5 of 7 Killeen City Council members recalled in election
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Voters in Killeen have spoken.
They want five of the seven sitting council members out. Those at the center of Tuesday's historic recall election were somewhat surprised by the results.
While Killeen City Council members went on with their scheduled meeting, the biggest news of the day happened outside the chamber.
As early voting totals started to come in, "There was more difference than I thought there would be. I thought it would be a little closer than that. I was hoping it would be," Council Member Larry Cole said.
Of the more than 3,500 voters, 75 percent voted to recall Council Member Larry Cole and Mayor Pro Tem Scott Cosper.
"Life goes on. I don't know what I'm going to do as far as public service. It seems like a thankless job," Cole said.
While the other three council members fared a little better, percentage wise, it was not enough to avoid the same fate.
Council member Billy Workman, who supported the idea of a recall election, was one of them.
"Any job you delegate to someone, you’ve got to go and check on those people. It's called checks and balances. The people did what they needed to do," Council Member Billy Workman said.
The petition effort to force a recall election began back in April and was led by Killeen resident Jonathan Okray.
"My first reaction is hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah," Okray said.
Residents were angry over a $750,000 buyout the city council voted and approved for then-City Manager Connie Green's contract. The amount was $200,000 more than what his contract called for.
"It says to the council members that we won't take the road of least resistance. You're going to be held accountable and responsible," Okray said.
Voters let the numbers to tell council members their message.
While the results are still unofficial, with all five council members recalled, there are not enough people on the council to constitute a quorum.
The city council will not be able to meet until an election is held to fill the positions. The city will have to ask a judge to set an election date, which could be as early as February or as late as May.