Voters in Independence, Missouri, on Tuesday recalled City Councilmember John Perkins, removing him from office after nearly 70% of his district voted to oust him. The recall followed Perkins’ March vote in favor of $6 billion in tax breaks for Dutch company Nebius to construct a planned $150 billion AI data center in the city’s eastern flank.
Unofficial results from Jackson County showed Perkins lost by a margin of more than two to one, making him the third Independence official recalled this year for supporting the project. In April, voters removed council members Bridget McCandless and Jared Fears, both of whom also voted for the tax incentives.
Community opposition and organizing efforts
The recall effort was driven by months of growing backlash against the data center project, which has drawn criticism from residents and advocacy groups. A local chapter of the Sunrise Movement organized a letter-writing campaign ahead of the March City Council vote to oppose the tax breaks. A Facebook group called Stop the AI Data Center in Independence, with 115,000 members, became a hub for organizing opposition to the project.
At the March meeting where the tax breaks were approved, more than 50 community members attended and spoke, with many expressing concerns over the project’s scale and the incentives provided. Supporters of the recall argued that Perkins and other council members had failed to adequately address residents’ concerns.
Economic development vs. resident concerns
The Nebius data center project has been framed by its backers as a potential driver of economic growth and investment for Independence, a Kansas City suburb of 121,000 residents. Proponents of the incentives cited the potential for job creation and increased tax revenue as key benefits.
Critics, however, described the $6 billion in tax breaks as excessive and questioned whether the long-term benefits would outweigh the immediate costs to the city. Opponents also raised concerns about the project’s environmental impact, infrastructure strain, and the lack of transparency in the approval process.
With Perkins’ removal, three of the five council members who initially supported the tax incentives are now out of office. The remaining council members have not indicated whether they will revisit the project’s approval or the associated incentives.
The recall election reflects broader national debates over the rapid expansion of data centers and their local impacts, with similar controversies influencing races ahead of the November midterm elections.