Voters successfully recalled a member of the Independence City Council Tuesday, after he voted to approve the construction of and tax breaks for a multibillion-dollar data center.
According to unofficial results, 68% of voters in the 1st District supported the recall of their representative, Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem John Perkins.
In March, Perkins was one of five City Council members to approve a 400-acre data center near Missouri Route 78 and Little Blue Parkway, about six miles east of downtown Independence. The move provided the Dutch AI infrastructure giant Nebius with more than $6 billion in tax breaks for a $150 billion facility.
McKenna Cobb, a 1st District resident and treasurer of the Independence Action Committee, which spearheaded the recall effort, said she was proud of the community for pushing back against council decisions about the data center
"Our organizing efforts have always been about giving a voice back to the people of the First District," Cobb said in a statement. "We believe last night's results reflect the community's dissatisfaction with our community leaders."
In a statement posted to his campaign Facebook page, Perkins said he respected the voters' decision and "serving this community for eighteen years has been the honor of my life."
"I'm proud of what we built together: the Englewood Arts Center, enforcing street crime units, the infrastructure win at KY Hills, and the support we gave small businesses through hard years," Perkins said. "None of that goes away tonight."
While the election results still need to be certified, any changes are unlikely to dent the final tally. The Jackson County election board will meet Sept. 8 to count the 1,650 votes by hand, after which they will finalize results. It's the first time that an Independence City Council member has been recalled.
Perkins, who has spent 10 years on City Council, had been elected to serve through June 2028. Now, though, his term will end once those results are confirmed.
Voters in April opted to remove two other City Council members who approved the data center tax breaks. Jared Fears was running for reelection to the council and Bridget McCandless was running for mayor.
Construction of the Nebius data center is already underway. As it worked its way through the approval process, many city officials, including Perkins, argued the project would benefit an area that has struggled financially, bringing in funds for education and infrastructure.
But grassroots groups that formed in the wake of the vote felt Perkins did not engage with his constituency sufficiently before casting it. Meanwhile, Facebook groups like Stop the AI Data Center in Independence and Recall John Perkins gained momentum online, with the former collecting more than 100,000 members — about the same as the population of Independence.
As these groups full of frustrated constituents celebrate the results, people and politicians from across the country who face similar issues with AI data centers are watching Independence closely for lessons about what comes next.
Perkins' seat on the City Council will eventually be filled by way of a special election, and primary and general elections would be needed unless there are two or fewer candidates. It's up to Independence City Council to set a date for those, but there is currently no timeline for that.
Copyright 2026 KCUR
