We want bad people to be thrown in prison, but we don’t want said prisons near OUR houses. Same for data centers, in West Virginia and elsewhere.
I first heard of Festus, Missouri via one of those long-winded Facebook posts that doesn’t cite its sources, thus making me automatically question its veracity.
But this one was true, according to Politico.
“The [Festus] City Council voted March 30 to approve a development agreement for the data center, planned for 360 wooded acres on the city’s southwest side. The operator of the data center hasn’t been identified…”
Now normally there are weeks of meetings before a city council even approves a fast food joint. This leveling of 360 acres of wood to let people like me create wildebeest pictures seems to have surprised the residents of Festus.
But that wasn’t the only surprise for the city. A second surprise happened a few days later.
“Voters in a small Missouri town, unhappy with the city council’s approval of a $6 billion data center, struck back at the polls last week, ousting all four incumbent council members running for reelection.”
If you are a political (or business) leader who despises transparency, try not to violate your stakeholders’ trust when your job is on the line.
Speaking of losing jobs, there is an effort to recall Mayor Sam Richards and other council members who supported the data center project.
Bredemarket 