Politics

Missouri voters recall city council member following approval of AI data center tax breaks

Independence Councilmember John Perkins was removed by nearly 70% of district voters after backing incentives for a $150 billion facility.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 15:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

Voters in Independence, Missouri, recalled longtime City Councilmember John Perkins, with unofficial results showing nearly 70% voting to remove him.
The recall was driven by public opposition to a March council vote approving over $6 billion in tax breaks for a planned $150 billion AI data center backed by Nebius.
Perkins is the third council member to lose office following the vote, after two other supportive members were defeated in April elections.
The outcome reflects growing nationwide local pushback against rapid AI data center construction ahead of midterm elections.

Unofficial Jackson County election tallies show nearly 70 percent of district voters supported the recall of Independence City Councilmember John Perkins.[NBC News]
In March, Perkins joined four other council members to approve over $6 billion in tax incentives for Dutch company Nebius to build a $150 billion AI data center.[NBC News]
Two other council members who voted for the incentives, Jared Fears and Bridget McCandless, lost their April reelection and mayoral bids, respectively.[NBC News]
Opposition was organized by local residents and groups including the Sunrise Movement, with an anti-data center Facebook group growing to 115,000 members.[NBC News]
Prior to the vote, Perkins defended his decision in a Kansas City Star op-ed, arguing that policy disagreement did not warrant overturning an election.[NBC News]

The long-term impact of the recall and prior election results on the final development and construction timeline of the proposed Nebius data center remains unspecified.[NBC News]
Perkins did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the unofficial recall results.[NBC News]