Township Leader Resigns in Tears Over OpenAI Data Center Death Threats
The treasurer of Saline Township, Michigan, resigned due to death threats she received over a controversial data center project. Jennifer Zink expressed her distress during a township meeting, stating she could no longer handle the threats directed at her and her family. The situation escalated tensions within the community, leading to calls for the recall of board members involved in the decision-making process regarding the data center.
- ▪Jennifer Zink, the treasurer of Saline Township, resigned after receiving death threats related to a data center project.
- ▪The proposed $16 billion data center by Oracle and OpenAI faced significant opposition from some residents.
- ▪The township board settled a lawsuit with Related Digital after denying zoning changes to halt the project.
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| Original publisher | 404 Media |
| Canonical URL | https://www.404media.co/township-leader-resigns-in-tears-over-openai-data-center-death-threats/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 13:56:27 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T14:05:02.702Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-20T14:05:02.702Z |
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| Cluster | mEE_21F555Ev · 2 stories |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The treasurer of Saline Township, Michigan, publicly resigned last week citing death threats she’d received related to the construction of an Oracle and OpenAI datacenter. “I’m submitting my resignation effective May 29th. I can’t take it anymore. The threats. The ‘I’m gonna tar and feather you.’ I hope you get bit by ah […] it’s so disgusting,” treasurer Jennifer Zink said between sobs at the end of a two hour township meeting on May 13. “The last one was, they hope we step on, I don’t know, some tick nest and ticks get on us and we get Lyme disease and die. Or something to that effect,” township clerk Kelly Marion, who did not resign but described some of the threats, said.“It’s horrible. I can’t do it anymore,” Zink continued. “I have two boys. I don’t need to deal with this.
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