Mayor Mattie Parker's husband David Parker is listed as a lobbyist for the Virginia-based Data Center Coalition according to a filing with the Texas Ethics Commission. He has been involved in the group since January, according to official filings.
The organization describes itself as representing and advancing the interests of the data center community through policy advocacy, informing public officials and promoting the benefits of the industry.
The coalition represents major tech firms like Google and Microsoft. Their public list does not include the organizations currently developing data centers in Fort Worth.
City ethics rules forbid officials or their partners from accepting benefits that could influence official duties. The mayor told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram neither she nor her husband have received direct benefits or engaged in advocacy that would require recusal.
Parker told the Star-Telegram that while an Austin-based member of her husband's firm has handled state policy for the Data Center Coalition, her husband performs no direct advocacy for them.
The Data Center Coalition is among 37 groups David Parker represents as a lobbyist, alongside the Dallas Regional Chamber, the Texas Association of Realtors and Uber Technologies.
Data centers have faced increased scrutiny for high resource consumption — mid-sized hubs use up to 300,000 gallons of water daily, while large AI facilities can use 5 million gallons. While small centers require up to 5 megawatts of energy, large facilities operated by giants like Google or Amazon can consume 20 to 100 megawatts. A single megawatt is capable of powering 200 Texas homes during peak demand.
Residents remain concerned about noise and resource use and push for a moratorium on data centers.
City Manager Jay Chapa prepared a report to ensure Fort Worth's policies protect residents while meeting economic goals concerning data centers. This follow's the council's decision to table a 50% tax break for Edged Data Centers on March 31.
The city council is scheduled to vote Aug. 11 on new data center development regulations.
Alexsis Jones is a reporter and producer for KERA News. Got a tip? Email Alexsis at ajones@kera.org.
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