After $6B data center plan, Festus voters oust every incumbent council member

Residents of Festus, Missouri, delivered a significant political upset, ousting four incumbent city council members who had supported a controversial $6 billion hyperscale data center proposal by CRG Clayco. The election, held a week after the council approved a framework for the 360-acre development, reflected months of growing public opposition and demands for greater transparency from city officials. The four successful challengers, Dan Moore, Karl Weekley, Allen Joseph McCarthy, and Rick Belleville, campaigned on platforms that emphasized transparency and an anti-data center stance. Their victories shift the balance of power on the eight-member council and signal a potential reevaluation of the project. Opponents, including Mary Youmans, had previously criticized the council for ignoring citizen concerns about the data center, which City Administrator Greg Camp had lauded as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for tax revenue. The controversy extends beyond Festus, with similar political headwinds facing pro-data center politicians in nearby Pacific, Missouri, where Mayor Heather Filley lost her reelection to Ward 3 Alderwoman Debbie Kelley, who also ran on a pro-transparency ticket. This follows CRG Clayco's previous data center proposal in St. Charles, which faced public opposition and resulted in a yearlong moratorium. Petitions for the recall of Festus Mayor Sam Richards were also being collected at polling places, further underscoring the community's discontent.