Data center protestors "not very smart" says Coweta City Manager

Coweta City Manager Julie Castine is facing calls for her resignation after text messages surfaced where she made derogatory comments about residents protesting a proposed data center. The messages, obtained through an open records request filed by Darren Blanchard, show Castine stating, "a lot of the people protesting are just not very smart and can't accept change." Local resident Alan Prather, a vocal opponent of the data center, criticized Castine, stating, "the people were smart enough to figure out that the city manager is not working in the best interest of the people of Kawita." Prather also highlighted a joke Castine made about calling it a "computer barn" for zoning purposes, emphasizing that the issue of lands being subject to a data center is not a laughing matter. Another resident, David Seals, who attended a November meeting about the data center while on oxygen for a double lung transplant, was also a target of Castine's texts. After Seals commented on a malfunctioning microphone, Castine texted that his "oxygen machine was louder than a data center." Seals expressed that while the comment was insulting, Castine's opinion no longer matters to him. In response to the public outcry, Castine issued an apology, acknowledging her comments were "inappropriate and hurtful" and taking "full responsibility." However, many residents and opponents, including Prather, argue that the best communication moving forward would be for her to offer her resignation.