Examining how large-scale infrastructure, public-private investment, and emerging technologies reshape local communities—from rural Missouri to the national economy.

Bad Leadership = Bad Investment

How bad leadership builds bad outcomes—and why Montgomery County is the warning light Missouri can’t ignore

Most communities don’t lose their future in one dramatic moment.

They lose it in a sequence of small leadership choices:
a rushed timeline,
a vague promise,
a “trust us,”
a closed-door meeting reframed as “standard procedure,”
a tax incentive explained as “necessary,”
a public hearing treated like a formality instead of a safeguard.

And years later—when power bills rise, water systems strain, farmland is gone, and the public realizes the contract was written for permanence, not accountability—the same leaders act surprised.

Montgomery County, Missouri is standing at that turning point now.

Not because development is automatically wrong.

But because leadership determines whether development becomes prosperity—or extraction.

Where the Future First Touches Ground

Multiple reports confirm major data-center development activity moving forward in Montgomery County, including projects tied to Amazon Web Services and another proposed campus known publicly as “Project Spade.” These plans include multi-building facilities, large acreage footprints, and significant utility sourcing requirements.

These are not ordinary buildings.

They are industrial-scale power users capable of permanently reshaping a county’s infrastructure priorities.

Local reporting has also described tax-incentive frameworks and projected investment and job figures presented during county discussions. Whether one supports or opposes these projects, the public deserves clarity on what is being promised, what is contractually guaranteed, and what remains speculative.

Leadership is not measured by enthusiasm.

It is measured by the quality of the questions demanded before the future is signed away.

The National Reality: Data Centers Are Reshaping Energy—Fast

This is where leadership becomes unavoidable.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers consumed approximately 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023 and could reach 6.7%–12% by 2028 if current trends continue.

Pew Research Center reports U.S. data centers used roughly 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, over 4% of national consumption.

Water demand is also substantial. Estimates show U.S. data centers directly consumed around 17 billion gallons of water in 2023, primarily for cooling systems.

These numbers are not political.

They are logistical.

Leadership that ignores logistics is not leadership—it is branding.

Missouri’s Role: Building “Shovel-Ready” Conditions

Missouri has actively invested in positioning itself for large-scale development.

In 2023, the Missouri Department of Economic Development awarded $75 million in ARPA funds to create “shovel-ready” industrial sites across the state, including a specific category for mega-sites exceeding 1,000 acres.

“Shovel-ready” does not simply mean cleared land.

It often means:

• roads pre-planned

• utilities staged

• substations considered

• zoning pathways prepared

• incentive structures negotiated

When speed becomes the priority, accountability is often the casualty.

What Bad Leadership Looks Like in Infrastructure Decisions

Bad outcomes are predictable when leadership repeats the same patterns:

1. Treating big numbers as proof of success

Investment totals and job projections are not community protection. Leadership fails when it does not clarify:

• how many permanent jobs exist

• who qualifies for them

• what public costs increase over time

2. Performing transparency instead of practicing it

Public meetings lose meaning when information is partial, timelines are rushed, or critical details hide behind “confidential business interests.”

3. Privatizing profit while socializing risk

This occurs when tax revenue is reduced through abatements, utilities are upgraded through ratepayer costs, and long-term environmental burdens remain local.

4. Refusing to name tradeoffs

Every project carries tradeoffs:

• permanent land-use changes

• utility strain

• emergency-service capacity

• environmental risk

• long-term enforcement challenges

Strong leadership names them. Weak leadership markets around them.

The Core Truth: Leadership Is the Infrastructure

Infrastructure is not only steel and substations.

It is also:

• transparency

• enforceable rules

• honest timelines

• and leaders willing to say, “Not yet.”

Bad leadership creates:

• permanent change without permanent safeguards

• economic development without economic dignity

• growth that benefits spreadsheets more than families

That is how you get fortune over futures.

Questions to Ask at the Next Meeting

Strong leadership welcomes strong questions. If you attend the upcoming meeting regarding the proposed Montgomery County data-center and mega-site development, consider asking:

Infrastructure & Utilities

• What is the projected maximum power load at full operation?

• Who pays for substation and grid upgrades?

• Will local residents face rate increases?

• What is the projected annual water usage?

Contracts & Accountability

• Are development and tax-incentive contracts publicly available?

• What happens if job or investment targets are not met?

• Do obligations transfer if the company sells the facility?

Land & Environment

• What environmental studies have been completed?

• How will noise, heat, and generators be regulated?

• What restrictions will affect surrounding properties?

Long-Term Planning

• Who funds emergency services increases?

• Who maintains infrastructure decades from now?

• What happens if the facility closes?

Transparency

• What information is under NDA?

• Why?

These are not anti-development questions.
They are community-protection questions.

Public Town Hall – January 29, 2026

Montgomery County residents are encouraged to attend the upcoming public town hall regarding the proposed 5,000-acre mega-site and data-center project.

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Montgomery County R-2 High School Gym
Organized by: Preserve Montgomery County, LLC

Purpose:
Community discussion of infrastructure impacts, land use, utilities, and long-term planning.

This meeting is an opportunity to:

• hear updated project details

• ask direct questions

• understand scale and timelines

• place concerns on the public record

As the flyer states:

Show up. Stand up. Speak up.

Participation is not disruption.
It is democracy.

Call to Action

If you live in Montgomery County—or anywhere facing similar proposals:

• Request project documents.

• Ask for numbers in writing.

• Track tax incentives.

• Attend meetings consistently.

• Speak clearly.

• Support local reporting.

Strong communities are built on information.

Closing

This moment in Montgomery County is bigger than one project.

It is a test of whether communities shape their future—or simply host it.

We do not need perfect leaders.

We need leaders who refuse to trade tomorrow for a ribbon-cutting today.

That is the line between development and damage.

In solidarity,
Lyndsay LaBrier
Founder, Merchant Ship Collective

References

ABC 17 News. (2025, November 26). Amazon planning data center in Montgomery County. https://abc17news.com

ABC 17 News. (2025, December 8). Residents gather again, push back against proposed Montgomery County data centers during town hall. https://abc17news.com

KBIA. (2025, December 19). Montgomery County Commission approves Amazon data center tax incentive framework. https://www.kbia.org

Missouri Department of Economic Development. (2023, May 5). State awards $75 million in ARPA funding to help develop shovel-ready industrial sites statewide. https://ded.mo.gov

Pew Research Center. (2025, October 24). What we know about energy use at U.S. data centers amid the AI boom. https://www.pewresearch.org

U.S. Department of Energy. (2024). DOE releases new report evaluating increase in electricity demand from data centers. https://www.energy.gov

Reuters. (2026, January 22). Charting the data center development roadmap in key U.S. states. https://www.reuters.com

Time. (2026). The 5 big reasons why electricity bills are so high right now. https://time.com

World Bank Group. (2024). Private participation in infrastructure (PPI) database. https://ppi.worldbank.org