A classic corporate-politician-small guy triangle has taken a twist in a small US city after its mayor lashed out at his own constituents in a leaked video.
The story takes place in Shelbyville, Indiana. Its Mayor, Scott Furgeson, was apparently filmed in secret, saying that the town's citizens with "No Data Centers" signs in their yards were poor renters living in "shitty houses."
In the video, Furgeson is talking to a woman who attempts to correct the mayor, saying that these people are from the "working class," to which the politician replies that most of these people live in "very, very unkempt" rentals.
The video, posted on Facebook, is now circulating online, fueling outrage among the town's citizens.
"Renters, homeowners, citizens, voters. What's the difference? They are all PEOPLE who trusted you and appointed you to work and speak on their behalf. ALSO just because someone lives outside of the city limits shouldn't limit their right to be heard," one commenter online said, adding that the mayor's decisions affect those people and the value of their properties.
Meanwhile, according to Fox59 News, in his post-video statement, Furgeson didn't apologize, but regretted that "his choice of words may have caused offense."
The politician said that his comments were aimed at "property maintenance," and not at the "character, value or importance of any resident, homeowner or renter in our community."
According to the local media, the city council ignored a petition to halt an 11-building data center complex and advanced the plan in April. The petition was signed by more than 2,000 people, or around 10% of Shelbyville's population. Similar projects are also being proposed across Indiana.
Shelbyville is far from the only city attracting protesters opposing data center expansion in their communities. Similar disputes among local governments, communities, and big tech companies have emerged in states such as Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Arizona.
Cybernews previously reported on protests in Utah, where locals opposed an attempt to build a new data center because it could double the state's energy consumption.
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