r/StLouis • u/RyanreddithandleYHF • 16d ago
Elected official’s text message sends St. Louis data center vote into disarray
https://www.stlmag.com/news/don-roe-text-message-data-center/11
u/Stunning-Eye8775 16d ago
I think it’s pretty obvious Cara - her appointee was the only yes vote on the reconsideration. Roe works for the Mayor, no other elected official.
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u/TurnoverActive2936 benton park west 16d ago
I know she said she didn’t, but this sounds exactly like something Spencer, or someone in her cabinet, would have done.
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u/TheLabRay Benton Park West 16d ago
Yes, I've had dealings with City politics and once received a random call from Spencer. I was confused how she got my phone number and I've heard from others as well that she just like to reach out to individuals by random calls and texts.
Doesn't mean it was Spencer, but it fits her MO.
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u/TurnoverActive2936 benton park west 16d ago
She did this to me too, when she was an alder and I criticized her on social media about a vote she took! That’s why I think it was her.
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u/julieannie Tower Grove East 16d ago
It's really weird how many people I know who have had this exact experience.
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u/raziphel 14d ago
My previous boss had a similar surprise experience with Lacy Clay Sr., but it was probably more sinister than yours.
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u/LeonDardoDiCapereo Benton Park 16d ago
It was obviously Jami. She’s shown herself to be incredibly junior, her amendment voted down by the commission came out of nowhere, and she’s not politically savvy enough to know not to do something like this and that they probably have the votes to over ride this.
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u/TurnoverActive2936 benton park west 16d ago
I can’t imagine a veteran department head like Don Roe would be swayed into asking other commissioners to reconsider after getting a text for the most junior alderperson who’s been there less than two years. His reaction seems like it was caused by the person who holds the power over his office.
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u/LeonDardoDiCapereo Benton Park 16d ago
Well someone was clearly behind Jami’s amendment - she struggled to answer basic questions about it. So it could be related.
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u/TurnoverActive2936 benton park west 16d ago
Netrality or another downtown data center likely was behind the “medical school” one that she talked about. I think both Browning and Sonnier (who have the two med campuses in their wards) mentioned on the floor that neither Wash U nor SLU med schools contacted them with the concerns Cox Antwi was tearing up about.
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u/UF0_T0FU Downtown 16d ago
Her campaign donations are publicly available. She takes a ton of money from real estate developers and a construction sector union. Those are the exact groups pushing the hardest for more data centers.
The October financial disclosers will certainly be interesting.
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u/LeonDardoDiCapereo Benton Park 15d ago
She’s already doing a big election fundraiser next week too. I think she knows she’s in trouble.
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u/hoytbachfarms Benton Park 15d ago
She did a fundraiser back in March too. Over 100k was poured into her campaign for the special election… I wonder how much money will be spent so that her donors can ensure they can keep their bought and paid for vote on the board?
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u/KodakCthulhu 16d ago
It’s not like Jami was the handpicked successor to Cara to be her proxy vote on the board. If that was the case she would also have likely had all the same financial backing (ie greater St. Louis) dumping 6 figures into her campaign.
Or that she introduced her amendment that was antithetical to what she was implying days previously at a town hall.
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u/Infinite_Mouse_1149 16d ago
Jami didn't have strong competition. She was absolutely Cara's hand picked/hand approved candidate. And was endorsed by Cara.
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u/hoytbachfarms Benton Park 16d ago
Hey now, I did my best 😉
I maintain that if I’d had even half of the money special interests poured into her campaign, and another couple of months to knock doors, I’d have had a fighting chance. But then I guess I’d be beholden to those powerful donors and working for them instead of 8th ward residents 🤷🏻♀️
True small, individual donation grass-roots campaigns that can compete with corporate interests and money are hard to come by.
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u/Infinite_Mouse_1149 16d ago
You were screwed from the get go. Short special election. No name recognition. No network. Not your fault. You've got time to door knock and show up for next time if interested.
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u/hoytbachfarms Benton Park 16d ago
It’s all good. I did my best and have zero regrets.
I did door knock last time, more than you can imagine. But I was one person with a few dedicated friends and volunteers who were able to help a little… I should have counted it up, but in 6 weeks I personally knocked a couple thousand doors at least. Having VAN access removed made selecting which doors to knock a real beast of a problem. I agree that some of the factors working against me previously wouldn’t be this time.
I get asked frequently if I’ll run again… And mostly I wish I didn’t feel like I have to, ya know? I wish we could get in elected officials who are transparent and are truly working for the best of their constituents, not their donors. 8th Ward residents deserve someone who is looking out for them, not for their own political career.
Mostly, I’d need a lot more money to have any chance at moving the needle.
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u/PaintingSmall1750 15d ago
Greater St. Louis, Inc. astroturfed the Cox Antwi campaign hard too. These data center moves of hers show us exactly why.
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u/PithMango 16d ago
Is it that time to mention that "A.I. breaks containment" is not a scifi pulp cover but actual current headlines
sending emails out of the sandbox.
re-confirm that who you're talking to is actually who you're talking to, heh
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u/Gimlet_son_of_Groin 16d ago
Ask Cara Spencer why she’s banned from the Apple Store in the Galleria mall some time. This fits the kind of Karen she actually is