City Leaders Suffer Election Wipeout After Data Center Approval

In Festus, Missouri, four incumbent city council members were voted out of office in a high-turnout municipal election, a direct response to the council's March 30 approval of a development agreement for a $6 billion hyperscale data center on 360 wooded acres. The election results reflect a growing backlash against large-scale data center projects in U.S. communities. Following the vote, opponents of the project, including the group Wake Up JeffCo, filed a lawsuit in St. Louis County Circuit Court seeking to invalidate the rezoning decisions and the development agreement. They allege "spot zoning," Open Records Law violations, insufficient public notice, and secret communications between city officials and the developer, CRG, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Clayco. City Attorney Brian Malone, however, maintains that Festus adhered to all legal requirements. CRG's executive chairman, Robert "Bob" Clark, expressed commitment to working with the new council, emphasizing transparency and a willingness to address concerns. Campaign finance records revealed a political action committee backed by labor unions, which support data centers, spent nearly $40,000 to support the defeated incumbents. Additionally, internal communications indicated Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe was willing to lobby planning commissioners on behalf of the project. Separately, Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley has introduced legislation to regulate data centers due to concerns about their impact on local energy prices. The newly elected council members, Karl Weekley, Allen Joseph McCarthy, Dan Moore, and Rick Belleville, are poised to make immediate decisions regarding the data center's future, while the recall effort targets the mayor and remaining council members, and the lawsuit proceeds.