Denton city council member Jesse Davis is the latest target of a petition to seek a recall. In Nov. 2022, Alison Maguire was recalled from the city council but hopes to be reinstated.
Denton residents started a petition for Davis to be removed from his current council position, according to KERA. Five residents began the petition in Jan. 2023 alleging Davis “ignored the will of over 32,000 Dentonites” during the Nov. election.
The petition explains Davis should be removed for voting against the prohibition of routine arrests and prosecution of Denton residents accused of committing low-level possession of marijuana offenses. And it also cites Davis voted against a resolution “that favored deprioritizing use of city funds to investigate and enforce criminal laws related to a woman’s right to reproductive choice and healthcare” in June 2022.
Davis will face a recall vote if the petition reaches at least 254 signatures.
Denton attorney Richard Gladden assisted in filing the recall petition and wants Davis to “be held accountable for ignoring the expressed desires of his constituents.”
Gladden is also currently representing former councilmember Maguire to be reinstated into Denton City Council.
According to a previous article by KERA, Maguire was elected in May 2021. She posted a controversial meme of a Black man being shot on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2022 and was recalled in Nov.
But Maguire's attorney said the only reason for her recall was "Alison's vote to alter the city's voting districts … so that students at UNT would have a fair chance to elect a city council member."
Yet many Denton voters believe her recall was in regard to the offensive social media post. Former Denton City Council Member Don Duff first began the petition for her recall and it received enough signatures to be verified. Approximately 65% of voters were in favor of recalling Maguire.
