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Before the memories of summer are gone, I want to thank the city for the beautiful plantings around downtown, I hope they will be well cared for, honoring our nation's 250 birthday with such a wide variety of activities and celebrations and putting a great face forward for our town in welcoming RAGBRAI riders, I heard such favoring comments from riders who were from all over! Great job city leaders, employees and volunteers!
Now a fourth thank you to the city's zoning commission for sponsoring an evening to listen to the facts and concerns regarding data centers. I know very little about data centers. I have appreciated articles in the TR presenting a logical and factual support of data centers and I have appreciated the opinions that also represent emotional reactions of fear, mistrust, and anger. It is hard to know who to trust today – on both sides, what agenda is being pushed for the benefit of someone else at the expense of the citizens of Marshall County. I think the commission's public forum was a great idea as is a moratorium of a few months to discuss, think and study this complex issue. I wish I could have been there. I heard citizens express their appreciation in having their fears/concerns listened to. I hope there will be more public meetings with pros and cons presented in a logical way.
I have repeatedly seen activist groups overpower meetings designed to have a balanced hearing of ideas and information, and I am concerned about this happening again. It is not right. If such groups want to hold their own meetings that is their right, but government meetings designed to present information for the better understanding of an issue should be free from targeted bias allowing a fair hearing, with petitions held outside of the venue.
Let's not shortchange our community by not considering the good things that data centers could bring us because we allow logic to give way to uninformed emotions and thereby manipulation, such as in presentations supported by Bernie Sanders and Neighbors vs Data Centers which is connected to the Heart of Iowa Democratic Socialists of America. Such representatives prey on emotions and may represent interests not for our benefit, such as involvement by our competitor, China.
If we move slowly, thoughtfully, respectfully and with intelligence, I am sure our town and county will benefit in the end.