St. Louis mayor denied trying to interfere with data center rules. Texts show she did.
Newly released records indicate that St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer's office attempted to influence the city planning board's decisions regarding new data center regulations. Text messages reveal Spencer's chief of staff instructed an economic development advisor to push for the mayor's preferred recommendations during a chaotic meeting last month. The mayor had previously denied such interference.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer's office reportedly sought to intervene in the city planning board's deliberations on new data center regulations, according to recently unveiled records. These documents, including text messages, reveal that the Mayor's chief of staff directed an economic development advisor to advocate for recommendations favored by Mayor Spencer. This alleged attempt to sway the board's decisions occurred during a tumultuous meeting last month.
The development follows Mayor Spencer's public denial of any such interference. The revelations suggest a discrepancy between the mayor's statements and the actions taken by her office concerning the city's approach to data center development and associated regulatory frameworks. The planning board's specific decisions that the mayor's office sought to reconsider were related to the implementation of new rules for data centers within St. Louis.