Granbury Mayor Jim Jarratt and two council members have sued their own city to block a recall election, alleging fraud and forgery in the petitions seeking their removal, according to an October 7 FOX 4 report.
Jarratt, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Wadley and Councilman Gary “Skip” Overdier are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which Houston attorney Andy Taylor filed October 6, the station reported.
The suit alleges “fraud, forgery and other non-accidental defects on the part of one or more persons gathering signatures,” according to FOX 4, which reviewed the filing. The officials seek to stop the recall election entirely. The allegations remain unproven.
The council’s October 6 agenda included notice of a recall election for May 2027. After Taylor announced the lawsuit at the meeting, City Attorney Jeremy SoRelle advised officials to halt scheduling, FOX 4 reported. The three plaintiffs did not disclose their involvement that night, according to the station.
Recall campaign follows data center dispute
The recall effort targets five officials: Jarratt, Wadley, Overdier and Councilmembers Greg Corrigan and Zeb Ullom. Organizers said more than 1,300 residents signed each petition amid opposition to the proposed Project Patriot data center and power plant at Knox Ranch and concerns about government transparency.
Residents walked out of the September 28 recall hearing as officials defended their handling of the project, as The Dallas Express reported. The officials who addressed the hearing denied wrongdoing and declined to resign, according to the city’s recap.
Granbury has received a concept plan for Project Patriot but, as of October 8, had received no development plans, according to the city’s latest update.
The city initially declined to certify the recall petitions in July, citing signature and allegation requirements. After organizers sought court intervention, the city agreed in August to present the petitions to the council, as The Dallas Express reported. The officials’ new lawsuit presents a separate challenge to the petitions.
Local GOP official calls for a vote
Kolton Krottinger, a Hood County Republican precinct chair who has criticized the city’s handling of the petitions, called the latest lawsuit government overreach.
“I have stood against government overreach from the beginning, and I consider this a textbook example. It’s like the community is asking for a divorce, the residents have signed the papers, and the officials are refusing to let them leave,” Krottinger told The Dallas Express.
“City leaders suing the very city they lead to stop a recall election is essentially the city suing itself. They are taking what should be celebrated as one of America’s most historic small towns and turning it into the laughingstock of Texas,” he added.
Krottinger argued that voters, rather than litigation, should determine whether the officials retain their seats.
“I’ve seen thousands of comments calling for resignations. A recall election gives these officials a fair opportunity to make their case and lets voters decide. Instead, they’re fighting to keep that decision out of the voters’ hands. To me, that says holding onto power matters more to them than respecting the people they serve,” he said.
“I believe voters will replace them, whether through recall or when their terms are up. They have burned through the community’s trust, and fighting the election only makes that worse. The people deserve answers, accountability, and a vote. These offices belong to the public, and the people sitting in them need to remember that,” Krottinger said.
The Dallas Express reached out to the City of Granbury for comment but did not receive a response.
