STL City’s State Rep Murray Supports Data Centers

March 19th, 2026, St. Louis City State Rep. Marty Joe Murray bravely *cough cough* sent a letter of neutrality (not really) on data centers to something called “the Zoning Committee” in Room 400 at City Hall.

He failed to cite the specific data center Conditional Use Permit before the City’s Zoning Section and Board of Public Service, a proposal for a hyperscale data center at the failed Armory redevelopment in Midtown.

The permit was applied for by Deadbeat Developer Phil Hulse, Greenstreet, who owes $3,095,346.08 in property taxes on the proposed data center site as well as Greenstreet’s headquarters (3660, 3728 & 3852 Market St., 500 Prospect & 4565 McRee).

Murray wrote, “Data centers are critical infrastructure for the modern economy. The question before us is not whether they should exist, but whether they will be built responsibly. We can welcome investment while still protecting the health, affordability, and stability of our neighborhoods.”

“I am not asking this committee to slow progress. I am asking that we guide it with intention. That we ensure the benefits are shared and the burdens are not unfairly imposed”

I have no idea how anyone reads those two paragraphs as other that support for data centers slathered in economic development bullshit but the City has his letter labeled as “neutral”.

The City’s bizarre Conditional Use Permit process involves a hearing before the Zoning Division followed by a vote of the Board of Public Service. Members of BPS are mayoral patronage cabinet level appointees who owe their jobs to Mayor Cara Spencer. BPS does not attend Zoning Division hearings.

The five hour Deadbeat Developer Data Center Hearing was held March 19th, same day as Murray’s letter is dated.

BPS will vote on the proposal at their Meeting at 1:45 pm Tuesday, March 31st. It is expected that they will rubberstamp the proposal.

As of 5 pm Monday, March 30th, no one has filed to run against Murray for the 78th District House seat. Tho I don’t know why anyone would. It’s a shitty time to be in the minority party in Missouri and Murray has lobbyist/PAC friends to fund his re-election campaign because he is a reliable vote.

Candidate filing for Missouri House and Senate occurs in Jefferson City. The Deadline for filing is 5 pm Tuesday, March 31st.

Page One, Letter from Stat Rep. Marty Joe Murray

Page two, letter from State Rep. Marty Joe Murray

More Data Center Money Went to Mayor Spencer

On February 22nd, Rodney H. Thomas, of Armory data center developer THO Investments, donated $12,500 to Spencer’s PAC.

In addition to data center developer Jerald Kent donating $80,000 over the past two years to 21st Century St. Louis PAC, the legal money laundry for Greater St. Louis, he made donations to other campaign committees.

On February 20th of this year, twelve days before the St. Louis City mayoral primary election, Kent gave $25,000 to A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC, the pac for now Mayor Cara Spencer. That money helped fund media buys, negative advertising against incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones.

As earlier reported, he also donated the max of $2,600 to the then 8th Ward Alder and candidate for Mayor on the same day.

Kent is the Chairman and CEO of Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center developers. It’s highly likely Kent and/or his attorneys influenced, if not actually the author or put stamp of approval on, Mayor Spencer’s Executive Order 92 on data centers.

Transparency Fail. Spencer’s PAC also received $4,000 on March 31st from John M Baragiola III, his occupation/employer is identified on the April quarterly campaign report as “NA/ — Retired.” Baragiola is actually President and owner of Falcon Technologies, a company that sells materials for IT infrastructure. He also gets farm subsidies.

More Data Center $ for Greater St. Louis PAC

How Much Does A St. Louis City Alder Seat Cost? has been updated to reflect new donations to 21st Century St. Louis PAC, the legal money laundry of Greater St. Louis.

Two 48 Hour Reports totalling $40,000 by Jerald Kent, Chairman and CEO of Tierpoint and Cequel 3, data center developers, were made in December.

Transparency Fail. The August 11, 2025, contribution to 21st Century St. Louis PAC should have been reported by 48 Hour Report in August and then also in the PAC’s October Report. It was not reported until December 22nd. This should result in fines from Missouri Ethics Commission for failure to disclose in a timely manner.

In September, St. Louis City Mayor Cara Spencer issued Executive Order 92 on data centers, probably written by a lobbyist.

In October, the St. Louis City Board of Alders passed Resolution 111 on data centers that was not worth the paper it is printed on.

Greater St. Louis is the successor organization from the merger and rebranding of Civic Progress, Downtown STL, St. Louis Regional Chamber, Arch to Park, and AllianceSTL.

Tierpoint lists three data centers in the St. Louis area among their many facilities, including two in Downtown at 1111 Olive and 2300 Locust.

The Locust data center counts Greater St. Louis, Ameren electric company, and St. Louis Development Corporation, the City’s corporater welfare agency, among its partners.

1111 Olive was a 2010 TIF redevelopment and part of State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s 2020 audit on deficiencies in Tax Increment Financing in St. Louis.

Unlike Missouri MAGA Governor Mike Kehoe, who wants to get rid of the State’s income tax, Tierpoint notes the state is a “Strategic Location” “With a low corporate income tax rate… recognized for its low costs and pro-business environment” and “The state incentivizes the building and expansion of data centers with sales and use tax exemptions.”

Plans to redevelop St. Louis Armory into a data center met public opposition and the developer has failed to answer all questions raised.