Festus Voters Oust Half of City Council Over $6B Data Center Approval

Small-town politicians are facing harsh consequences for approving data center developments against public will. In Festus, Missouri—a town of approximately 12,700 residents—the backlash was so severe that voters ousted half of the city council after officials approved a $6 billion data center project.

According to Politico, the approval sparked a surge in voter turnout, with the majority electing four anti-artificial intelligence (AI) newcomers to replace long-standing council members. The election results reflect growing public resistance to data centers nationwide.

Rick Belleville, a 70-year-old first-time candidate, defeated eight-year incumbent Jim Tinnin in the city’s fourth ward. Tinnin, first elected in 2018, lost by over 40 percentage points after voting to approve the data center.

“I ran because I thought the city was not listening to people. It’s really the way the deal was handled that led to this kind of uprising.”
— Rick Belleville, newly elected Festus City Council member

Belleville joins three other anti-data center candidates who won seats due to their opposition to the project. He pledged greater transparency, including publicly listing his personal cellphone number for constituent outreach. Meanwhile, remaining council members—whose terms extend until April 2025—face potential recall efforts.

Local media reports that anti-data center activists are already circulating petitions to remove the remaining officials as soon as possible. Mary Fakes, a resident advocating for the recalls, stated:

“We do not want to wait till next April. This is a referendum against all of them based on their support of the data center.”

The election outcome sends a clear warning to officials nationwide: public opposition to data center developments has reached a critical level. The message is unmistakable—ignoring community concerns on such projects carries significant political risk.

Related: Almost Half of US Data Centers Slated for Cancellation or Delays in 2024