McKinney City Council will hear an update Monday on the recall petition targeting Mayor Bill Cox and three council members, bringing the campaign back to City Hall after organizers submitted thousands of signatures.
Organizers say the effort concerns a loss of confidence in city leadership, citing spending, infrastructure, transparency and whether elected officials listen to residents. They have explicitly rejected characterizing the campaign as a religious grievance.
The City Secretary’s Office plans to brief the council on the petition against Cox, At Large 1 Council Member Ernest Lynch, District 3 Council Member Geré Feltus and District 1 Council Member Justin Beller, according to the agenda memo.
“This is an informational update. The City Council will take no action,” the memo states.
Why organizers launched the recall
The initiating affidavit cites a loss of public confidence in the officials’ ability to represent McKinney residents. It does not identify the mosque vote as its formal ground for removal, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The committee described its concerns as a broader record of representation, spending, infrastructure, transparency and responsiveness in an August 14 campaign statement.
“It is not a religious grievance, and this campaign will accept no religious hostility,” the statement says.
The filing came after the council’s August 4 approval of a mosque site plan. The committee acknowledges that the approval remains in place; recalling officeholders would not itself reverse it.
Signature verification determines the next step
The city received the petition September 25. It requires at least 5,805 valid signatures from residents registered to vote in McKinney city elections, according to the city.
Organizer John Aselton told DX the campaign collected more than 7,000 signatures and internally validated at least 6,500 before submitting its petition sheets. That internal review does not establish a city-certified count.
The posted memo provides no certified total, does not say verification is complete and gives no election date. Monday’s informational item does not call for removing officials or ordering an election.
The city secretary must determine whether the petition satisfies the governing requirements. Under the city’s recall procedure, certification and notice to the targeted officials precede an election order. If an official does not resign within the charter’s prescribed period, the council orders a recall election under state law.
When and how to watch
The October 5 joint meeting and council work session begins at 3 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 401 E. Virginia St., according to the meeting listing. The recall update appears in the work-session portion.
Residents can attend in person or watch live through the city’s Swagit meeting portal, which also provides archived council videos.
