Supporters of the effort to recall four McKinney elected officials say the campaign reaches beyond the City Council’s recent mosque vote to broader concerns about growth, infrastructure, spending and whether City Hall listens to residents.
Some supporters are also pointing to reported Friday traffic around the McKinney Islamic Association’s existing mosque—including parking problems documented by the city in 2022—as one example of the development pressures they want city leaders to address.
Five McKinney voters initiated the effort through a city-stamped affidavit dated August 11, targeting Mayor Bill Cox, At-Large 1 Council Member Ernest Lynch, District 3 Council Member Geré Feltus, and District 1 Council Member Justin Beller. The sworn affidavit cites one ground: “a loss of public confidence” in the four officials’ ability to represent McKinney residents. It does not identify the mosque, Islam, or any specific council vote as grounds for removal.
Recall organizers have repeatedly said the campaign concerns a broader record of spending, transparency, growth, infrastructure and government responsiveness. Opponents have argued that the campaign grew out of the controversy surrounding the council’s August 4 vote approving the association’s site plan. Prior reporting by The Dallas Express has documented broader concerns raised independently of the mosque vote, including airport expansion and rapid development.
Supporter points to broader City Hall concerns
McKinney resident and recall supporter Jeff Hall told The Dallas Express that his concerns extend to development, infrastructure, the airport and what he considers a lack of responsiveness from elected officials.
“I have some pretty significant concerns about the fact that the council members of the City of McKinney have no interest in the voice of their constituents,” Hall said.
Hall said he emailed Mayor Pro Tem Rick Franklin, his District 4 representative, on July 24 with questions ahead of the August 4 meeting but did not receive a response or acknowledgment. Franklin is not among the four officials targeted by the recall.
“To not even acknowledge a message from a constituent tells me that our voice falls on deaf ears,” Hall said.
Hall also pointed to McKinney’s rapid growth and increasing traffic as reasons residents should scrutinize major development projects. He said the newly approved Islamic campus is one example of a project that raises those concerns for nearby residents.
Existing mosque traffic draws scrutiny
McKinney resident Ashley Louden, who posts under Ashley Marie and has backed the recall effort, pointed to conditions around the association’s existing location near Eldorado Parkway and Hardin Boulevard in a video interview with The Dallas Express.
“I purposefully avoid Tom Thumb on Fridays because I am aware that that is the Muslim community’s biggest prayer day,” Louden said. “This parking lot is always full.”
Louden said she has seen worshippers cross the heavily traveled road near the mosque and questioned whether parking and traffic plans for the new campus will prove sufficient.
“I find it very hard to believe that the new mosque development has traffic and parking figured out when they don’t have it figured out where they currently are,” Louden said.
A September 2, 2022, City of McKinney memo documents a past Friday parking-capacity problem at the existing mosque. City code staff reported that some worshippers parked across Hardin Boulevard at Tom Thumb and crossed Hardin away from the traffic signal.
A mosque representative confirmed that onsite parking did not accommodate Friday attendance and said Tom Thumb allowed congregants to use its lot.
Louden said traffic becomes more pronounced during Ramadan.
“Especially during Ramadan, the entire street is just about shut down,” she said.
The Dallas Express has not independently verified Louden’s account of current Ramadan traffic. The 2022 city memo does not address Ramadan or state that Ramadan traffic shut down Hardin Boulevard.
“My heart goes out to the residents that live where the new development will be because I know what we’re dealing with over here on Eldorado and Hardin,” Louden said. “I can only imagine what it’s going to look like for residents that are just trying to get home.”
New campus has more parking and a traffic analysis
The approved Virginia Parkway plan differs materially from the existing site. The three-building, 32,573-square-foot development provides 206 parking spaces. City staff calculated a minimum requirement of 127 spaces based on 6,322 square feet of main assembly area.
City staff found the site plan compliant with the property’s governing zoning and development requirements. The August 4 vote approved the site plan but did not authorize immediate construction. The applicant must still secure approval of a minor plat and satisfy additional engineering, drainage, utility, architectural and building-permit requirements before construction can proceed.
City Engineering Director Gary Graham told council during the August 4 meeting that the traffic analysis treated Friday prayer as the project’s peak use.
Graham said engineers selected the higher-attendance first prayer period as the project’s peak trip-generation period and applied that demand against the highest surrounding roadway traffic measured during the relevant noon-to-2 p.m. window.
Graham said the analysis concluded a facility of that size would not have a significant impact on the adjacent street network, although he said vehicle queuing on Crutcher Crossing could increase during peak periods.
He also said the association had indicated it would pay for uniformed officers to help manage traffic when needed.
Recall fight expands with DOJ complaint
The political fight has continued to intensify. In an August 22 complaint, Collin County Citizens for Integrity asked the U.S. Department of Justice for an expedited review of allegations that recall petition supporters and prospective signers have faced intimidation, harassment, public identification, retaliation or other interference.
The PAC acknowledged that political disagreement, criticism and lawful opposition to the recall are constitutionally protected. It asked federal officials to examine conduct the group alleges was intended to intimidate or discourage residents from participating in the petition process.
The complaint is a request for review. It does not establish that federal law was violated or that the DOJ has opened an investigation. The group has also asked Gov. Greg Abbott’s office to examine the allegations, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Recall opponents, meanwhile, have organized a “Decline to Sign” campaign urging McKinney voters not to sign the petition.
Organizers need 5,805 valid signatures from registered McKinney voters by 5 p.m. September 26 to advance the recall process.
For Hall, Louden and other supporters, the mosque dispute is one part of a broader argument over growth, infrastructure and whether McKinney officials remain responsive to residents.
The recall itself targets four elected officials, and its sworn filing does not identify the mosque vote as the basis for seeking their removal.
Provided by Dallas Express
