St. Louis approves data center after vote without public comment
St. Louis's Board of Public Service approved a massive AI data center project without public comment, while Mayor Cara Spencer was abroad on a trade mission. This decision has sparked concerns about transparency, public participation, and ethics due to the mayor's dinner with a major data center developer who is also her top campaign donor.
The St. Louis Board of Public Service recently approved a massive AI data center project planned for the former famous bar warehouse site near Grandin Market. The meeting was conducted via Zoom, with board members logging in from separate locations, and conspicuously excluded public comment. Residents who came to City Hall to voice their concerns were directed to a conference room, where they could only watch the Zoom call on a screen and were unable to speak, causing significant public outcry and frustration.
This approval occurred while St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer was abroad on a London trade mission. Photographs obtained by KSDK News showed Mayor Spencer dining with Bob Clark, founder of Clayco, a prominent data center developer and her largest individual campaign donor. Although Clayco is explicitly stated as not being directly involved in this specific St. Louis data center project, the circumstances have raised ethical questions and concerns about the "optics" of the situation. The Mayor's office has indicated it is investigating the ethics rules governing such a trip and related expenses. The deal, which Mayor Spencer negotiated, is expected to provide over $200 million to Saint Louis public schools over the next decade, reportedly without tax breaks.