An Indiana mayor is under fire for insinuating that people who oppose data centers being built in their area live in “shitty houses.”
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson was caught on camera making several statements that have upset locals, Fox 59 reported Wednesday.
Furgeson was holding a hand-written anti-data center sign while speaking to several women when he said, “I’ve seen a lot of these all over town, but I only see them in shitty houses.”
A woman told him, “You see them in working class houses,” to which he replied, “Most of them are rentals.”
One local who spoke to CBS 4 about the mayor’s comments said, “I think it was very detrimental and very inappropriate and disrespectful language to be used. To single anybody out and say that they are not worthy to be represented or that they are not worthy to be heard. Everybody’s worthy to be heard on this.”
According to a 2023 post from the Indiana Republican Party, Furgeson was the Republican nominee for mayor of Shelbyville at that time.
The town is facing a proposed billion-dollar data center site and neighbors have shown fierce opposition to the project, according to the Fox article.
“The proposal seeks to turn 429 acres of farmland into an 11-building data center complex. More than 2,000 people signed a petition to halt the project, yet the city council pressed on anyway and advanced the plan in April, ignoring the jeers and shouts of an angry public in attendance,” the outlet said, noting citizens are concerned about the high cost of energy and resources the centers bring.
Furgeson said he regretted that his comments may have caused offense and claimed he was not talking about the “character, value or importance of any resident, homeowner or renter in our community” but was referencing “property maintenance.”
Hellbound and Down 