Backlash Over $6B Data Center Flips Festus City Council
Officials who supported the 360-acre data center were ousted in the election.
April 9, 2026 – Voters in Festus, Missouri, removed every council incumbent up for reelection Tuesday, one week after officials approved a framework for a $6 billion data center project.
The council voted March 30 to advance the proposal from Clayco Realty Group to build a large-scale data center on roughly 360 acres north of Highway 67. By Tuesday, April 7, voters had replaced all four council members who supported the plan.
The results flipped half of the eight-member council and marked a sharp political reversal driven by concerns over transparency and public input.
Opposition intensified in the days leading up to the vote. Residents packed a contentious council meeting, raising concerns about both the development and how city leaders handled the process.
“This data center fight has struck this community to the core and really, honestly ignited a community-driven effort here,” said Dan Moore, who defeated incumbent Bobby Benz in Ward 3, the St. Louis Public Radio reports. “People are awake now, and we're not going to let this continue on anymore.”
Karl Weekley defeated Jim Collier in Ward 1, Allen Joseph McCarthy defeated Brian Wehner in Ward 2, Moore unseated Benz in Ward 3 and Rick Belleville defeated Jim Tinnin in Ward 4.
City officials had emphasized the project’s economic potential. But, transparency concerns were central to the challengers’ campaigns.
“We're going to approach those challenges as a community and not as a group of people who don't listen to us,” Belleville said.
Similar pushback has emerged elsewhere in the region, including in Pacific and St. Charles, as communities weigh economic benefits against concerns over governance and local control.
Member discussion