The mayor of Shelbyville, Indiana, says only people who live in ‘shitty houses’ oppose data center
Residents of the city say Scott Furgeson was disrespectful.
Residents of the city say Scott Furgeson was disrespectful.
by Jun 6, 2026, 3:05 PM UTC
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Terrence O’Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.
A proposed $2 billion data center has become a political flashpoint in the small city of Shelbyville, Indiana. And the controversy has only grown more intense after the mayor, Scott Furgeson, was caught on camera saying of the “No Data Center” signs going up that, “I’ve seen a lot of these all over town, but I only see them in shitty houses,” before adding, “most of them are rentals.”
The woman speaking to him in the clip quickly pushes back, saying that they’re “working class,” and someone chimes in to add something that a mayor shouldn’t have to be told about their constituents: “it doesn’t matter whether they’re rentals, they’re still human beings.”
Residents of Shelbyville are understandably taken aback by Furgeson’s dismissive language used towards his constituents. Alexas Williams called the mayor’s words “kind of disrespectful” and “kind of hurtful” when speaking to local NBC affiliate WTHR.
The mayor has declined to comment further, though a spokesperson for the mayor’s office released a statement saying that, “The mayor regrets that his choice of words may have caused offense.”
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