A proposed $2 billion data center in Shelbyville, Indiana, has sparked a heated political dispute after Mayor Scott Furgeson was recorded dismissing residents who oppose the project. In a video that has circulated locally, Furgeson responded to "No Data Center" signs popping up around the small city by saying, "I've seen a lot of these all over town, but I only see them in shitty houses," and added that "most of them are rentals." A woman in the clip pushed back, stating they were "working class," while another bystander reminded the mayor, "it doesn't matter whether they're rentals, they're still human beings."
Local residents reacted with frustration to Furgeson's remarks. Alexas Williams told Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR that the mayor's comments were "kind of disrespectful" and "kind of hurtful." The exchange has intensified tensions in Shelbyville over the data center project, which has become a flashpoint in the community. Critics of the development have raised concerns commonly associated with large-scale data center builds, including energy consumption, environmental impact, and strains on local infrastructure.
The mayor's office attempted to walk back the remarks with a brief statement, saying, "The mayor regrets that his choice of words may have caused offense." Furgeson himself has declined to comment further on the incident. The controversy comes amid a broader national push to expand AI infrastructure, with data center projects facing organized opposition in several states, including New York, where lawmakers recently passed a one-year moratorium on new facilities, and Utah, where investor Kevin O'Leary agreed to scale back a massive project after local pushback.