KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
Organizers collected enough signatures to force a public vote in an effort to recall Independence City Councilman John Perkins.
Residents angry over the approval of a hyperscale AI data factory in east Independence targeted Perkins — who was elected mayor pro tem by his colleagues and represents the city’s first district — because of his support for the project.
RELATED | Independence residents seek to recall Councilman John Perkins
Independence confirmed Wednesday the Jackson County Election Board certified that enough signatures had been gathered to put the recall to voters, but it is unclear when that will happen.
“We are incredibly grateful to every resident who signed the petition, volunteered their time, and helped make this possible,” McKenna Cobb, an organizer, said in a press release. “I believe it is time for new leadership in the first district, and I look forward to allowing voters to make the final decision at the ballot box.”
The election board said it had “checked the recall petition containing 190 pages and found at least 1,214 registered qualified voters signed” it.
Under the Independence City Charter, 1,104 signatures were needed to trigger the recall.
Perkins, a 1991 William Chrisman High School graduate, has served on the council since 2016. He was reelected in 2020 and 2024 after having served on the council from 1996 to 2004.
Organizers came up short of the original deadline in late May, collecting only 745 signatures before a charter-sanctioned 10-day grace period. An additional 78 pages of signatures were turned in Monday.
Independence acknowledged receipt of the recall petition Wednesday afternoon: “The city council will be formally notified of the results at its next regular meeting on Monday, June 15. The matter will then proceed in accordance with the process outlined in the city charter.”
According to Section 7.6 of the city’s charter, the recall election must take place “not less than 30 days and not more than 90 days... after receiving notification from the city clerk that an initiative or referendum petition is sufficient.”
If the council is formally notified June 15, that means the election must take place between July 15 and Sept. 13.
Conveniently, there is a primary election Aug. 4, but the filing deadline passed last month and the deadline for a judge to place something on that ballot passed at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
It will be up to the Independence City Council to set the date, which may require calling and paying for a special election involving only voters in Perkins’ district.
Two other councilmembers who voted for the Nebius data center project in early March lost election bids in April. Bridget McCandless lost to Kevin King in the mayoral race, while incumbent Jared Fears failed to win reelection.
One of the candidates who unseated the incumbents to join the council in April, Cody Atkinson, has spoken against the effort to recall Perkins. The Greater Kansas City Building and Trades also opposes his removal from office.
His term ends in April 2028.
Editor's note: A previous version incorrectly stated that Perkins could not run again in 2028 due to term limits.
—
