ST. CHARLES — A second city official here has family ties to the highly controversial 440-acre data center proposal, raising the ire of some residents this week.
Mary West, a St. Charles councilwoman, is cousins with Chris McKee, president of CRG, the developer behind the data center plan known as CRG Cumulus.
McKee is the son of well-known developer Paul McKee, who co-founded development firm Paric Corp. and also started the Northside Regeneration project, which acquired hundreds of acres across north St. Louis and pitched a plan to redo much of the area. Paul McKee is West’s first cousin.
The criticism comes weeks after it was revealed that St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer’s cousin was the primary landowner of the proposed data center site. Borgmeyer, who said he didn’t know his cousin, later withdrew his support for the project. CRG ultimately pulled its proposal before the St. Charles City Council could vote on it.
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This week, residents criticized West for not revealing her relationship to the McKees.
“Our elected representatives represent all of us,†Olivia Cross said, “not just the high-earning, the powerful or the well-connected.â€
“We expect — and will continue to expect — transparency, integrity and accountability,†she continued.
On Wednesday, West confirmed to the Post-Dispatch that she is a cousin of the McKees. Her father and Chris McKee’s grandfather were brothers.
“I’m very proud of my cousins,†she said. “I can’t say enough good things about Paul McKee.â€
And she said she “was on the fence†about the data center. “I’m not sure how I would have voted,†she said.
State conflict-of-interest rules are complicated, but generally require public officials to avoid discussion or voting on actions that would benefit them or their immediate family. Public business with more distant relations is less subject to scrutiny. An official could even hire their second cousin without triggering the state’s nepotism laws.
St. Charles ordinances also bar officials from having a personal interest, direct or indirect, that “would tend to impair his/her independence or judgement,†among other things.
St. Charles spokeswoman Beth Norviel did not respond to a request for comment.
Paul McKee co-founded Paric, a design-build construction firm that has completed construction projects on multiple high school and college campuses and for local governments across the region — including in St. Charles. He’s also managed construction projects for major companies, including Peabody Energy, St. Louis Bread Co. and Express Scripts Inc.
His perhaps highest-profile project is the NorthSide Regeneration initiative, an ambitious plan to invest an estimated $1.75 billion into a part of north St. Louis. But cornerstones of that project failed to gain traction or stay open. A short-lived grocery store, Greenleaf, closed, as did a gas station across the street. And a north St. Louis hospital, Homer G. Phillips, didn’t last a year before it was shuttered in December 2024.
Concerns over McKee’s handling of millions in tax credits sparked an investigation by the FBI in 2018. No charges were ever brought.
In an interview Wednesday, West defended Paul McKee’s record of development.
“Who would take on North St. Louis? He did,†West said.
Paric is now led by McKee’s son, Paul Joseph McKee III, who serves as the company’s chairperson.
CRG, the company Chris McKee leads, developed several buildings at Cortex in St. Louis and is behind Wildhorse Village in Chesterfield.
Of the five City Council members interviewed by the Post-Dispatch after the meeting, only Bart Haberstroh said he knew that West was related to the McKees.
“I’ve known her family for years,†he told the Post-Dispatch. “They are good people.â€
Other members said they were surprised to learn of their colleague’s familial ties. Some said the council is still reeling from residents’ concerns over a perceived lack of transparency regarding the data center plan.
Councilmembers Justin Foust, Denise Mitchell, Vince Ratchford and Bill Otto said the council now owes it to residents to press West for details.
Recently, West and former St. Charles City Councilwoman Bridget Ohmes made headlines for suing the city over an interpretation of the city’s charter regarding the independence of the city’s park board and the board’s ability to block the sale of city-owned park ground. That lawsuit is ongoing.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the relationship between West and Chris McKee. They are first cousins, once removed.Ìý
Austin Huguelet of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
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