McKinney residents may soon face a citywide recall election after the City Secretary’s office verified that a petition targeting Mayor Bill Cox and council members Justin Beller, Geré Feltus and Ernest Lynch gathered enough qualified signatures to meet the legal threshold. The development matters to voters because it could lead to a ballot measure that decides whether these elected officials remain in office.
According to Community Impact, the recall effort was launched by five local voters who filed a recall affidavit on August 11. The petition, collected under the banner “McKinney Recall,” was submitted on September 25 with roughly 7,400 signatures. After a validation process, the city announced on November 13 that 6,608 signatures were confirmed as belonging to registered McKinney voters.
The city charter requires a petition to be signed by at least 5,805 qualified voters – 30% of the total votes cast in the most recent municipal election – before a recall election can be ordered. The validated count exceeds that requirement, meaning the council must now decide how to proceed.
City officials will formally receive the Secretary’s findings at a council work session and regular meeting scheduled for November 17 at McKinney City Hall, 401 E. Virginia St. The agenda notes that no formal action or vote on the recall will occur during that meeting; instead, council members will be given five days to resign voluntarily. If none resign within that window, the council is mandated to order a citywide recall election.
The recall affidavit cites a “loss of public confidence in the ability of the officers named herein to faithfully represent the citizens of the City of McKinney” as the basis for removal. While the petition does not specify particular grievances, the language underscores a broader concern among a segment of the electorate about the leadership’s performance.
Residents can watch the November 17 council session via livestream, according to the city’s website, and may review the full summary report and the original petition signatures online. The outcome of the council’s decision will determine whether McKinney heads to the polls later this year for a recall election that could reshape the city’s governing body.
What’s next: Council members have until five days after the November 17 meeting to resign. If they remain in office, the council will schedule a citywide recall election, with further details to be announced by the City Secretary’s office.
Sources: communityimpact.com
