{"id":2589466,"date":"2026-04-10T19:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T23:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-oust-half-of-missouri-city-council-for-greenlighting-6000000000-ai-data-center\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T23:32:23","slug":"voters-oust-half-of-missouri-city-council-for-greenlighting-6000000000-ai-data-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-oust-half-of-missouri-city-council-for-greenlighting-6000000000-ai-data-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Voters Oust Half of Missouri City Council for Greenlighting $6,000,000,000 AI Data Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvoters-oust-half-of-missouri-city-council-for-greenlighting-6000000000-ai-data-center%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2589466&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Voters in Festus,Missouri,ousted four of teh eight members of the city council after they supported a plan by CRG Clayco to build a hyperscale AI data center on 360 acres,a $6 billion project. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >election results reflected broad local opposition<\/a> to the advancement adn a push for more transparency in the approval process; the defeated incumbents were replaced by candidates who campaigned against the data center and for greater resident input. A Festus resident emphasized that the community is now \u201cawake\u201d and determined to push back on such projects. Similar tensions surfaced in Wisconsin, where Port Washington voters approved a ballot initiative aimed at limiting incentives for a proposed OpenAI-Vantage data center, tho the measure dose not stop the project itself. The local debate centers on economic benefits versus concerns about eminent domain, rising electricity costs, and the loss of homes or neighborhood character.<\/p>\n<p>Across the country, supporters argue that data centers are vital for the economy and national competitiveness, while opponents warn of cost burdens and governance issues. The article notes protests and opposition to AI data-center development in other states, including alabama, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida. It also places the Festus dispute in a broader national context in which national leaders have promoted AI infrastructure and related investment, including executive actions and incentives aimed at accelerating data-center projects. The piece is published by the Daily Caller News Foundation and includes standard credit and Disclaimer language.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Voters in a Missouri town ousted four city council members Tuesday for supporting an AI data center in the area.Voters in the town of Festus, Missouri, voted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcur.org\/politics-elections-and-government\/2026-04-09\/festus-missouri-data-center-election-city-council\">against<\/a> four members of the town&rsquo;s eight-member city council who voted to greenlight a $6 billion data center project a week prior, according to St. Louis Public Radio.<\/p>\n<p>Anger has been brewing in several localities across the U.S. against data center projects, with voters in a Wisconsin town overwhelmingly opting Tuesday to crack down on a proposed development.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s vote followed months of at times raucous opposition against CRG Clayco&rsquo;s plan to build a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-are-data-centers-and-why-do-they-matter\/\" title=\"What are ...s and why do they matter?\">hyperscale data center<\/a> on 360 acres in the town. The four city council members who lost their reelection bids were defeated by candidates who ran against the data centers and supported more transparency in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/missouri-incumbents-voted-out-a-week-after-ignoring-public-pressure-on-data-center\/\" title=\"... Incumbents ... Out a Week After Ignoring ... Pressure on ...\">data center approval process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This data center fight has struck this community to the core and really, honestly ignited a community-driven effort here,&rdquo; Dan Moore, who defeated pro-data center incumbent Bobby Benz, told St. Louis Public Radio.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People are awake now, and we&rsquo;re not going to let this continue on anymore.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Residents opposed to the AI data center flooded a local gymnasium to voice their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stlpr.org\/government-politics-issues\/2026-03-31\/festus-data-center-development-approval\">frustrations<\/a> during a March 31 city council meeting where the council voted to approve a framework of requirements for CRG&rsquo;s planned construction, St. Louis Public Radio reported.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am not against growth,&rdquo; Festus resident Lauren Albers said during the raucous city council meeting.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m against putting data centers between homes. I am against rushing into development before residents get real information, real answers and a real voice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of AI counter that data center development is crucial to the future of the economy and necessary to combat rivals such as China, while opponents are concerned the projects will force people to lose their homes through eminent domain and will cause their electric bills to skyrocket.<\/p>\n<p>Voters in Port Washington, Wisconsin, also went to the polls Tuesday to air their frustrations against an AI data center in their community. Voters, by a near two-to-one margin, approved the first-in-the nation ballot initiative opposing a planned $15 billion OpenAI-Vantage data center campus.<\/p>\n<p>Although the passed Wisconsin measure will not stop construction of the project, it does add requirements for the public to approve tax incentives for future construction in the area.<\/p>\n<p>The project was backed by President Donald Trump as part of the Stargate initiative he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fkT4bPEQCjc\">announced<\/a> alongside tech CEOs in January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/07\/accelerating-federal-permitting-of-data-center-infrastructure\/\">signed<\/a> an executive order in July 2025 to &ldquo;to facilitate the rapid and efficient buildout of this infrastructure by easing Federal regulatory burdens.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the Trump administration encouraged $92 billion in private sector investment aimed at AI.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have to get this stuff built .&hellip; They have to produce a lot of electricity, and we&rsquo;ll make it possible for them to get that production done very easily,&rdquo; Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What we want to do is keep [AI infrastructure] in this country. China is a competitor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Local communities across America including in <a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/20082025\/wilsonville-alabama-residents-against-massive-data-center\/\">Alabama<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2025\/10\/pennsylvania-data-centers-community-opposition-ai-development-environment\/\">Pennsylvania<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatlakesnow.org\/2025\/10\/michigan-town-effots-to-stop-data-center\/\">Michigan<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/palm-beach-county\/arden-residents-oppose-massive-ai-data-center-proposal-near-their-community\">Florida<\/a> have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2024\/10\/05\/data-center-protest-community-resistance\/\/\">protested<\/a> data center expansions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voters in Festus, Missouri, Booted four city council members on Tuesday after they approved a $6 billion AI data-center project, replacing incumbents with opponents who called for more transparency in the approval process. The ousted council members were defeated by candidates who campaigned against the data center and for clearer oversight. One newly elected neighbor, Dan Moore, said the community is now more awake and won\u2019t let the issue continue without a real voice and information for residents. Opponents argued the project could threaten nearby homes, push up electric bills, and use eminent domain, while supporters said data centers are essential for economic strength and national competitiveness.<\/p>\n<p>In Port Washington, Wisconsin, residents voted to approve a ballot measure limiting future tax incentives for large projects and imposing additional public-review requirements on similar developments. The near two-to-one margin against the OpenAI\u2011Vantage data center campus won\u2019t by itself stop construction but adds new oversight for incentives. The project had high-profile backing as part of broader national pushes to expand AI infrastructure, with political figures and national debates intensifying local opposition in communities across the country, including in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2589467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7576.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[77560,75000,72178,8584],"class_list":["post-2589466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ai-data-center","tag-city-council-2","tag-local-politics-2","tag-missouri"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_7576.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589466"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589470,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589466\/revisions\/2589470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2589466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2589466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2589466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}