Public Scrutiny Is Not the Problem

The Public's Questions Deserve Respect, Not Ridicule

Some of the criticism centered around confusion involving a fiber infrastructure facility in the Valley Oak Commerce Park that had previously been described publicly as a “state-of-the-art fiber optic data center.” Officials later clarified that the facility is essentially a telecommunications hub supporting internet infrastructure and does not function as a modern AI or hyperscale data center.¹

That was an important clarification and deserved to be addressed, but... 

Public Concern Did Not Emerge in a Vacuum 

Citizens began asking questions after discovering not only prior references to a “data center,” but also current marketing material published directly on SPEDA’s website describing a 114-acre tract on Sam Jones Road as “ideally suited for an AI Data Center build out.”² The listing specifically references favorable conditions involving climate, energy supply, and nearby utility infrastructure capable of meeting significant electrical load demands.

Screenshot from the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority property listing for 114AC Sam Jones Rd, retrieved May 8, 2026.

Property descriptions on commercial and development listings are generally written, provided, or approved by the seller, owner, broker, or their representatives for marketing purposes. As a result, descriptions may emphasize features or potential uses intended to attract industries or buyers with specific interests. The realtor responsible for this listing is provided on the page below the description. 

Editorial note for clarity: The above description is the seller's description published on the SPEDA website. See the full listing here:  https://somersetkyleads.com/property/114ac-sam-jones-rd/ 

Archive of page prior to description revision depicting what was retrieved on May 8th during SPA's research:  https://web.archive.org/web/20251211021426/https://somersetkyleads.com/property/114ac-sam-jones-rd/ 

Public concern also did not arise solely from social media speculation. During the recent Somerset Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce's State of the County address, Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd publicly stated that Pulaski County was “targeting high-paying jobs and focusing on industries like advanced technology, nuclear energy ... and artificial intelligence.”³ Just days later, amid growing public concern, Todd issued a separate public statement saying that “a data center coming to Pulaski County is not something this Administration supports.”⁴

Citizens are not unreasonable for attempting to reconcile those public messages—particularly when economic development material simultaneously advertised local property as suitable for AI data center development. Asking elected officials for clarification under those circumstances is not reckless. It is responsible civic engagement.

Reasonable people can disagree about whether a project like that would benefit Pulaski County. What reasonable people should not be told is that asking about it, or bringing it to the forefront, is somehow “reckless,” “asinine,” or evidence of political bad faith.

The public has every right to exercise due diligence when conversations involve projects that could fundamentally alter the character, infrastructure demands, environmental footprint, energy consumption, or economic direction of a community.

That is especially true during an election season when it seems officials are more accessible to the public.

Voters routinely ask candidates direct questions about roads, taxes, zoning, industrial recruitment, utilities, public spending, and economic development priorities. Asking whether local leaders support or oppose a potential data center project falls squarely within that same category of legitimate public concern.

It is also important to recognize that public skepticism does not automatically equal misinformation.

When local officials publicly discuss targeting industries connected to artificial intelligence and advanced technology, while economic development marketing materials simultaneously advertise acreage as suitable for AI data center development, citizens are naturally going to connect those dots and seek clarification. That is not irrational behavior. That is how public accountability works.

In many ways, this situation demonstrates the very reason transparency matters.

Communities across the country are currently debating the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centers and AI infrastructure. Supporters point to job creation, tax revenue, and technological growth. Critics raise concerns involving water usage, electrical demand, land acquisition, environmental strain, tax incentives, and long-term sustainability. These are legitimate policy discussions occurring nationwide—not fringe speculation.

Pulaski County residents deserve the same opportunity to ask questions and evaluate information without being mocked, dismissed, or accused of stirring political controversy simply because they sought answers. And most of what we observed on social media were citizens asking officials to provide their stance on the issue.

Strong Leadership Does Not Treat Public Concern as an Inconvenience

Strong leadership welcomes scrutiny, answers questions directly, clarifies misunderstandings professionally, and understands that transparency builds trust even during disagreement. That has been done to some degree through public statements originating from YOUR questions!  

The majority of our citizens are not “keyboard cowboys” because they ask what is being planned in their own community. Admittedly, there are a few who thrive on controversy, but this is a real issue involving real concerns. It is the responsibility of public officials to cut through the noise and address the legitimate questions being raised by the people they serve with clarity, professionalism, and transparency—not dismiss them simply because the conversation became politically uncomfortable. 

The people asking questions are taxpayers, voters, property owners, parents, business owners, and residents who have a vested interest in the future direction of Pulaski County. And regardless of where those questions originate—whether from a town hall, a newspaper office, or social media—the public’s right to ask them remains the same. 

Footnotes

1. Commonwealth Journal, “SPEDA CEO denounces rumors of creating 'data center' in Pulaski’” posted May 7, 2026.
2. Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority, “114AC Sam Jones Rd,” SPEDA Properties Website, retrieved May 8, 2026.
3. Commonwealth Journal, "State of the County: Todd Points to Pulaski's Momentum," posted May 5, 2026.
4. Pulaski County Judge Executive Marshall Todd, public statement posted to the official Pulaski County Facebook page, May 7, 2026.