‘Dallas voters… defrauded’; County Democrats call on Mayor Eric Johnson to resign

The Dallas County Democratic Party has launched an online petition Tuesday calling on Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson to resign saying his decision to switch political parties four months after winning re-election was deceptive to voters.

The online petition has more than 740 signatures as of 9:15 a.m. Kardal Coleman, the Dallas County Democrats Party chair, said the decision to start a petition began after hearing from voters taken aback by Johnson’ announcement Friday that he planned to vote Republican starting in the spring. He said the intent is for Johnson to be able to see the impact his decision has caused.

“Dallas voters are frustrated, they feel deceived and feel they have been defrauded,” said Coleman. “We’re creating a space for Dallas voters to be heard.”

When asked if a recall is next in the event the mayor does not resign, Coleman said the group is only gathering the online signatures at this point and isn’t pursuing a recall.

Johnson’s office didn’t respond to call, text or email messages on Tuesday requesting comment on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

According to the city charter, a recall election of a council member or the mayor requires a petition filed with the city secretary that is signed by at least 15% of registered voters in the district eligible to vote in the most recent election. In Dallas County, that would amount to more than 97,000 of the 648,174 voters who were eligible to vote for mayor in May.

The petition with the total number of signatures has to be turned in to the city secretary’s office within 60 days of giving written notice of the petition’s circulation. The city secretary would then have 30 days to verify the signatures and if they are valid, the petition would be forwarded to the City Council who could ultimately put a recall election on the ballot for voters.

The last recall attempt of a Dallas City Council member was a failed effort in 2017 to remove then-council member Kevin Felder months after he was elected to the position. The petition failed after organizers weren’t able to get the required amount of signatures. There were three failed recall attempts against former mayor Laura Miller in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

“Mayor Eric Johnson’s switch to the Republican Party is nothing short of an insult to Dallas voters,” the county democrats petition said. “The switch is the launch of a selfish and cynical strategy to get his next job at the expense of his current job, the one Dallas voters elected him to do. He is putting politics, and his resume, ahead of the people.”

The positions of Dallas’ mayor and 14 city council members are nonpartisan. But Johnson in his announcement last week expressed disillusionment with the Democratic Party and feeling his stances on issues like public safety are better aligned with the Republican Party.

“The future of America’s great urban centers depends on the willingness of the nation’s mayors to champion law and order and practice fiscal conservatism,” Johnson wrote. “Our cities desperately need the genuine commitment to these principles…that has long been a defining characteristic of the GOP.”

Political observers say they believe the move is largely to position Johnson for his next job. Johnson was first elected mayor in 2019 and re-elected in May with 93% after being the only person listed on the ballot for voters. His latest term ends in 2027 and he would be term limited.