McKinney Recall: Cracks Emerge as Signature Deadline Approaches

By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews

McKINNEY, Texas — The campaign to recall four McKinney elected officials is entering its final two weeks with organizers saying they are “over halfway” on signatures and expanding efforts to get more residents to sign.

But as the Sept. 26 deadline approaches, the movement surrounding the recall is showing some strain. Public positions are shifting, questions remain unanswered, and organizers still have not disclosed exactly how many signatures they have collected on each of the four petitions.

None of that means the recall effort has stalled. But with time running short, the next two weeks will determine whether months of political conflict in McKinney actually make it onto a ballot.

A supporter walks away

Rick Baker of Collin County Inmates 4.0, who had publicly supported the recall, says he has stepped away from the effort.

Baker said he changed his view after sitting down with someone on the opposing side and discussing the recall and individual council members. He said he has stopped sharing recall material and has “pretty much quit talking about it altogether.”

Calling the recall a “circus,” Baker said he was choosing “truth over noise.”

His decision is a public reversal with two weeks remaining in the signature drive.

Maldonado tells Self: ‘I expect more out of you’

Louis Maldonado has repeatedly looked to U.S. Rep. Keith Self for support during the McKinney mosque and recall fight.

Maldonado has promoted Self’s position on Sharia law and publicly appealed to the congressman for help over what he described as threats, doxxing and retaliation against recall supporters.

The relationship has not been entirely one-way. On Aug. 23, Self’s campaign X account quote-posted a Maldonado post about the PAC’s federal civil-rights complaint. Self wrote that he “fully support[s]” calls for the Justice Department to investigate potential voter intimidation and interference with the McKinney recall petition process.

But Maldonado is now publicly pressing Self for more.

Responding to a recent post from Self, Maldonado wrote, “I expect more out of you,” and warned that if Self stops talking about Sharia after the election, “we will hold you accountable.”

Maldonado has also been trying to arrange a debate between Self and former McKinney Mayor George Fuller. Fuller has said he is willing to participate, but no debate has been announced. Asked by TX3DNews for an update, Maldonado said it was still being worked on and to “check back in 10 days.”

It is a different posture from Maldonado’s earlier appeals to Self for help. He is now publicly asking the congressman to do more.

Watermark clarifies Isagholi’s connection

Edwin Isagholi, known publicly as Eddie Isa, has been another prominent voice in the mosque controversy and recall effort.

Amid questions about his connection to Watermark Community Church, the church told TX3DNews that Isagholi is no longer involved there.

“He no longer attends Watermark or volunteers in any capacity,” Watermark said. “Although he attended for a time and occasionally volunteered with our production and global missions teams, he was never a Watermark staff member.”

The church directed further questions to Isagholi and did not say when his involvement ended or why.

Intimidation claims meet an awkward contradiction

The PAC supporting the recall has increasingly focused on allegations that supporters are being threatened or intimidated. Among the examples it cites are petition participants being photographed or publicly identified.

Recall organizers, however, are also posting photographs of their own supporters at petition-gathering locations.

The circumstances may be different, including whether people agreed to be photographed. But organizers have not explained why photographs of petition participants are cited as part of the intimidation allegations while photographs of participants are also being published by the recall campaign.

The PAC says complaints have been submitted to government agencies and that “numerous citizens” have filed police reports. TX3DNews has repeatedly requested additional information and documentation from recall organizers and the PAC but has received no response.

No public finding of unlawful intimidation has been identified.

The numbers will matter

Whatever is happening around the campaign, organizers still have to produce the signatures.

They have said they are “over halfway” but have not publicly provided an exact count for each of the four petitions. The campaign says 5,805 valid signatures are required by Sept. 26 and has set a collection target of 7,500 to provide a buffer for signatures that may not survive verification.

The recall’s X account has also recently emphasized that “a recall removes no one.”

That is correct at the petition stage. Signing does not remove an official from office. A valid signature helps qualify the recall for an election. If a petition qualifies and the targeted official does not resign, a recall vote follows under McKinney’s charter.

For now, organizers are still collecting signatures, Baker has walked away, Maldonado is asking more of Self, and questions surrounding the intimidation allegations remain unanswered.