Record turnout ousts four Festus council members after data center backlash

Festus voters delivered a sharp rebuke to city leaders after a controversial data center vote, ousting four incumbent council members and flipping half of the eight-member Festus City Council. The April 7 election came just days after the council approved a framework ordinance for the proposed $6 billion CRG Clayco project.

The council had passed the ordinance on March 30 by a 6-2 vote, setting requirements for the developer tied to the planned facility on roughly 360 acres north of Highway 67 and west of Highway CC. Under the framework, CRG would be responsible for infrastructure upgrades including water, sewage and streets if the project moves forward.

The tax promises were central to the fight. City attorney Brian Malone said the development could generate about $80 million a year for Festus and nearby taxing districts, even with a five-year tax abatement. Another local estimate put the project’s potential fiscal impact at about $1.3 billion through property taxes, utility taxes and direct payments.

That pitch did little to calm opposition. Hundreds of residents packed the Festus High School gym for the March 30 vote, where critics said city leaders had not been transparent about their dealings with CRG. Opponents also accused officials of holding meetings with the developer without residents’ knowledge, turning the data center into a broader fight over how major land-use deals are negotiated in public.

The election results reflected that anger. Jimmy Collier in Ward 1, Brian Wehner in Ward 2, Bobby Benz in Ward 3 and Jim Tinnin all lost to challengers who campaigned on transparency and opposition to the project. Dan Moore, who defeated Benz, said the data center fight had “struck this community to the core” and sparked a community-driven movement.

Mayor Sam Richards said after the vote that the council had lost a lot of experience. The backlash has not eased since Election Day. Residents were circulating recall petitions against remaining officials, and a lawsuit filed April 10 by Wake Up JeffCo and four property owners sought to overturn both the rezoning and the contract requirements tied to the project. CRG founder Bob Clark later defended the development as an economic boost and a way to raise property values, but Festus voters had already sent their own message at the ballot box.