Effort begins to recall three county commissioners
An effort has begun to recall three Lincoln County Commissioners after they voted against a moratorium on data center development for the third time. Recall petitions were officially filed by David Huebner, accusing the commissioners of disregarding public will. The commissioners argued that current zoning regulations are sufficient to protect the county's interests.
Residents of Lincoln County, Nebraska, have launched a recall campaign against three county commissioners: Joe Hewgley, Chris Bruns, and Jerry Woodruff. The commissioners are being targeted for their recent 3-2 vote against implementing a moratorium on data center development, marking the third time in as many months they have rejected such a measure.
The vote followed an hour and fifteen minutes of public testimony from approximately 100 attendees, many of whom urged the adoption of a moratorium or outright ban on data center applications. Despite public appeals, the three commissioners asserted that the county's existing zoning regulations, which are currently undergoing upgrades, are adequate to safeguard county interests against future data center projects. Currently, there are no pending data center applications in the county.
David Huebner of rural North Platte officially filed recall petitions on Tuesday, citing the commissioners' alleged disregard for the public's desire to slow or halt data center development. Huebner emphasized the non-partisan nature of the recall effort, stating, "This gold rush fever ... this disregard of the Lincoln County public ... of the American public, the voters... we the people... this has to stop." The commissioners have 20 days to respond before the petitions can be printed for signatures.