Mayor Under Fire After Belittling Residents Opposing Data Centers as “Poor” Living in “Unkempt Homes”
A mayor in a small Indiana city picked up a yard sign, looked at it, and told a group of women he only sees those signs in front of filthy houses full of renters. The remark, captured on video without Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson’s apparent knowledge, spread to more than 30,000 viewers within 24 hours. Behind it sits a fight that has divided an entire city, and a pattern playing out across Indiana.
Furgeson Held the Sign, Then Described Whose Yards It Comes From
The half-minute clip shows Furgeson holding a “No Data Centers” yard sign during a conversation with several women. “I’ve seen a lot of these all over the town, but I only see them in (expletive) houses,” he says. One woman immediately pushes back: “Working class. You see them at working class houses.” Furgeson responds that most of the properties are rentals. “It doesn’t matter if they’re rentals or not,” another woman tells him. “They’re still human beings.”
“Unkempt Properties”: Furgeson Doubles Down After Being Corrected
Rather than stepping back, Furgeson continues. “Very, very unkempt,” he says of the properties. “Unkempt properties.” The exchange lasts only seconds, but it captures a mayor who, confronted with a direct correction from the people in front of him, does not adjust his position. The women in the room had to remind an elected official that renters are human beings. His response was to reach for the word “unkempt” a second time.
“As Mayor, He Is a Servant of the People”
The video sparked immediate outrage across social media and local news inboxes. “This is what the mayor thinks of us?” wrote one commenter. “So renters are less than?” asked another. A third put it plainly: “As mayor, he is a servant of the people, in case he forgot, aka the people living in the (expletive), unkempt homes. Perhaps focus on how to better serve your constituency rather than tear them down.” Residents said the comments felt like confirmation that their opposition was never taken seriously.
Furgeson Issued a Statement. There Was No Apology
Through a spokesperson, Furgeson said he “regrets that his choice of words may have caused offense.” He argued the remarks were meant only as a reference to property maintenance, not as commentary on the “character, value, or importance” of any resident. He also ruled out resigning. The statement did not include an apology. For many Shelbyville residents, it confirmed exactly what the video showed: a mayor who does not believe he did anything wrong.
The Project Behind the Signs: 429 Acres of Farmland, 11 Buildings, One Billion Dollars
The controversy did not start with the video. Developer Prologis, a California-based real estate firm, has proposed converting 429 acres of farmland near Interstate 74 into an 11-building data center complex. The project is estimated to be worth over a billion dollars and would bring roughly 450 permanent jobs, according to project materials. More than 2,000 Shelbyville residents signed a petition to halt it. In January, the plan commission voted against it. The city council approved the annexation anyway.
Why Residents Say the Project Costs More Than It Pays
Opposition to the Shelbyville project spans income levels, political affiliations, and property ownership. Residents have raised concerns about noise, heavier truck traffic, strain on local water supplies, and energy costs. Communities near existing data centers in Indiana have reported rising utility bills linked to the facilities’ heavy power demands. For a town of roughly 20,000 people, the prospect of an industrial campus that size reshaping their landscape is not abstract.
The Same Fight Is Playing Out Across Indiana
Shelbyville is one of several Indiana communities caught in this tension. Similar data center projects have been proposed in Pittsboro, Henry County, Morgan County, Decatur Township, and the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in Indianapolis. In each case, residents have pushed back against plans approved over their objections. The pattern is consistent: major investment secured by local officials, public opposition treated as an obstacle, and a deepening distrust of the decision-making process.
An Indianapolis Councilor Backed a Data Center. Someone Fired 13 Rounds Into His Home.
The Shelbyville controversy follows one of the most alarming moments in Indiana’s data center debate. On April 6, Indianapolis City-County Councilor Ron Gibson woke to the sound of gunfire. Thirteen rounds were fired into his home on East 41st Street, according to Fox59. A note reading “No Data Centers” was left on his doorstep. Gibson and his eight-year-old son were unharmed. The FBI and Homeland Security joined the investigation. Police called it an isolated, targeted attack.
A 30-Second Video, a Mayor Who Won’t Resign, and a Town That Won’t Forget It
Furgeson remains in office, the Prologis project remains on track, and opponents have filed a lawsuit challenging the zoning process. The video did not change the political outcome in Shelbyville. It did something else: it gave residents a recorded, unambiguous statement from the mayor about how he views the people standing in his way. In a fight over who decides what gets built and where, that record now belongs to the community.