Pulaski County quorum court member to resign amid ongoing data center debate

A longtime Pulaski County justice of the peace who opposed recent efforts to regulate data centers is resigning, effective Monday night.

Phil Stowers, a Republican representing District 13, has been on the quorum court for more than 20 years. His resignation letter, addressed to the county director of quorum court services, states the resignation is effective 11:59 p.m. Monday. 

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Stowers provided his letter, which he said was submitted Thursday afternoon, to the Arkansas Advocate. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported on Stowers’ resignation.

Stowers said the letter was all he planned to say at this time and declined to comment further.

In the letter, he said he was stepping away to begin the next chapter of his life after “careful consideration” — but also added that “recent Quorum Court business has become contentious to the extent that it is a distraction to my work/life balance.” 

His letter highlighted efforts to protect the Lake Maumelle watershed and park improvements as some of the accomplishments he was “deeply proud of.”

Stowers’ resignation comes just days after another effort to institute a county data center moratorium was postponed to July, to the frustration of those who have attended meetings for weeks to oppose the facilities. Planning department reviews, erroneous vote counts and requests for more information from justices of the peace have stopped regulation and moratorium efforts from being successful so far.

The anger over the centers — which power everything from social media to artificial intelligence — reflect broader, national trends. A Gallup survey found that 7 in 10 Americans are against data center construction in their area.

Local backlash against two data centers planned in Pulaski County has grown in recent weeks. Residents have crammed into public city and county meetings to express their displeasure to Little Rock and Pulaski County officials. 

In recent quorum court meetings, Stowers aligned himself with data center supporters at the Little Rock Regional Chamber while clashing with proponents of a moratorium and regulations. On Tuesday, Stowers expressed concerns a moratorium would land the county in legal jeopardy. 

He also cheered on the moratorium postponement as giving the chamber “quite a bit of time to bring economic development to Pulaski County, for the chamber to work really hard to get other projects in the pipeline.”

“I’m pretty excited about this,” he said. “That’s 45 days away.”

Stowers voted for the postponement, then left before the meeting’s public comment period. Local residents who attended the meeting noticed.

“Frankly, not everyone stayed to listen to their constituents,” said Marcela Weber, a North Little Rock resident. “Not everyone wanted to hear what the people who they’re supposed to serve had to say about this.”