Arizona City Rejects Data Center After Lobbying Push
- Reference: 0180372941
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/12/12/234225/arizona-city-rejects-data-center-after-lobbying-push
- Source link:
> The Chandler City Council last night voted down a request by a New York developer to rezone land to build a data center and business complex. The local battle escalated in October after Sinema showed up at a planning commission meeting to offer public comment warning officials in her home state that federal authority may soon stomp on local regulations. "Chandler right now has the opportunity to determine how and when these new, innovative AI data centers will be built," she told local officials. "When federal preemption comes, we'll no longer have that privilege."
>
> Explaining her no vote, Chandler Vice Mayor Christine Ellis said that she had long framed her decision about the local benefits rather than the national push to build AI. She recalled a meeting with Sinema where she asked point-blank, "what's in it for Chandler?" "If you can't show me what's in it for Chandler, then we are not having a conversation," Ellis said before voting against the project. [...]
>
> The project, along with Sinema's involvement, attracted significant community opposition, with speakers raising concerns about whether the project would use too much water or raise power prices. Residents packed the council chambers, with many holding up signs reading "No More Data Centers." According to the city's planning office, more than 200 comments were filed against the proposal compared to just eight in favor.
[1] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/12/arizona-city-rejects-data-center-after-ai-lobbying-push-00688543
Good, Sinema should not be trusted (Score:4, Insightful)
Her time in the Senate felt more like a stunt to push her own brand and future prospects than any impetus towards public service. I'm not even speaking to the merits of the project, maybe the developers could return and make a better pitch to the town but putting her as the face I bet for at least a few people was instantly suspicious.
Curious though why her answer to the question of what's in it for the town is not quoted in the article, really keen to hear what her pitch to the mayor was (I assume it was tons of money and skirting around their concerns)
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, she's not giving warning she's making a threat. It should be a empty one but look at the current administration she's shilling for.
Re: (Score:2)
And that from the party of state's rights.
Re: (Score:2)
So she seems to have pretended to be a progressive long enough to get that senate seat and sell her constituency out. Because it's a senate seat it takes 6 years to get rid of her. The people of Arizona did so immediately afterwards. I think she was going to try to run as a independent in the hopes of spoiling the election for the Democrats and giving the seat to the Republican party but she was so intensely hated by democrats at that point she was only drawing Republican votes so she dropped out entirely a
Re: Good, Sinema should not be trusted (Score:2)
> So she seems to have pretended to be a progressive long enough
If she did that, she wouldn't have gotten elected there at all. In Arizona, pragmatism will generally beat partisanism.
Re: (Score:3)
"You can keep the whole town under surveilance as we jack their power bills through the roof. Think of the profits!"
Probably.
Re: (Score:2)
How many free Flock cameras can we install to entice you?
Chandler, AZ (Score:2)
Didn't Fred Fish used to live there?
It isnt needed. (Score:2)
Arizona has a LOT of data centers, current and being built.
It isnt needed, the power in Arizona is stable, and the current data centers can fill the need.
There simply isnt a willingness of the area to deal with another one, especially with water constraints.
If the design was bad in resource need, then it wont be allowed in Arizona.
Re: It isnt needed. (Score:1)
Why do they grow citrus trees in a desert?
Re: (Score:2)
Who gives an actual fuck if China gets to fancy AI first.
Seriously. As long as I can buy cool shit I dont care where its made.
Its not like ANY of this shit will actually create jobs once they automate us all into personal bankerupcy and perpetual unemployment.
The statewide corporate commission (Score:1)
Is planning on overriding it. They are all Republicans so they are bought and paid for.
Conservatives and the right wing are all about local government until it gets in their way.
The same model of using the state resources to override local government will be spread across the rest of the country out from Arizona.
Remember it's not small government, it's government small enough to drown in a bathtub. Small enough that you can control with violence...
Re: The statewide corporate commission (Score:2, Flamebait)
You don't know shit about Arizona, you've never been to that state, and on top of it all, you're a raging fucking moron. So fuck off.
who wanted it? (Score:3)
Were the "pro" comments mostly from a Mr. Snrub?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
LOLZ U funny. Data centers create nearly no jobs for their size. A new Chik-Fil-A creates more jobs than a huge data center.
Re: Thanks, Chandler (Score:2)
Hmm... Not really. The one city I've spent by far the most of my life living in (I think about half) is Chandler Arizona, so let's just say I'm quite familiar with it. There already is no shortage of tech jobs there if you want them, in fact the city began growing exponentially specifically because people out of state began moving there in droves. Many semiconductor plants, datacenters...you name it. By landmass, it is pretty big, and more than half of it was farm land, now almost all of it is developed. At