Editor’s note: This story has been corrected. Tom Bailey had voted on the Karman Line annexation during the special election June 17, but not as an item on the Colorado Springs City Council agenda.

Colorado Springs residents on Thursday initiated a recall effort for City Councilmember Tom Bailey, the latest salvo in an ongoing feud over the proposed Royal Pines Apartment complex on the city’s north side.

The recall effort was launched by three residents of the Pine Creek Village neighborhood, which has been fighting with the city for years over Royal Pines. Council approved the affordable housing development well before voters elected Bailey in April, but he joined an 8-1 majority in May that granted a $60 million private activity bond for the project.

Petitioners identified that vote as part of what they say is a larger problem of Bailey not listening to residents on major votes. The petition also listed his support for Ford Amphitheater and the proposed Karman Line development as concerns.

“When constituents raise concerns through emails, letters, or other means, Mr. Bailey inadequately responds. This pattern of disregard and lack of accountability is unacceptable,” according to a petition filed with the City Clerk’s Office.

Bailey, who represents District 2, said Friday that all the issues raised in the recall effort were controversial well before he joined council. While he has personally supported and invested in Ford Amphitheater, it has not come up for a council vote since his election. Bailey only voted on Karman Line as part of the special election in June, though he said he supported the idea for the annexation.

“It is certainly the right of citizens to try to recall somebody, but when I read this, it almost looks like they are recalling my predecessor who voted for these things and not so much me,” Bailey said.

Bailey said he had spent his first six months in office learning the job and did not have a better or worse track record than any of the other new councilmembers.

Tim Lewin, one of the residents organizing the recall effort, said the comments he heard in the spring during votes on the Royal Pines bonds were enough to warrant the process. Petitioners initiated the recall process as soon as they were legally allowed to under the city charter.

“There is a lot of narrative that, ‘We looked into the problem you are addressing right now, and we feel that it’s not actually a problem,'” Lewin said. “We felt that as citizens, our issue and our concerns should be prioritized over the justifications of developers.”

The city charter states that a recall petition for a district councilmember has 60 days to gather enough signatures to match 25% of the votes cast in the last district election. In Bailey’s case, that would require getting 1,764 signatures from District 2 voters. Bailey ran essentially unopposed for the open seat after his opponent Frank Chrisinger dropped out during the campaign.

Lewin said residents pushing for the recall expected to get signature forms from the city next week. He said a small group of local volunteers would run the recall effort to keep it focused on the community.

If the recall petition does gather enough signatures, Bailey would have to either resign within five days of the city certifying it or face a recall election. The city charter states that the election would take place between 30 and 60 days later, placing it in the early months of 2026.