Am I pro or anti data center?

People keep asking me whether I’m pro or anti data center, so I want to take a moment to talk about that directly.

I’m not anti data center. And the fact that you’re reading this blog means you aren’t either.

We rely on data centers for almost everything we do. Our phones. Our email. Streaming services. Work. Daily life. If we turn this into an anti-technology argument, we’ve already missed the point and we won’t be taken seriously.

Here’s where the nuance matters.

The data centers being proposed right now are unlike anything we’ve ever seen in New Castle County. They’re not just another type of development. They operate at a scale our current development code was never designed to handle. The size, the power demand, the infrastructure impacts. This is unprecedented here.

That’s why regulation is even part of the conversation. Not to add barriers for the sake of it, but because our existing rules are simply unequipped to deal with projects of this magnitude. Ignoring that reality doesn’t make the impacts go away. It just means we’re unprepared for them.

What I am against is corporations profiting off public infrastructure and taxpayer dollars without paying their fair share.

Development that doesn’t pay its way is not welcome.

Data centers will use our electric grid, and they will require major upgrades to that grid. That shouldn’t be on residents.

They will use our roads. That shouldn’t be on residents.

They will use our water systems. That shouldn’t be on residents.

They will try to build as close to homes as possible to lower their own costs, even if it affects quality of life or property values. That shouldn’t be on residents.

And if they shut down or move on, they should not be able to walk away and leave the community with the cleanup. That shouldn’t be on residents either.

This is why regulation matters.

Regulation is how we protect ourselves from these costs. It’s how we make sure data centers are contributing members of our county and our state.

They can still be profitable. And we can still benefit.

But if we refuse to regulate, what we’re really doing is subsidizing corporate profit with our own dollars. That’s unacceptable.

I’m running for New Castle County Council because my responsibility is to residents first. Growth should strengthen our community, not take advantage of it.