Yukon voters oust Mayor Brian Pillmore in a recall fight over a proposed data center

YUKON, Okla. (Nov. 5) — Voters in Yukon recalled Mayor Brian Pillmore on Tuesday and elected Joe Phillips to finish his City Council term, in a local race driven by opposition to a proposed data center and complaints about transparency, OK Energy Today reported.

Phillips received 1,658 votes (about 82%) to Pillmore's 369 (about 18%) in the Ward 3 unexpired-term race, according to Canadian County results cited by OK Energy Today. Phillips will serve through May 2028. News 9 reported that organizers said the recall grew out of anger over a proposed data center and concerns about how city leaders dealt with residents.

Yukon does not elect a mayor directly; the council chooses a mayor from its members, so the ballot was for Pillmore's Ward 3 seat. A recalled official cannot hold a city office for a year, KOSU reported. Residents packed council meetings and called for Pillmore to resign. When he did not, they circulated petitions; more than 1,700 people signed, and the certified petition cleared the city charter threshold by two signatures, News 9 and OK Energy Today reported.

The dispute centered on a hyperscale data center proposed by Beltline Energy on about 185 acres near Route 66 and Frisco Road, according to earlier local reporting summarized by News 9 and KOSU. Phillips, a former Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball coach and athletic director, has said he wants more transparency from city government. Pillmore had supported the project as a tax-revenue opportunity.