After Missouri city approves $6B data center, angry voters get revenge at the polls

Voters in a small Missouri town booted four city council members who backed a $6 billion data center despite fierce local opposition.Irate residents of Festus — a city of about 14,000 roughly 35 miles south of St.Louis — voted out four council members just days after they approved the controversial project.Local opposition to the data center, which was set to be built on some 360 acres of land by investment firm CRG Clayco, had been building in the weeks leading up to the March 30 special meeting.At the meeting, council members voted 6-2 to approve an infrastructure, development and funding agreement for the $6 billion project.While city leaders touted the project’s economic benefits, key details — including who would ultimately operate the facility and how it would impact local resources — were unclear, fueling frustration among residents.Locals have fiercely opposed the project, raising concerns about its environmental impact, property values and the prospect of a massive industrial facility being built near homes.Many also argued city officials ignored public input and rushed the approval process despite widespread backlash.Four incumbent council members — Jim Collier in Ward 1, Brian Wehner in Ward 2, Robert “Bobby” Venz in Ward 3 and Jim Tinnin in Ward 4 — were voted out, each losing to challengers who ran on anti-data center and pro-transparency platforms, according to St.

Louis Public Radio.Festus residents framed the election as a political reckoning, with one newly elected council member, Dan Moore, saying the data center fight “struck this community to the core” and “ignited a community-driven effort.”“We have been ignored for way too long,” said Moore, who defeated Venz in Ward 3.“It has been a problem in Festus for quite some time.I think this has just brought it to the surface.”Festus Mayor Sam Richards — who supported the data center project — could be next.

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