Unofficial results show two St. Charles incumbents lost, including a contested race lost by one vote

In St. Charles, Missouri, the recent municipal election saw two city council incumbents, Mary West of Ward 4 and Bill Otto of Ward 1, lose their seats, with their defeats attributed to public opposition to a proposed Google data center. Fourteen-year council member Mary West, who is related to Chris McKee, president of CRG, the developer that originally eyed St. Charles for the project, was ousted by Scott Shipman. Ward 1 incumbent Bill Otto lost to anti-data center candidate Chris Kyle by a single vote, according to unofficial results. St. Charles County Director of Elections Kurt Bahr confirmed that a routine manual recount of some precincts and provisional ballots is scheduled, and due to the slim margin, a hand count of one Ward 1 precinct is mandatory. The election results are expected to be certified next week, after which the losing candidate may petition the courts for a full recount. The outcomes reflect a public sentiment against what some residents view as costly projects prioritized over their quality of life, following earlier criticism of city officials for secrecy surrounding the Google data center development that was ultimately blocked.