Independence, Missouri just recalled a city councilor for voting to approve a data center's tax breaks.
John Perkins lost his council seat after 68.05% of voters backed his removal in a special recall election. He was one of five council members who approved more than $6 billion in tax breaks in March for a Nebius data center project, on a 5-2 vote after months of community opposition. Perkins is the third local official tied to that vote to lose their position since it passed: Jared Fears lost a re-election bid and Bridget McCandless lost a mayoral race, though neither faced a formal recall like Perkins did. In a Kansas City Star op-ed, Perkins said he stands by his vote and argued that disagreement over one issue shouldn't be grounds to undo an election that happened two years ago.
Only 1,643 of Jackson County's 14,250 registered voters, about 11.5%, turned out for the recall, meaning a small and motivated bloc reversed a decision made by elected representatives. That's the sharper story here: organized opposition to data centers can unseat officials even when most residents don't bother to vote. It also lands amid a broader trend of local governments souring on hyperscale projects, with more than 500 bans or moratoriums now on the books nationwide.
Independence isn't alone. Festus, Missouri ousted half its council in April over a 360-acre data center project, and a follow-up recall push there died only because the sitting council blocked it. For an industry used to courting state legislatures and utility regulators, city council meetings are becoming the new fight.