U.S. Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) signed a petition seeking to recall McKinney Mayor Bill Cox and three council members, while former Mayor George Fuller and recall organizer Ashley Marie disputed whether a woman heard making a kickback allegation at a petition site was a campaign volunteer.
“I am here to sign the recall petition for the City of McKinney,” Self said in an August 16 Facebook video.
“The left is using its normal tactics: bullying, threats, threats of retribution,” Self continued. “That’s why I’m here, so that the City Council will listen to the citizens of McKinney.”
The petition drive targets Cox, At Large 1 Council Member Ernest Lynch, District 3 Council Member Geré Feltus and District 1 Council Member Justin Beller.
Recall affidavit cites broader concerns
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, five McKinney voters launched the recall effort by citing “a loss of public confidence” in the four officials’ ability to represent residents.
The voters filed the recall affidavit one week after the McKinney City Council unanimously approved the McKinney Islamic Association’s site plan for a mosque and Islamic center following hours of contentious public debate.
However, the affidavit does not identify the mosque, Islam or any specific council vote as a ground for removal.
Recall organizers say the campaign concerns a broader record involving spending, transparency, growth, infrastructure and whether city leaders listen to residents.
Fuller challenges allegation made at petition site
Fuller has emerged as a vocal opponent of the campaign and posted a separate Facebook video criticizing Self’s support for the recall.
In a Facebook post, Fuller shared a video that he said captured a recall volunteer alleging that council members targeted by the petition were receiving kickbacks.
“This video was just sent to me, and depicts a recall petition volunteer using the lie that council members on the recall petition are getting kickbacks to persuade people to sign the petition,” Fuller wrote. “Disgraceful.”
The Dallas Express has not independently verified any allegation that the targeted officials received kickbacks.
Marie disputed Fuller’s characterization of the woman heard in the recording. She said Fuller’s video paired her photograph with another woman’s comments.
“The former mayor later posted a video that paired my photo with that other person’s audio, deliberately making it appear as if those were my words,” Marie told The Dallas Express. “That is false. I never said those things.”
Marie said she separately spoke with the person recording at the petition location and limited her comments to the recall’s stated grounds.
“The woman speaking in the video was not me and was not a recall volunteer,” Marie said. “The woman is a concerned citizen who came to sign the petition.”
Organizers continue gathering signatures
Despite the dispute surrounding the video, organizers say they will continue collecting signatures and giving residents an opportunity to decide whether the four officials retain their confidence.
“This campaign is important because our city council put special interests ahead of the people who actually live here,” Marie said. “We’re using the recall process to hold them accountable.”
According to McKinney Recall, organizers must collect 5,805 valid signatures from registered McKinney voters by September 26 to advance the recall process.
The Dallas Express contacted Fuller and Self for additional comment but did not receive responses before publication.
Provided by Dallas Express
