{"id":2592512,"date":"2026-04-19T10:14:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T14:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-attack-back-in-missouri-council-members-in-multiple-towns-electorally-whacked-as-fed-up-voters-send-blunt-message\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T10:17:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T14:17:33","slug":"voters-attack-back-in-missouri-council-members-in-multiple-towns-electorally-whacked-as-fed-up-voters-send-blunt-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-attack-back-in-missouri-council-members-in-multiple-towns-electorally-whacked-as-fed-up-voters-send-blunt-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Voters Attack Back in Missouri: Council Members in Multiple Towns Electorally Whacked as Fed-Up Voters Send Blunt Message"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvoters-attack-back-in-missouri-council-members-in-multiple-towns-electorally-whacked-as-fed-up-voters-send-blunt-message%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2592512&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Voters in Independence, Missouri, ousted two city councilmembers who had backed a $6 billion tax-incentive package for Nebius to build an AI data center, reflecting broader concerns about openness and accountability in local governance. bridget McCandless and Jared Fears were defeated, wiht Kevin King (mayor-elect) and others promising more openness; their seats were filled by Jackie Dorman and Cody Atkinson, who ran on anti-data-center and accountability platforms. The same day, residents in Festus, Missouri, showed similar opposition to data-center-backed leadership, while in Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters approved a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jennifer-granholm-violated-hatch-act-in-maine-elections-watchdog-says\/\" title=\"Jennifer Granholm Violated Hatch Act in Maine Elections, Watchdog Says\">ballot initiative opposing<\/a> a planned $15 billion OpenAI-Vantage data center campus. the article frames the debate around the potential economic benefits of data centers-tax revenue and jobs-versus fears of rising electricity costs, eminent domain, and housing displacement, noting that communities across the U.S. have increasingly contested such developments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Voters in Independence, Missouri, voted on Tuesday to oust two city councilmembers after they backed an AI data center in the community.<\/p>\n<p>Independence councilmembers Bridget McCandless, who was running for mayor, and Jared Fears both voted in favor of giving $6 billion in tax breaks to Nebius to build a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-ai-boom-could-boost-energy-use-and-carbon-emissions\/\" title=\"AI boom may increase energy consumption and carbon emissions\">large data center<\/a> in the city and were defeated by anti-data center and pro-accountability opponents, Missouri-based KCUR <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kbia.org\/missouri-news\/2026-04-10\/after-these-independence-councilmembers-supported-an-ai-data-center-voters-ousted-them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Voters in another Missouri town also voted to oust members who backed data centers in their town on the same day that voters in Independence took to the polls.<\/p>\n<p>McCandless lost her race to Mayor-elect Kevin King, who supported putting the tax breaks for Nebius on the ballot, and he promised more transparency on the issue going forward, according to KCUR. Fears&rsquo; and McCandless&rsquo; seats were filled by anti-data center candidate Jackie Dorman and pro-accountability candidate Cody Atkinson, who received 27 percent and 31 percent of the vote, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People in Independence wanted a different kind of leadership, and the data center controversy became a symbol of a much larger frustration about transparency, accountability and whether residents were truly being heard,&rdquo; Misty Vaugn, a leader of the Stop the AI Data Center in Independence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\/v\/1E5ezB5YrU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">group<\/a>, said of the votes.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The group has amassed over 117,000 members, according to information on its page.<\/p>\n<p>In March, the city council defied public outcry and voted to give more than $6 billion in tax incentives to Nebius, which promised to build the data center and described it as an &ldquo;AI-factory&rdquo; on the eastern side of the city, according to KCUR.<\/p>\n<p>Independence was joined by fellow Missouri residents in the town of Festus the same day, who voted to oust half of its city council members who backed an AI data center in their town.