5,805 signatures needed to force a citywide recall vote after McKinney’s heated mosque debate.
A group of McKinney residents has launched a recall campaign against Mayor Bill Cox and three city council members, citing a “loss of public confidence” in their ability to represent the city’s residents. The move comes just one week after the McKinney City Council unanimously approved a controversial site plan for a new mosque and Islamic centre following hours of heated public debate.
The recall affidavit was filed with the McKinney City Secretary on August 11 by five city voters. It targets Cox, At Large 1 Council Member Ernest Lynch, District 3 Council Member Gere Feltus and District 1 Council Member Justin Beller.
The filing begins the recall process but does not itself trigger a recall election. Organisers now have 45 days to collect the required signatures and return the completed petition to the City Secretary’s Office.
Under Section 145 of the McKinney City Charter, the petition must carry signatures from qualified McKinney voters equal to at least 30% of the votes cast in the most recent regular municipal election, with a minimum requirement of 1,000 signatures. Based on the May 3, 2025 municipal election, when 19,350 votes were cast, organisers need 5,805 valid signatures.
The petition names a single sworn ground for seeking removal, “A loss of public confidence in the ability of the officers named herein to faithfully represent the citizens of the City of McKinney.”
John Aselton, the petitioners’ committee notice designee, said the campaign is not confined to the mosque decision. Organisers have pointed to concerns over city spending, transparency, growth, infrastructure and whether City Hall is responsive to residents.
Aselton also cited opposition to plans to involve the expansion of the city airport and construction of a new amphitheatre.
“This recall campaign is about restoring accountability and public trust in McKinney’s city government,” Aselton said. He added that the effort was intended to give voters a lawful opportunity to determine whether the elected officials still had their confidence.
The campaign says signatures must be gathered on paper forms bearing the City Secretary’s signature. Qualified voters from any McKinney district can sign the petition, regardless of which official is being targeted.
Once the petition is submitted, the city secretary has 30 days to examine the signatures and determine whether they belong to qualified voters. If the petition meets the requirements, the officials named in the recall effort will be notified within five days or at the next City Council meeting. They would then have five days to resign. If they do not, the City Council would be required to order a citywide recall election.
The recall campaign was launched shortly after the council’s August 4 vote approving a site plan submitted by the Islamic Association of McKinney for a proposed mosque and Islamic centre on a 5.5-acre property at Virginia Parkway and Crutcher Crossing.
The council voted 7-0 after a meeting that drew more than 150 speakers and a large crowd of supporters and opponents. Residents debated religious liberty, Sharia law, traffic, parking and other issues during hours of contentious public comment.
The revised project consists of three buildings with a combined area of 32,573 square feet: a 15,000-square-foot sanctuary, a 10,236-square-foot classroom building and a 7,337-square-foot gymnasium and multi-purpose facility. The Islamic Association of McKinney has said its existing facility on Eldorado Parkway is too small for its growing congregation.
The project followed an earlier dispute over the same property. In July 2024, more than 60 residents spoke against a rezoning request that would have permitted a single building of about 37,000 square feet, exceeding the property’s 15,000-square-foot limit for individual buildings.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial, after which the association withdrew the proposal and returned with the three-building campus.
Because none of the revised buildings exceeds 15,000 square feet, city staff determined that the plan complied with existing zoning rules and did not require a rezoning, variance or design exception.
Council Member Patrick Cloutier had warned before the August meeting that rejecting a compliant site plan could expose McKinney to “extraordinary legal jeopardy.”
The August 4 meeting nevertheless became a flashpoint for a wider dispute between residents and city officials. U.S. Rep. Keith Self, whose district includes McKinney, raised concerns about what he described as political Islam and urged council members to honour their constitutional oath.
The recall effort now moves into the signature-gathering stage. Its progress will depend on whether organisers can secure the required 5,805 valid signatures within 45 days and whether those signatures are subsequently verified by city officials.
