George C. Fuller
Something deeply troubling is happening in McKinney, and people need to understand exactly what is at stake.
A group of five people in our community have begun a recall effort targeting four members of the McKinney City Council. What they are not telling those they ask to sign it is that the day that petition is filed it is available for lawful disclosure and will be published, and the petition includes the names and addresses of every person who signed it.
People have every right to sign a recall petition. But signing a petition to remove elected officials is a political act, and those who participate will have to stand publicly behind that decision.
So what exactly was the “crime” committed by these four council members?
They approved a site plan that met the applicable development standards, the decision the law required them to make.
The applicant is a mosque that has been part of McKinney for approximately 30 years. Years ago, it purchased property where its proposed expansion was already a legally permitted use.
When the site plan came before Council, the question was not whether council members liked the project, agreed with the religion practiced there, or wanted a mosque on that property. Council had no authority to relitigate those questions.
The only question was whether the site plan met the applicable development standards, including building height, parking, square footage, setbacks and other technical requirements.
It did.
There was no zoning change. No variance. No special exception. Nothing that gave Council discretion to deny an otherwise compliant site plan.
Had Council ignored the law and denied the project because a vocal group demanded it, the City and its taxpayers would have certainly been subjected to litigation. This just happened in Oklahoma and the DOJ is now investigating.
Now four council members are being targeted for recall for doing what they were legally obligated to do. With three other council seats turning over, the practical objective is to replace essentially the entire City Council over this one decision.
And the damage is no longer theoretical.
The false information and anti-Muslim rhetoric surrounding this issue are traveling far beyond McKinney. Businesses, corporations, investors and site selectors considering McKinney are watching. National attention is being drawn to rhetoric that does enormous damage to the reputation we have spent decades building.
Residents being asked to sign this petition deserve to know the facts before they put their names on it.
And they should understand something else: their signatures will not exist in some private vacuum.
That is not an attempt to deny anyone their rights. Quite the opposite. Exercise your rights. Sign the petition if you believe in it. Campaign against council members. Vote against them. Speak your mind.
But own it.
If you put your name behind an effort to remove elected officials for following the law, be prepared to stand publicly behind your decision and be accountable for the consequences it has for this community.
McKinney is better than misinformation, religious hostility and political intimidation.
Our businesses are watching. Our prospective employers are watching. The country is watching.
And this community deserves to know who is willing to damage McKinney in pursuit of this effort.
The first petition was filed by some that do not live in the city, and had to be refilled after they found eligible names (you must be a resident). The five people that have now filed are:
John Aselton, Samuel Kaestner, Jaryd Martin, Ervin Predly, and Kristina Aselton
source https://www.facebook.com/
Categories: America, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATION, Islamophobia, Mosque, United States, USA