Justice delayed is justice denied.
The premise behind the legal maxim is that a solution that arrives too late is the same as having no solution.
This same fundamental truth has been sadly evident in recent months on the Festus City Council. The source of denied justice is a Ward 2 council seat that has been vacant for six months.
On April 13, City Councilwoman Staci Templeton resigned her Ward 2 seat. She had been a councilwoman for five years.
City leaders have been embroiled in a controversy over a proposed data center development project since it became known to the public in the fall of 2025. When the council on March 30 approved an agreement for the project with developer CRG of St. Louis, Templeton was one of the two “no” votes in the 6-2 council vote to approve it.
Her resignation came days after Festus voters on April 7 ousted four incumbent council members who had voted in favor of the data center development.
At the time, Mayor Sam Richards said Templeton told him she was resigning for personal, family reasons. He said the city was seeking applicants to fill her unexpired term.
But six months later, the seat remains unfilled.
In an Aug. 13 story in the Leader, Richards said he had interviewed three people interested in filling the seat. But he said he had not made a decision over nominating anyone. He did not release the names of those who requested to be considered for the seat.
Unfortunately, residents’ comments at recent council meetings are becoming more tense and more strident. But it is also unfortunate that Ward 2 residents have been denied their full voice on critical issues and decisions.
For the sake of Ward 2 and the city, cooler heads must prevail.
The mayor should promptly nominate a candidate for the vacant seat, and the council should weigh in on that nomination. That process should continue until the mayor and council arrive at a mutually acceptable candidate.
The solution really is that simple, and time is really of the essence.