Hypocrisy in the Commission Chambers

Engaging in Data Center Ordinance Development

Being involved in political advocacy in the South is very different than in the largely secular Northeast. Here people at least talk about the fear of the Lord, even if their actions don’t demonstrate as much. In the Bible belt, you are also likely to encounter comments that can appear to be self-righteous excuses for questionable behavior. Over the last 5 years the number of times that I heard, “even Jesus overturned the tables,” prompted me to do a little studying. Ultimately what I concluded was that the LOCATION (the temple) of Jesus’s actions as well as the TARGET (religious leaders) is often not adequately considered. When it comes to Jesus’s interactions with individuals, we see over and over again that he transforms lives by meeting people where they are and only when they have opened the door to allow his grace and mercy. Consider the story of the infirm man at the pool of Bethesda for example. Jesus asked, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6) With the spiritual nature of this warfare in mind, I try my best to not to wrestle against flesh and blood (individuals), but principalities (systems that individuals, knowingly or not, hide behind to circumvent self-responsibility). Jesus really didn’t like hypocrisy and he really didn’t like exploitation, especially on the part of leadership.

I share below the latest in the saga of my attempt to help protect the citizens of Floyd County, GA from harmful effects of the AI surveillance warehouses coming to our county.

The Floyd County Commission divides public comments into on agenda items (beginning of the meeting) and non-agenda items (end of the meeting). In both instances, they limit citizen public speaking to 3 minutes. For this reason, you will see that Floyd County Commissioner- elect, Shane Cowan, completed reading my written remarks in the 2nd video below. In my remarks in the first video, I reference a public hearing which allows for 10 minutes. It is important to recognize that is a TOTAL of 10 minutes for everyone speaking in favor and a TOTAL of 10 minutes for everyone speaking against the item being heard. So, if there are 5 people wishing to speak in favor for example, theoretically each person would get 2 minutes. However, since members of the public are not all working together as one body, it is not unheard of for one person to grab the microphone and drain time, leaving everyone else voiceless. On August 25th, 2026, we will be given the opportunity to participate in such a public hearing on the draft data center ordinances at the Floyd County Commission meeting at 12 E Fourth Ave, Rome, Georgia at 6 pm. Arrive at least 15 minutes in advance in order to sign up to speak. Because this isn’t my first rodeo and I’ve experienced one too many times that the decisions are made well before the elected officials appear to conduct their show on voting day, I’ve insisted that my points be heard NOW. Whether or not my approach is appropriate, people are entitled to their opinions. I’ll let God be the judge.

I wish to note that I woke up on August 12, 2026 to emails from Commissioners Watters and Hancock acknowledging receipt of the email that I forwarded to Commissioner Watters and County Manager McCord on Tuesday afternoon (while we were sitting in caucus chambers). They both promised to take my comments under advisement.

Remarks made before the Rome/ Floyd Planning Commission on Thursday, August 6, 2026, can be found here:

You can learn more about the importance of May 27, 2025 which I referenced in my remarks to the Floyd Commissioners on August 11, 2026 can be found here:

Text from my notes speaking before the Floyd County Commission on August 11, 2026:

Point of order: I’m here to speak on a matter of grave concern which you will be voting on in 2 weeks. I have a statement that will take more than 3 minutes, but less than 6. I’d like to request a motion to allow me adequate time to completely read my prepared remarks.

Madame Chair, Commissioners:

In August of 2021 the Floyd County Commissioners voted to rezone 347 acres from Agricultural Residential to Heavy Industrial, making the way for Project Firecracker on Huffaker Rd. It was reported by Data Centre Dynamics that in February of 2025, Atlas Development was seeking to rezone 178 acres between Plainville Rd and Hwy 53 from Suburban Residential to Heavy Industrial for Project Sassy. Minutes of that planning commission meeting show that the request was pulled by the applicant. The response to my request to Floyd County for open records did not help clarify if rezoning took place at a later date. On May 27, 2025, in front of a room full of people opposing the rezoning, you voted to rezone 114 acres near Coosa High School from Suburban Residential to Heavy Industrial for project Gracie. So, with 3 AI data centers planned for Floyd County (not including a 4^th in the City of Rome), it is understandable that there is now a friction between people and their livestock and industry.

Last Thursday, the planning commission held a hearing regarding a draft proposal of new ordinances related to data centers. During that meeting, they heard citizens speak of concerns regarding low frequency noise. Now, many of our elected officials have taken the approach of attempting to gaslight us by telling us that noise is not a problem. Yet, even the Data Center Report issued by the National Association of Development Organizations, an organization that the Regional Commissions, including the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission looks to for guidance, admits that data centers may cause noise pollution.

I attended the planning commission meeting last Thursday to speak in support of the ordinances. The planning department has done a tremendous amount of research and proposed great first steps to protect the resources and health and safety of the people of Floyd County. During my speaking time, I asked the planning commission to amend the proposed noise section of the ordinance to include an acoustic measurement on the C weighted frequency scale which is more likely to capture industrial noise. The current draft ordinance defines parameters only on the A weighted frequency scale. I included an example of a target of 68 decibels on the C scale based on guidance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the American National Standards Institute to limit sound level impacts to surrounding communities.

My recommendation was promptly dismissed by Vice Chair Townsend (45:20 minute mark) who cited that 65 dB is less than 68 dB so the ordinances already more than covered my request. What she failed to recognize was the difference in the 2 frequency scales. What she did was the equivalent of saying that 65 pounds is less than 68 gallons. She then went on to propose her own solution. Citing that trees absorb sound, she proposed that by force of government regulations Floyd County demand that these massive AI surveillance warehouses design their buildings around the trees already on the property, not as a buffer on the perimeter, but in the middle of their structures. Furthermore, citing empathy for wildlife, she proposed to force the landowners to create holes in their fencing to allow deer to travel through their normal habitat. I suppose that for some, the desire to use a heavy hand to create Utopia, including to completely re-write of the laws of nature, is just too much to pass up.

On Friday, August 7^th, I sent proposed language changes to Brice Wood, director of the planning department, asking that he forward it to you and the attorneys. Mr. Wood has been outstanding to work with through this process and I again commend him and his team. He responded that he forwarded it to the attorneys for review. I wish to speak to another concern that I have. I understand it has become customary for the attorneys to bless everything that goes before you. However, this is an affront to our representative form of government where the citizens are supposed to bring matters to our elected officials who then seek the OPINION of the attorneys. Asking attorneys to preview everything is not a benign procedure. It is subjugating the role of elected officials AND voters.

In conclusion, in 2 weeks, you will be voting on the ordinances which were approved by the planning commission. In that time, you will be heavily lobbied, most likely by organizations such as Atlas Development and Georgia Power. They will come to you with sob stories of why you need to slash and burn sections of the ordinances. Citizens will not tolerate a repeat of May 27, 2025 where you march in here pre-determined to bow to corporations over the wishes of the citizens. In addition to adopting the draft ordinances, I ask that you seriously consider additional amendments suggested by the citizens of Floyd county, including the one that I proposed to strengthen the noise ordinance to protect people and animals from industrial noise.

Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy,

for we have had our fill of contempt.

We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud

and the contempt of the arrogant.

Psalm 123: 3-4