Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Members of the United Neighbors of Oregon group, which have been gathering petition signatures in an effort to limit the size of data centers in the city to 25 megawatts or less and make that subsequent change to the official charter, took a victory lap at the city’s Aug. 3 committee of the whole meeting after gathering nearly 2,100 signatures, which surpassed their goal of 1,700.
“Tonight is a historic night for the city of Oregon,” Jim Davis said. “For almost a year, our group, United Neighbors of Oregon, has been fighting for a chance to allow the citizens of Oregon to express their opinion on the future of Oregon … to achieve these results in such a short time is truly an incredible feat, and we owe it to our dedicated team of signature collectors who endured harassment, intimidation and inclement weather to deliver these signatures. But most of all, we owe this achievement to the citizens who have sought out our team to express their strong disapproval of this project, especially the way it was handled by local officials. We have listened to their opinions and heard their sound rejection of local officials who have been deaf to the many concerns of the residents of Oregon.”
Davis and his wife, Laura, as well as Aimee Mottmiller have regularly attended council meetings in the city to read prepared statements opposing the data center. Their petition, should the signatures be validated by the Lucas County Board of Elections, would then be sent back to city council in Oregon. Council would simply submit it formally as the city's charter uses the mandatory word "shall" rather than giving council discretion to approve or reject submission.
“We are celebrating a victory tonight,” Laura Davis said. “Although some people in this room may not see it as such, we are aware that there are some who are hoping we would fail in our campaign. We know who you are. The community also knows who you are. The same citizens who voted for you with trust that you would make decisions in their best interest are watching you, and you may not get their vote in the next election, especially if you allow the data center to take over our city. We already voted out the past mayor and the council president. As for the petition drive, the Conserve Ohio group in Cincinnati wrote the statewide petition and got it approved by the state. The same group started looking into cities with charters and decided to fire off yet another weapon against data centers.”
She said that Oregon was one of the first cities in Ohio to have a petition for a charter change to limit data center sizes.
“Not only did those dependable volunteers step up, but we had more join in the fight,” she said. “We were on a mission to get the required signatures before Aug. 5. What looked impossible became an optimistic feat. Our hard-working team stood on street corners, set up a table at a flea market, held up signs for cars going by, sat outside the library and went door to door.”
Oregon mayor Steven Salander commended the group during his mayor’s report.
“Regardless of the issue at hand, whether you support or whether you don't support, you have to acknowledge and congratulate the efforts that went forward to get this done in such an amazingly short amount of time,” he said. “This is a beautiful thing to see. From somebody who appreciates the rights of the people, as well as following the charter that we have all sworn to uphold, as well as the Ohio Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, you should be very, very proud of yourselves. Every single one of you should be very, very proud of yourselves, because you put forth effort, and to see our citizens coming together for a cause that you believe in, that you feel that needs to be handled in a different way or should be handled in a different way, is a beautiful thing. It really truly is. I commend you on your efforts. So, in November, assuming that this is, in fact, certified and goes forward and is placed on the ballot, your voices will be heard.”
Mottmiller also spoke at the meeting, hoping that the signatures put to rest the idea that only a small handful of people oppose the data center.
“For more than a year, I've stood before you speaking about this proposed data center,” she said. “During that time, I have often heard the same claim that only a small handful of people opposed this project. Tonight, I hope we finally can put that idea to rest. As you know, over the past several weeks, more than 2,000 citizens signed a petition asking for the right to vote. They came in the pouring rain. They came in the heat. They came through strong winds. They came after long work days, during lunch breaks, before church, after doctor's appointments and while caring for their families. Many of those people cannot be here tonight. Some are working second shift. Some are caring for children or aging parents. Some are out of town, and some simply cannot stand at a microphone, but every signature represents a voice. Everyone represents someone who cares deeply about this community.”
