I Accidentally Built a Career in the Middle of the Data Center Debate

So, it’s like this.

What’s going on with data centers is huge.

I’m just now beginning to understand how huge it really is, especially here in Ohio. And before anybody decides what “side” I’m on, let me make something clear:

I’m not taking sides.

Actually, I started looking into all of this for a completely different reason.

I was trying to figure out how I could get in the game.

Four years ago, I got seriously interested in technology again. I taught myself AWS, earned my first AWS certification, went back to college for Computer Science and Web Development, and started building cloud infrastructure, websites, applications, automation, and agentic AI systems.

Today, I architect cloud solutions for my own business.

And somewhere along the way I realized something kind of uncomfortable:

Wait a minute. Did I just spend four years studying to work in an industry that people are telling me is destroying the planet?

What the gosh?

Seriously.

What kind of person deliberately spends years preparing for a career that’s supposedly hurting communities and the environment?

Me?

That question bothered me.

So I Started Digging

At first, I thought maybe the answer was simple: find an honest, clean way to participate in this growing industry, use the skills God gave me, provide something useful, and hopefully make some money doing legitimate work.

But then something unexpected happened.

While researching data center projects, property records, public meetings, companies, zoning issues, permits, contractors, and everything connected to these developments, I realized:

Other people are searching for this exact same information.

The information is technically public.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find.

A contractor might spend ten hours on a job site and have absolutely no desire to spend another three hours digging through government websites.

A small real estate agent doesn’t necessarily have a research department.

Neither does a small law firm.

Neither does a local business owner trying to understand where development is heading.

And ordinary residents shouldn’t need to become professional researchers just to understand what’s happening in their own community.

That’s when the idea for Stark Civic Monitor really started making sense.

Why I’m Building Stark Civic Monitor

I believe Stark Civic Monitor can become a valuable service for Stark County.

Not because it supports data centers.

Not because it opposes data centers.

But because they’re already here.

Frankly, my dear… that part of the conversation is over.

The more useful question now is:

What exactly is happening, who is involved, what can we learn from other communities, and how do we make informed decisions about what happens next?

That’s what interests me.

I want to look at what’s happening with similar projects elsewhere in Ohio and across the country and compare those experiences with what’s beginning to happen here.

What worked?

What didn’t?

Who benefited?

Who didn’t?

What happened to infrastructure, utilities, property development, employment, contractors, local businesses, and residents?

Those are questions worth asking.

And there are public records that can help answer them.

There’s Another Side to This

Here’s something I find fascinating about the data center debate.

Someone might complain about a data center while simultaneously sending 30 baby-shower pictures through a group text, emailing videos to relatives, backing up thousands of photographs, watching YouTube, streaming a movie, using Facebook, asking an AI a question, or storing files “in the cloud.”

But where exactly is the cloud?

Those pictures aren’t floating around somewhere above us.

Neither are your emails.

Neither is that YouTube video.

Neither are the applications businesses depend on every day.

They’re sitting on physical computers.

Servers.

And those servers have to exist somewhere.

A few years ago, I barely understood what a server actually was. Today I work with cloud infrastructure, and I realize that most people understandably never have a reason to think about the physical infrastructure behind the internet.

Until somebody proposes building it next door.

Then suddenly everybody has questions.

And some of those questions are extremely important.

That’s Where My Own Ethical Problem Begins

Now that I understand more about the infrastructure behind the technology I use and build every day, what responsibility do I have?

Do I walk away from it?

Do I ignore the problems?

Or do I use what I’ve learned to help make the process more transparent?

This is where four years of technology education somehow crashes headfirst into philosophy class.

Maybe we should pursue the outcome that creates the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people.

Hello, utilitarianism.

Maybe we have a duty to do what’s right regardless of whether it’s profitable or convenient.

Here comes the Kant rant.

And then there’s my faith.

Divine Command Theory tells me that morality ultimately comes from God.

I could simply say, “God’s will be done.”

But garsh dang it…

God gave me these skills, too.

And I promised Him I would use them.

So maybe the answer isn’t running away from technology.

Maybe it’s using technology responsibly.

Maybe my role isn’t deciding which side everyone should take.

Maybe my role is building tools that help people see the information and decide for themselves.

That’s the Mission

That’s what I want Stark Civic Monitor to become.

A tool.

A research resource.

A place where complicated public information becomes easier for ordinary people and small businesses to understand.

If that helps a local contractor discover an opportunity they otherwise would have missed, great.

If it helps a small law firm understand what’s developing, great.

If it helps a real estate professional recognize where activity is occurring, great.

And if it helps a resident understand what’s happening in their neighborhood without spending hours searching through public records, that’s great too.

I’m not interested in telling people what to think.

I’m interested in making it easier for them to know what’s actually happening.

Then they can decide what they think.

And yes, if I eventually make some money for doing the work required to build and maintain something useful?

I’m not sure I feel bad about that either.

Let’s see where this goes.