County commissioner recall effort falls short
A recall effort against three Lincoln County, Nebraska commissioners, initiated after their vote against a six-month data center moratorium, has failed to gather enough signatures. The petition required 35% of the votes cast in each commissioner's 2024 race but fell just short of the necessary numbers. Despite the setback, organizers expressed pride in the community's engagement and hope it sends a message to local leaders.
An effort to recall three Lincoln County, Nebraska commissioners—Joe Hewgley, Chris Bruns, and Jerry Woodruff—failed to gather sufficient signatures by the Thursday deadline. The recall attempt was launched in response to the commissioners' mid-July vote against implementing a six-month moratorium on data center development within the county.
Organizers needed to collect signatures from 35% of the votes cast in each commissioner's 2024 election, translating to 1,147 for Hewgley, 926 for Bruns, and 855 for Woodruff. While hundreds of signatures were collected, the numbers were "just barely short," according to organizer Huebner. Lincoln County Clerk Becky Rossell confirmed no petitions were submitted to her office.
The commissioners, who voted 3-2 against the moratorium after extensive public testimony, stated that existing zoning regulations, with ongoing upgrades, were sufficient to manage data center applications. Despite the recall's failure, Huebner expressed pride in Lincoln County residents' dedication and stated that the community would remain civically engaged.