Lowell Township officials face recall over data center controversy
Recall petitions for three Lowell Township officials, including the supervisor and two trustees, have been approved by the Kent County Election Commission. Residents initiated the recalls due to the officials' handling of data center development, accusing them of failing to address community concerns and voting against a temporary moratorium. The commission confirmed the petition language was clear and factual.
The Kent County Election Commission has approved recall petition language for three Lowell Township officials, including Supervisor Jerry Hail and Trustees Mark Anderson and William Thompson. This decision follows a weekend of community rallies protesting data center developments in the township and accusations that the officials have ignored resident concerns.
Residents cite instances such as votes to uphold partial FOIA request denials and a vote against a temporary moratorium on data center development as key reasons for the recall effort. The commission's role was to determine if the petition language was clear and factual, not to judge the merits of the allegations. Despite arguments from the officials' attorney that the language was unclear and that the officials were being unfairly targeted, the commission deemed the petitions valid. The officials present at the meeting declined to comment further on the matter.