Residents press for disclosure, recusal amid questions about supervisor ties to data center developers

Across the meeting’s public comment period, numerous speakers urged greater transparency and asked supervisors to disclose whether they had signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with data-center developers or represented such clients. Several residents asked specifically that Supervisor Adam Jarko recuse himself if he had ongoing financial ties or attorney-client relationships with developers; at least two speakers said he had previously represented a developer in Hammond and should step aside.

A number of public commenters asked the county to adopt explicit language barring NDAs between developers and local officials; Meline Shaw recommended a requirement that any developer filing an application must disclose full legal names of LLCs, registered agents and ultimate owners so the county can vet corporate backgrounds. The board did not make a formal ethics finding at the meeting; Jarko remained on the dais and cast the only recorded "no" vote on the moratorium, while multiple residents said appearance-of-conflict concerns motivated their support for a moratorium.