create a compromise between the neighborhood and developer.
Two days later during a critical zoning hearing for the Preston Road and Royal Lane case District 13 Plan Commissioner Larry Hall alleged outspoken residents took a "hardline stance" on height and refused to meet with developers. He added that there was a "willingness to fight and threaten political retaliation" without meeting in a "civil manner."
Hall voted to move the case forward, but the case has since been delayed.
Hazelbaker recalled Hall's words as "quite a lecture." He said the recall was bigger than the zoning cases.
"It doesn't matter which district you're in," Hazelbaker said. "I think there's a lot of residents that feel like they're being ignored or marginalized in their relationships with their council people."
Hazelbaker and others say they have attempted to meet to reach a compromise, but feel that developer preference is prioritized.
Hazelbaker said there have been individual meetings along with two community meetings — one in October 2025 and another around May — over the Preston-Royal project. D13 Together sent Willis a letter on Aug. 9 asking to delay all three District 13 zoning cases so they could meet with the developer to reach a mutual resolution, but the request was denied.
Willis previously told KERA she has had more than 22 meetings and calls with residents over the zoning cases for Preston-Royal and Walnut Hill. She said those conversations along with hundreds of emails exchanged and requests have shaped the projects into what they are today.
But questions over whether residents feel they are heard still remain.
More than a dozen District 13 residents waited five hours to speak about the Walnut Hill zoning case last month, but Willis moved to defer the public hearing which meant residents could not speak after waiting.
Long wait times are common at City Council meetings due to packed agendas. But while Dallas residents can wait for hours to speak on an item at City Council meetings, the District 13 residents were unable to speak at all.
Council members Cara Mendelsohn, District 12, and Bill Roth, District 11, wanted to allow the residents to speak before voting on the deferral.
"I think it's just incredibly disrespectful for us to not let people speak after they've been waiting, I don't know, four hours," Mendelsohn said. "And I'd like to hear what they have to say."
"I'm fine if you came down here and you would like speak tonight, that's fine," Willis said on Tuesday. "But there could be further developments. So, you have invested some time here, so I'm willing to hear from you on this."
In response, Mendelsohn proposed Willis withdraw her motion so the case could be read into the record, which would have allowed residents to speak on the item.
But Willis said, "My motion will stand."
Signs calling for the recall of both Willis and District 1 Council Member Chad West were made earlier this year.
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