Sinema lobbied hard for the data center, but her involvement created exactly the opposition she tried to sweeping away.

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In public appearances before the council and the city’s planning and zoning commission, she added an ominous threat: If Chandler didn’t get with the program, the Trump administration would compel the city to accept the 422,877-square-foot, energy-guzzling data center anyway. Sinema’s condescending tone in her public appearances galvanized opposition to the project, setting off a wave of anti-data center and anti-Sinema emails to the city council. This month, reporting by Phoenix New Times revealed the extent of Sinema’s hard sell and the “unknown” water costs of the proposed six-building development.

The final nail came Thursday night, as residents packed a city council meeting to watch the data center go down in flames in a 7-0 vote. Sinema was nowhere to be found.

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The Sinema effect

Until recently, the data center had seemed destined for approval. The city planning commission had approved sending it to the city council, despite a recommendation from city staffers against doing so. But then Sinema’s bigfooting appearance in front of the commission went viral.

When Sinema spoke to the commission and later to the council in October, the chamber was filled with empty seats. Thursday, however, people filled Chandler’s city hall to capacity, with many holding signs reading “Data Center Destruction” and “No More Data Centers.” One sign featured an illustration of Sinema, styled as a rubber-gloved proctologist, stating that she was working “‘hand in glove’ with the Trump administration to F*ck Chandler.” Hartke noted that as of 4 p.m., the city had received 256 emails and web forms opposed to the data center and just 10 in favor.

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After the vote, as attendees eased out into the chilly night, several told New Times that they had been unaware of the proposed data center until they saw footage of Sinema’s appearance before the council in October. A mustachioed gentleman declined to give his name but told New Times that Sinema’s involvement had “created more outrage” and “drew more people in opposition” to the data center.


https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/chandler-city-council-unanimously-kills-sinema-backed-data-center-40628102/