Festus petitions certified to recall mayor, councilmen
Petitions to recall Festus Mayor Sam Richards and two councilmen have been certified, stemming from the city's approval of a $6 billion data center. Residents cite concerns over a lack of transparency, environmental impact, and water and electricity usage, which has also led to a lawsuit against the city and the developer, CRG.
Petitions to recall Festus Mayor Sam Richards and two city councilmen, Kevin Dennis and Michael Cook, have been certified, as confirmed by Jefferson County Clerk Jeannie Goff. An additional 36 signatures are still required by June 7 to certify the petition for councilman David Boyer. Goff and city officials are slated to meet to establish a date for the recall election.
This recall effort follows the Festus City Council's approval of a $6 billion data center project situated north of U.S. 67 and west of Old England Road. Residents have expressed significant opposition to the data center, primarily due to perceived lack of transparency from city officials and concerns regarding its environmental impact, water consumption, and electricity usage. Mayor Richards has publicly refuted claims of secret dealings or a lack of transparency.
Further highlighting the community's discontent, all city council incumbents were voted out in April's general municipal election, held just a week after the data center's approval. In addition to the recall efforts, property owners in the vicinity of the proposed data center, along with the community group Wake Up Jeffco, have filed a lawsuit against both the City of Festus and the project's developer, CRG.