The Vice Mayor of Yukon has become an apparent victim of the data center controversy in the city.
Vice Mayor Jeff Wooton announced his resignation from the Yukon City Council on Saturday following a citizen recall effort that targeted him and Mayor Brian Pillmore in the midst of the debate over the city’s efforts to finalize a possible deal with a data center developer.
“To the citizens of Yukon, I am formally announcing my resignation from the Yukon City Council, effective today, June 6, 2026.,” stated Wooton.
“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Yukon and to work alongside the dedicated city staff during my time on the Council. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and for the opportunity to contribute to our community in this role. I will cooperate fully with the city in any necessary transition procedures to ensure continuity of services and responsibilities,” he added in a weekend social media posting.
In recent weeks, the opposition of many Yukon residents sparked a recall petition effort against Wooton and Pillmore. Residents have spoken at city council meetings and voiced their opposition to the proposed $1 billion, 05.-gigawatt Beltline Energy data center near Route 66 and Frisco Road on the west side of Yukon. The petition was presented to the City Council at an early May meeting by former City Council member Joe Horn.
“We’re against the data center, we’re all against the data,” said Horn. “I’m here to ask for your resignation. If you don’t, we will issue for your recall.”
In the wake of Wooton’s resignation, the City of Yukon issued a response.
The proposed site of the data center is a half mile west of the city of Yukon and is located in the city of Oklahoma City, which voted in January to rezone two tracts of land totaling 295.5 acres near Interstate 40 and North Frisco road. The rezoning to allow light industrial use would also permit the creation of a 350-acre campus.
The rezoning applied to 111.5 acres of land at 3025 N. Frisco Road and 184 acres at 13921 NW 23 street in Oklahoma City.
