2 Republican groups call for civility in Franklin County
Opponents of "Project Flash," a data center proposed for Franklin County's Summit View Business Park, packed the board of supervisors meeting July 21 in Rocky Mount. Some in the crowd were angry and frustrated by the secrecy surrounding the project.
The Franklin County Republican Committee has joined the Proud Patriots of Smith Mountain Lake in calling for a return to civility between citizens and local representatives as recent issues, including a possible data center in the county, have resulted in an increase in animosity.
The two Republican groups released a joint statement late last month. It is part of an increased effort to reach out to the community on larger issues.
"The Franklin County Republican Committee, along with the Proud Patriots of Smith Mountain Lake, call for a return to civility and constructive dialogue among our citizens and Franklin County governing bodies. Recent public discussions have deteriorated into shouting, disruptive behavior, threats toward elected officials and other conduct that prevents productive dialogue. Residents who are serious about addressing Franklin County’s challenges deserve to have their voices heard without being overshadowed by such behavior.
"The value of new business opportunities, responsible community growth, and subsidized tax burdens should be balanced against taxpayer funded project infrastructure cost, demands on limited critical resources, and land use considerations. These and other important issues must be satisfactorily resolved in the ongoing debate. The FCRC and PPSML believe citizens should be informed about controversial issues and willing to discuss them respectfully.
"The Franklin County Republican Committee and the Proud Patriots of Smith Mountain Lake encourages residents to remain engaged, ask questions, express their views, and participate in the public process. We believe these conversations are most productive when they are based on facts, focused on issues, and conducted in a responsible and respectful manner," the release reads.
Allan Marrazzo with the Franklin County Republican Committee said the release is the first of what they plan to be multiple efforts to reach out to the community. The committee and the Proud Patriots of SML plan to share their thoughts through social media as well as invite discussion, he added.
"We believe that the best way to espouse conservative values is to share information with the community about whatever the subject of the day is," Marrazzo said of the outreach. "We view this communication committee as a way of being a community service and providing the citizens with information good bad or indifferent. We don't want it to be politically driven, we want it to be the truth."
Marrazzo said the committee's plans to start a dialogue happened to coincide with the ongoing debate between the community and local leaders over a possible data center moving to the county. Those debates have become heated in recent months with shouting and disruptions from residents at public meetings as well as accusations on social media.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors' July meeting was the most heated public meeting so far when it comes to data center discourse. More than 200 people attended the meeting with 40-plus speakers providing strong opposition. There were also shouts and rude comments toward supervisors throughout the evening from people in the boardroom.
Christina Sizemore with the Franklin County Community Coalition agreed that some comments at the July meeting were "over the top." She also said that her group has also made comments calling for civility at their community meetings.
The issue with the July meeting, according to Sizemore, was that the community was desperate for answers about what was happening with a data center. The county did not at the time and still has not provided any information on any discussions with a data center.
"People had been begging for answers for so long that I think the community cracked because there has been an absolute lack of engagement by the board of supervisors," Sizemore said.
Evidence came to light this summer through documents obtained by the coalition via the Virginia Freedom of Information Act showing the county was in negotiations to bring a data center to Summit View Business Park. Those negotiations seemed to have broken down with an announcement by former Boone District representative Mike Meredith at a community meeting hosted by the Franklin County Community Coalition in August that the project wasn't moving forward.
That announcement eventually led to Meredith's resignation, after he is believed to have revealed information that was part of a nondisclosure agreement between the data center and the county. County officials have still not commented on whether there has been or still is any negotiations to build a data center at Summit View.
While the status of any current or future data center is unknown in the county, Marrazzo said the Franklin County Republican Committee and the Proud Patriots of SML are asking that residents take time to see both sides of the issue over data centers. He asked the community to end any bickering, stating this has become a growing partisan issue.
"This is a big issue for the community," Marrazzo said about data centers. "It has many ramifications both positive and negative. It is important to the people of Franklin County and we need to get this right. We don't need to be fighting each other. We need to be working together to get all the information and to make sure our public officials have all the information."
Nationally, President Donald Trump has expressed support for data centers, promoting them in messages on his Truth Social app. In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed an executive order calling for more accountability and transparency when it comes to data center developments.
Sizemore said the Franklin County Community Coalition agrees that economic development is necessary in the county. The coalition just wants more accountability from supervisors on what type of businesses may be coming to the county.
"I believe it is too black and white of a statement to say this county should just be able to do economic development as they see fit," Sizemore said about making decision on businesses such as data centers without public input. "For large and consequential programs like this, I don't think that is the right approach."
Sizemore added that the Franklin County Community Coalition has no political affiliation. She said members are only concerned with issues in the county, not about political leanings.
As for the Franklin County Republican Committee and the Proud Patriots of SML, Marrazzo said they have no official stance on data centers. The committee understands the potential negative impacts to the environment and to residents as well as potential positive impacts in the way of million of dollar of increased revenue for the county through property and real estate taxes paid by the companies.
"Let's do it right and let's do it together," Marrazzo said of allowing local leaders time to research the issue. "Let's make sure they have all the information."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
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