PLANO, Texas -- Plano voters must decide whether to keep a controversial councilman or remove him from office.
Plano City Council approved a special recall election for Tom Harrison who shared several posts and memes on his Facebook page, including one calling on President Trump to ban Islam in schools.
Council members voted in favor of calling the recall election; however, two council members – including Councilman Harrison – abstained from voting.
The election will be held in November.
City council was presented with more than 4,400 signatures on the petition, which is more than enough to trigger a recall.
Harrison, 73, has apologized for liking posts that appeared on his personal Facebook page back in February, but has refused to resign. Harrison deleted the account after the questionable posts surfaced in February.
In February, the council voted 7-1 to censure Harrison for his posts, with several of his colleagues urging him to step aside.
Harrison is asking for a public hearing prior to the election to allow him to defend his actions, possibly as early as the next council meeting in two weeks. Attorneys for the council said that although Councilman Harrison was entitled to such a hearing, the recall election would proceed, as provided by state law.
While the Councilman is entitled to request an opportunity to defend himself in a public forum, it would happen after the recall election has been called and cannot be used to stop the election itself.
