Five McKinney voters have launched a recall effort targeting Mayor Bill Cox and three city council members, citing “a loss of public confidence” but not identifying the council’s recent mosque vote or any other specific decision as grounds for removal.
The affidavit was filed Tuesday, one week after the City Council unanimously approved a mosque and Islamic center following hours of contentious public debate. Recall organizers said the campaign reflects broader concerns about spending, transparency, growth, infrastructure and whether City Hall listens to residents.
The McKinney city secretary received the affidavit on August 11. It names Cox, At Large 1 Council Member Ernest Lynch, District 3 Council Member Geré Feltus and District 1 Council Member Justin Beller. The filing begins the recall process but does not place a recall election on the ballot.
The petitioners cited a single sworn ground for seeking the officials’ removal: “A loss of public confidence in the ability of the officers named herein to faithfully represent the citizens of the City of McKinney.”
Petitioners face 45-day deadline
Under Section 145 of the McKinney City Charter, organizers must return the completed petition within 45 days of filing the affidavit. The petition must contain signatures from qualified McKinney voters equal to at least 30% of the total votes cast in the last regular municipal election and no fewer than 1,000 signatures.
Qualified voters from any city district may sign, regardless of which official is targeted. Only petition papers bearing the city secretary’s signature count toward the recall. The campaign website says organizers must collect signatures in person on paper forms.
John Aselton, the petitioners’ committee notice designee, told The Dallas Express that the effort extends beyond any single council decision.
“This recall campaign is about restoring accountability and public trust in McKinney’s city government,” Aselton said. “Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about spending, transparency, growth, infrastructure, and whether City Hall is listening to the people it serves.”
“Ultimately, this is not about one person or one issue,” Aselton said. “It is about giving McKinney voters the lawful opportunity to decide whether their elected officials still have their confidence.”
Recall filing follows mosque vote and earlier zoning fight
The affidavit was filed one week after the City Council voted 7-0 on August 4 to approve a 32,573-square-foot mosque and Islamic center. More than 150 people signed up to speak as residents debated religious liberty, Sharia law, traffic, parking and other concerns, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), whose district includes McKinney, warned the council about what he described as political Islam.
“Beating your wife. Polygamy. All condoned under Sharia. Political Islam,” Self said before urging council members to “honor your oath that starts with the U.S. Constitution.”
Air Force veteran Evan Hunt defended the project on First Amendment grounds, telling the council that “fear and prejudice have no place in public policy or in Texas.”
The August meeting followed an earlier dispute over development of the same property. On July 9, 2024, more than 60 residents spoke against the McKinney Islamic Association’s request to rezone the land. Residents raised concerns about the proposed building’s size, parking and traffic.
The distinction between the two proposals is central. The 2024 rezoning request would have allowed one building of approximately 37,000 square feet, exceeding the property’s 15,000-square-foot limit on individual buildings.
After the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial, the association withdrew the request and returned with a three-building campus totaling 32,573 square feet.
The revised plan includes a 15,000-square-foot sanctuary, a 10,236-square-foot classroom building and a 7,337-square-foot gymnasium and multi-use facility.
Because no individual building exceeds 15,000 square feet, city staff determined that the revised plan complied with the property’s existing zoning and did not require a rezoning, variance or design exception.
Council Member Patrick Cloutier wrote before August the meeting that rejecting a compliant site plan could expose the city to “extraordinary legal jeopardy.”
The Dallas Express contacted Cox, Lynch, Feltus and Beller for comment about the recall effort but did not receive responses before publication.
