Dickinson mayor recall petitioners await word from secretary if an election will take place

DICKINSON, Texas (KTRK) -- Anxiety awaits petitioners and Dickinson's mayor as the results regarding a potential recall still remain unknown.

A group in Dickinson has turned into hundreds of signatures to recall the mayor

Although he was re-elected in 2023, Scott Shrader is one of the people leading the charge to recall Dickinson Mayor Sean Skipworth.

"We don't think he's doing the job he was elected for," Shrader explained. "One thing is the spending. The spending is out of control."

Nearly two weeks ago, he turned in a recall petition filled with hundreds of signatures.

"I don't think we're happy," Shrader said. "We're trying to do what's right for the citizens of Dickinson. Do I consider it a win for our side? Absolutely not. I consider it a win for Dickinson at this point."

The city secretary had until Saturday to certify the petition. So far, no word.

Eyewitness News reached out by email and went to her office, but never got a response.

The city charter shows after 10 days, if there are enough signatures, the secretary will bring the item to the next council meeting.

The next council meeting is Jan. 23. If there aren't enough signatures, the secretary sends certified mail to the petitioners.

Even if there are enough signatures for a recall, an election still might be months away

The city charter shows if there are enough valid signatures, the council can approve a recall election.

Despite a council meeting taking place on Tuesday, the item may not show up until the council's meeting in February.

Because of this, city leaders say it may be too late for May's ballot, which means the recall wouldn't take place until November. If the petition is certified, petitioners don't want the mayor to wait.

"My message is for the best of Dickinson: You should step down and resign at this point," Shrader said.

Despite the petition, the Dickinson mayor has no plans of backing down

Skipworth isn't backing down. He was ill Monday but talked to ABC13 by phone.

He said he doesn't know the results of the petition and is keeping his distance.

During an interview a few weeks ago, Skipworth said he's done no wrongdoing, and even if there's a recall election, he doesn't intend to back down.

"I feel like there's support there," Skipworth explained. "I just got elected again, for God's sake. When I say that, I'm not just making that up. I feel like we've done some good things, and it's not something I'm just going to walk away from without a fight."

SEE MORE: 'Ugly' fight brewing in Dickinson over whether mayor should be recalled

Nasty recall effort could get a lot uglier

The recall effort isn't only playing out at city hall. The recall fight is also taking place on social media and websites.

The mayor created a website where he shared threatening posts and videos of people hurling vulgar words at his family.

"There's been tears sometimes about things," Skipworth recalled. "We've questioned if we should be doing what we're doing. It's hard. You try to shield your kids from this stuff the best you can. It's been difficult."

Those behind the recall believe if the election doesn't take place until November, it could get worse.

"I don't agree with the name-calling on either side, but I can promise you it's just going to get uglier, and uglier and uglier," Shrader said.

It starts with finding out if there are enough signatures, but as of Monday night, we still don't know.

For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.