A group of McKinney residents has launched an effort to recall Mayor Bill Cox and three City Council members following the unanimous approval of a site plan for a new mosque.
The recall effort was formally filed by a committee of five McKinney voters with the McKinney City Secretary's Office Aug. 12.
The affidavit seeks to remove Cox and council members Justin Beller, Geré Feltus and Ernest Lynch.
It lists the grounds for the recall as "a loss of public confidence" in the officials' ability to “faithfully represent the citizens of the City of McKinney.”
The effort comes less than two weeks after the council approved a site plan for a new mosque, gym and classroom building for the McKinney Islamic Association.
The council meeting drew a packed crowd and included more than four hours of public comment. Some speakers raised concerns about traffic and parking, while others objected to the religion of Islam itself.
Ashley Marie, who called for a recall effort at the Aug. 4 meeting, said she believes the council has failed to represent residents.
"The integrity of this council is compromised. We are seeing it in real time with the McKinney Airport, and now the mosque. They were elected to serve the people of this city. Instead, they have chosen to be complicit.”
City staff said the mosque proposal was fully compliant with city rules and did not require a design exception or zoning variance.
The petition’s supporters have cited broader concerns about city governance, including spending, transparency, infrastructure and plans to expand McKinney National Airport.
Voters have twice rejected bond elections that would have funded the airport's expansion, including a proposed $200 million measure in 2023. The city later moved forward with the project using sales tax dollars and state and federal grants, including a $7 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.
The airport expansion has also faced legal challenges. A lawsuit contesting the project's environmental assessment was dismissed by a federal judge, while another lawsuit filed in March seeks to block the use of sales tax revenue for airport-related bond funding.
Julie Simons said residents are frustrated by what they see as a lack of accountability from city leaders.
"What really upsets me is that I read a bunch of articles and they all say that they are powerless to stop this. And I don't understand that. I mean, they're in control of this. If they're powerless, they represent us, which means we're powerless.”
Resident Brooke Napier said she expects council members to look beyond immediate decisions.
"Good governance requires more than just a rubber stamp," Napier said. "It entails due diligence, consideration of the impact five, 10, 20 years from now, and respect with the residents who will live with the consequences of these decisions for years."
KERA reached out to the city for comment on the potential recall but did not receive a response by publication. Former McKinney City Council member La'Shadion Shemwell, who said he has experienced the recall process firsthand, said the current effort could offer the city a broader lesson about political disagreements and the use of public office.
"McKinney has an opportunity to learn - not about one mayor, one council member, one mosque, one airport, or one political faction, but about what happens when political power becomes more important than political principle,” he said.
Organizers have until Sept. 26 to return the completed petition. They will need about 5,800 signatures from registered McKinney voters to trigger a recall election.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
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