<\/p>\n<p>Residents opposed to the AI data center flooded a Festus gymnasium to voice their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stlpr.org\/government-politics-issues\/2026-03-31\/festus-data-center-development-approval\">frustrations<\/a> during a March 31 city council meeting where the council voted to approve a framework of requirements for CRG&rsquo;s planned construction, St. Louis Public Radio reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This data center fight has struck this community to the core and really, honestly ignited a community-driven effort here,&rdquo; Dan Moore, who defeated pro-data center incumbent Bobby Benz, told St. Louis Public Radio. &ldquo;People are awake now, and we&rsquo;re not going to let this continue on anymore.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Voters in Port Washington, Wisconsin, also went to the polls on Tuesday to air their frustrations against an AI data center in their community. Voters, by a near two-to-one margin, approved the first-in-the-nation ballot initiative opposing a planned $15 billion OpenAI-Vantage data center campus.<\/p>\n<p>Local city council members often are attracted to data center projects lured by the promise of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >higher local tax revenues<\/a> and jobs. Supporters of AI counter that data center development is crucial to the future of the economy and necessary to combat rivals such as China, while opponents are concerned the projects will force people to lose their homes through eminent domain and will cause their electric bills to skyrocket.<\/p>\n<p>Local communities across America, including in <a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/20082025\/wilsonville-alabama-residents-against-massive-data-center\/\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/20082025\/wilsonville-alabama-residents-against-massive-data-center\/\">Alabama<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2025\/10\/pennsylvania-data-centers-community-opposition-ai-development-environment\/\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2025\/10\/pennsylvania-data-centers-community-opposition-ai-development-environment\/\">Pennsylvania<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatlakesnow.org\/2025\/10\/michigan-town-effots-to-stop-data-center\/\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.greatlakesnow.org\/2025\/10\/michigan-town-effots-to-stop-data-center\/\">Michigan<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/palm-beach-county\/arden-residents-oppose-massive-ai-data-center-proposal-near-their-community\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/palm-beach-county\/arden-residents-oppose-massive-ai-data-center-proposal-near-their-community\">Florida<\/a>,&nbsp;have also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2024\/10\/05\/data-center-protest-community-resistance\/\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2024\/10\/05\/data-center-protest-community-resistance\/\/\">protested<\/a>&nbsp;data center expansions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Independence, Missouri, voters Tuesday ousted two council members who had supported a Nebius AI data center and about $6 billion in tax incentives to lure it. Council members Bridget McCandless (a mayoral candidate) and Jared Fears were defeated by opponents focused on transparency and accountability. Their seats were filled by Jackie Dorman and Cody Atkinson, who won with about 27% and 31% of the vote, respectively. Mayor-elect Kevin King, who won the race, supported placing the Nebius tax-incentive plan on the ballot and pledged more openness about the issue. Misty Vaughn of the Stop the AI Data Center group said the vote reflected broader frustration with leadership, transparency, and residents\u2019 voices being heard.<\/p>\n<p>The same group behind the opposition has grown to more than 117,000 members. Earlier in March, Independence\u2019s council approved the Nebius deal, prompting public outcry, and the city was described as offering the data center an \u201cAI-factory\u201d designation on the city\u2019s east side. On the same day, Festus, Missouri residents also voted to oust half of their council members who supported a local AI data center; at a March 31 meeting, residents criticized CRG\u2019s planned construction framework. Dan Moore, who defeated a pro-data center incumbent, said the community had become awakened to the issue.<\/p>\n<p>In Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters likewise rejected a planned $15 billion OpenAI-Vantage data center by approving a ballot initiative opposing it. Nationwide, debates over data centers center on benefits like tax revenue and jobs versus concerns about higher electricity costs and potential use of eminent domain. The piece notes this is content from the Daily Caller News Foundation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2592513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-14T101131.144.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[72178,8584,78075,78074],"class_list":["post-2592512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-local-politics-2","tag-missouri","tag-municipal-elections","tag-voter-protest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-04-14T101131.144.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592512"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2592516,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592512\/revisions\/2592516"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2592513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}