Two groups of Dallas residents say they will try to force recall elections against two City Council members, District 1's Chad West and District 13's Gay Donnell Willis, the Dallas Observer reported Monday.
Both campaigns are aiming for the May 2027 ballot. Neither member's term runs past 2027: West is term-limited, and Willis could run again.
What it takes
Under the City Charter, five registered voters in a district form a committee, sign a statement explaining the recall and file a notice of intent with the city secretary. From that filing, organizers have 60 days to collect signatures from at least 15% of the district's registered voters, on paper.
A District 13 organizer told the Observer the group needs at least 9,600 signatures; the District 1 campaign needs more than 6,900.
The Observer found no sitting council member who has been removed by recall. The one council recall election it identified, in 1992, ended with voters keeping the member in office.
The case for recall
Doug Hazelbaker, an organizer with the District 13 Together Coalition, said the group expects to file its notice within weeks and will pay canvassers to collect signatures.
Opponents of Willis point to contested zoning cases in her district, including a proposed mixed-use project at Preston Road and Royal Lane, plus her support for moving out of City Hall and the city's plan to shift away from alley trash collection.
In District 1, Recall Chad West organizer Joseph Beckham said the campaign will rely on volunteers and events. Supporters there cite what they see as widespread upzoning in Oak Cliff and concerns about the area's connections to downtown.
The council members respond
West said in a text that he plans to finish his last term on schedule. "If a recall was successful, it would only impact the last 5-6 months of my final Council term," he told the Observer, calling it unfortunate that "a small number of neighbors" were putting the district through the process.
Willis said in a statement that she spent hundreds of hours with residents and city staff and that each zoning case changed substantially based on neighbors' input. She said North Dallas needs more housing options for young families, seniors and newcomers, called her City Hall position "a financial decision," and said residents have every right to pursue a recall.
The drives are separate from the petition effort, launched Oct. 2, to put City Hall's future to voters.
Sources
dallasobserver.com
