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Yukon mayor faces recall after data center backlash
By<br>Anna Pope,
OPMX
Published August 5, 2026 at 6:26 AM CDT
City of Yukon
The Yukon's Best Flour Mill is a hallmark of the city and sits off Route 66.
The mayor of the City of Yukon will face a recall election. City leaders announced the petition's certification yesterday. This comes amid massive public pushback to a data center project in the city.
Enough Yukon residents signed an initiative petition seeking the recall of the Mayor of Yukon Brian Pillmore.
Valid signatures total 1,451, according to a spokesperson for the city. More than 25,000 people live in the city.
The petition along with the City Clerk's Certification of Sufficiency will be presented to the Yukon City Council next Tuesday during the body's regular meeting, according to a press release. After that, council members have 10 days to order a recall election through a resolution or ordinance and set the election date.
/ City of Yukon
City of Yukon
Brian Pillmore serves as the mayor of the City of Yukon.
This comes as Yukon and other Oklahoma municipalities have faced community backlash for considering data center projects. During the comment period in a city council meeting last week, resident Charles Scott said the community does not want the centers.
"We are organized and have begun the process of an initiative petition to prohibit data centers in our city," Scott said.
Any qualified person including the incumbent can run for the office. Under the city's charter, candidates must file within 15 days before the recall election and get the most votes to win.
In a recall election, if a candidate other than Pillmore gets the highest number of votes, he will be removed and the winner will serve the remainder of the term. If Pillmore wins, he will continue to serve.
If a subject of a recall petition resigns as recall proceedings are happening, that person can't hold any city of Yukon office or position for one year.<br>Pillmore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
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Oklahoma News<br>Yukondata centers
Anna Pope
Anna Pope is a reporter covering agriculture and rural issues at KOSU as a corps member with Report for America.
See stories by Anna Pope
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