Fergus Falls Daily Journal reports…

Otter Tail County commissioner candidates answered questions concerning taxes, data centers at a candidate forum Four candidates for the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners made their case to voters at a forum organized by the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce’s Meet the Candidates forum series on Friday, Oct. 2.

District 2 candidates Jeff Gontarek and incumbent Wayne Johnson and District 4 candidates Stephen Springer and Jim Stewart answered five questions on the economy before a chamber audience. Chamber President Lisa Workman hosted the event and radio host Dave Bishop moderated.

Here’s what they said about data centers…

Data centers, nondisclosure agreements and artificial intelligence

Springer, answering first, said he was conditionally open to data centers if they are kept off farmland and use closed-loop systems that do not drain local water and power resources. He said nondisclosure agreements are sometimes necessary in business, a practice he has used himself.

Johnson warned that building data centers damages local infrastructure, citing road destruction around a Fargo-area project, and said the county needs stronger siting ordinances and should make developers pay for damage and dedicate haul roads. He said he would not personally sign a nondisclosure agreement and favors transparency, adding that AI adoption is up to individual businesses.

Gontarek said he opposes any data center in the county and would not sign nondisclosure agreements as an elected official, calling transparency essential. He urged caution on AI, citing misleading AI-enhanced real estate photos, and said the county should not dictate AI use to residents.

Stewart said that he thought more research needed to be done, but he definitely did not agree with NDAs, unless it was proprietary information.