● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Independence City Council Member Recalled Over AI Data Center Tax Break Vote
Key points
- John Perkins recalled by 68.05% of voters.
- Recall stemmed from support for $6 billion Nebius AI data center tax breaks.
- Perkins is the third official to lose a position over the vote.
- Voter turnout for the recall election was 11.5%.
Council Member Recalled
Independence City Council member John Perkins was removed from his position after 68.05% of voters supported his recall in a special election. The recall was initiated due to his vote in favor of tax breaks for a Nebius AI data center.
Tax Breaks for Data Center
Perkins was one of five councilors who approved over $6 billion in tax breaks for the Nebius data center project. This decision was made despite community opposition leading up to the March City Council meeting where the vote occurred.
Previous Losses and Community Reaction
Perkins is the third official to lose their seat or election bid following the data center vote. Jared Fears lost his re-election campaign for city council, and Bridget McCandless lost her mayoral bid. Members of the community group "Stop the AI Data Center in Independence" viewed the recall as an example of democracy in action, stating that politicians are elected to serve the people.
Perkins had previously defended his vote in an Op-Ed, arguing that disagreement over a single issue should not be grounds for overturning an election or recalling an official.
Voter Turnout
Despite the significant percentage of votes for the recall, overall voter turnout was low. Only 1,643 out of 14,250 registered voters in Jackson County, representing 11.5%, participated in the special recall election.
Similar Situation in Another Town
Another Missouri town, Festus, also saw half of its city council members ousted after they approved a data center project within their jurisdiction.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Independence City Council member John Perkins was recalled by voters due to his support for over $6 billion in tax breaks for a Nebius AI data center. This marks the third official to lose their position following the council's 5-2 vote approving the tax incentives.