Mayor and city council recall, Killeen, Texas (2024-2025)
| Michael Boyd and Jessica Gonzalez recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Jessica Gonzalez Debbie Nash-King Ramon Alvarez Jose Segarra Riakos Adams |
| Recall status |
Did not go to a vote (Nash-King, Gonzalez, Alvarez, Segarra, Adams) |
| Recall election date |
| May 3, 2025 (Boyd) |
| Signature requirement |
246 signatures (Gonzalez) 1,660 signatures (Nash-King, Alvarez, Segarra, Adams) |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Texas Texas recall laws City council recalls Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An initial effort to recall City Councilman Michael Boyd did not go to a vote in Killeen, Texas. A second effort resulted in an election scheduled for May 3, 2025. Voters recalled Boyd.[1][2][3][4]
A 2024 effort to recall Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Gonzalez did not go to a vote after insufficient valid signatures were submitted.[5]
An effort to recall Mayor Debbie Nash-King and Councilors Ramon Alvarez, Jose Segarra, and Riakos Adams did not go to a vote after organizers did not submit signatures by the deadline.[6]
Recall vote
Michael Boyd recall, 2025
Michael Boyd lost the Killeen City Council District 4 recall election on May 3, 2025.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
54.6
|
317 | ||
No |
45.4
|
264 | |||
Total Votes |
581 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
Boyd and Gonzalez recall effort
Killeen resident Leo Gukeisen submitted the initial recall petition for Boyd. Gukeisen gave "failure to listen to the citizens of Killeen, violations of the Principles of the Code of Conduct which he signed" and "failure to meet the primary standards set for the Council. Furthermore, for abusing tax dollars" as reasons for the recall effort in an email statement to the Killeen Daily Herald.[1]
Killeen resident Janice Taylor submitted the recall petition for Gonzalez. The petition to recall Gonzalez gave failure to report being lobbied by developers, support of rezoning projects without the necessary infrastructure, being argumentative with residents and treating some citizens preferentially as some of the reasons for the recall effort.[1]
Boyd recall effort
Killeen resident Mellisa Brown submitted the second recall petition for Boyd. Brown was also involved in the effort to recall Gonzalez. The reasons given for the second recall effort against Boyd are, "willfully and intentionally ignoring and disregarding citizens; putting the safety of the public second; not following the comprehensive plan; and public disrespect and silencing of citizens."[2]
Nash-King, Alvarez, Segarra, and Adams effort
Brown initiated the effort to recall Nash-King, Alvarez, Segarra, and Adams on January 6, 2025. The reasons given for the recall included not listening to citizens and not following Killeen's comprehensive plan.[7]
Recall opponents
Boyd and Gonzalez recall effort
In response to the initial recall effort, Boyd said, "I have faithfully and diligently executed my duties on behalf of the citizens of District 4 and the City of Killeen. Unfortunately, some strategically misuse the democratic process to create disruption and dysfunction; determined to sustain a negative view toward our great city and its leadership. The same effort could be used in working together to find solutions to community issues. My focus remains on making decisions to move our City forward, addressing constituents’ concerns, improving West Killeen and serving as a strong advocate for Killeen District 4. I trust voters are able to interpret the motivation behind the unsubstantiated petition."[8]
Gonzalez has said, "I grew up here in the City of Killeen, and there is but one motive for me and that is to continue to engage our community partners to ensure that the vision, mission and comprehensive plan for our City is realized. A strategic focus is imperative to our overall success. I am committed to my constituents and the City of Killeen and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that I am providing clear and concise communication, promoting our Cities mission and vision in an effort to increase our opportunities from economic development to improving our overall quality of life."[8]
Boyd recall effort
In a statement, Boyd said the following:[2]
| “ |
Citizens should know the initial recall petition filed by Mr. Leo Gukeisen failed due to a lack of signatures. It is important to note the voters of West Killeen continue to affirm my leadership as proven over four separate occasions; my first election, second election, running unopposed last year and again during Mr. Gukeisen’s recall petition. What I believe I am experiencing at this point is a recall spree by Melissa Brown; a non-resident with a muddied history of targeting local elected officials with unsubstantiated allegations. Mrs. Brown remains determined to sustain an effort to discredit my name, character and reputation as I strive to serve with integrity and excellence. Mrs. Brown’s very own conduct reflects poor credibility as she has a record of disrupting Council meetings, filing frivolous lawsuits against Council-members and threatening to pursue these expensive recalls. Furthermore, Mrs. Brown is currently out on bond and facing criminal charges for a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 6 months in jail. It is my understanding her strategy now is to lead willing proxies to intercept my citizens with lies, prey on frustrations, exaggerate phantom issues and create discord-in effort to collect signatures. To my constituents across West Killeen, I understand that I was elected to serve at the pleasure of my citizenry and I have consistently earned your affirmation as your representative. If you have any concerns relating to the petition, or any matter, please contact me directly as opposed to being corralled by disgruntled citizens who don’t live inside in your Council District. I am happy to share updates on road projects, upcoming parks, economic development initiatives, etc. I remain proud to serve as your representative, advocate on your behalf and bring needed improvements to our District. Let us continue in UNITY and reject the divisiveness! [9] |
” |
Nash-King, Alvarez, Segarra, and Adams effort
Nash-King declined to comment when asked about the recall effort by the Killeen Daily Herald, and Alvarez could not be reached for comment. Segarra said in part, "I respect the process and we’ll just see."[7]
Adams said in part, "I am aware of the recall effort and respect the democratic process that allows citizens to express their views." He also said, "I take my role as a City Councilmember seriously and remain dedicated to the Citizens of Killeen."[7]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Texas
No specific grounds are required for recall in Texas. The recall of local officials in Texas is governed by local charters. Because of this, recall laws regarding signature requirements and circulation time vary by locality.[10]
Recall organizers needed to submit 202 signatures to trigger a recall election for Boyd. Organizers would have needed 246 valid signatures to trigger a recall election for Gonzalez.[1][5][8]
Recall organizers needed about 1,660 signatures per official to trigger a recall election for Nash-King, Alvarez, Segarra, and Adams.[7] Brown said she gathered 1,348 signatures for Adams, 1,492 for Segarra, 1,546 for Alvarez, and 1,624 for Nash-King.[6]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Killeen, Texas
- Recall campaigns in Texas
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- City council recalls
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Killeen Daily Herald, "Recall petitions filed against two Killeen council members," June 25, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Killeen Daily Herald, "Recall foiled: How things ended up and where things go now,"August 4, 2024
- ↑ Killeen, Texas, "2025 Special Election - Recall," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ Killeen Daily Herald, "Boyd recalled from Killeen City Council," May 3, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Killeen Daily Herald, "Removal effort against Killeen mayor pro tem falls short due to lack of qualified signatures, says city," July 30, 2024
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Killeen Daily Herald, "Former Killeen councilwoman failed to get enough signatures to oust mayor, 3 council members," February 6, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Killeen Daily Herald, "Recall initiated against Killeen mayor, three at-large council members," January 6, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 KXVV, "Killeen voters file petitions to recall city council members," July 8, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "Unusual ballot features Fredericksburg councilman as recall target and mayoral contender," May 3, 2012
