Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker’s Husband Under Fire for Financial Ties to Data Centers
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Nisie
You have probably heard of Data Centers by now, but why are people against them being in their cities or small towns? Some don’t see a problem with Data Centers and believe it’s just the next step to an ever-expanding modern digital world. In Fort Worth, there has been an ongoing debate over whether data centers are welcome here. So, let’s look at the facts and join the conversation!
Data centers are being pushed on residents across Texas with big promises of increased tax revenue and new jobs that come with building and maintaining them. This offers thousands of temporary jobs in construction, engineering, electrical work, and HVAC installation, which may boost revenue for nearby restaurants and retailers. The data centers could generate billions in tax revenue, create thousands of construction jobs, and fund essential infrastructure upgrades for rural communities. Sounds great, but does the promise of extra dollars make real “cents” for Fort Worth residents? Many are saying NO.
The new data centers are supposed to bring us into the future with digital advancements like AI, but the reality is they could keep us in the past. Because data centers require continuous power, they cannot rely solely on intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Instead, the centers will rely on the excessive use of natural gas and coal plants across the country. A single large AI hyperscale data center can require as much electricity as 50,000 to 100,000 homes. Some cities are already seeing data centers using nearly half of their overall electricity usage. This can pose a major problem for surrounding residents. Some residents are personally subsidizing the enormous cost of the data center's electricity usage. That may sound like an exaggeration, but data centers frequently negotiate discounted electricity rates through bulk Power Purchase Agreements. These agreements shift a disproportionate share of the financial burden onto local households. A study by Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State University projected that U.S. electricity rates could increase by an average of 8% by 2030 due to data center demand. If your region has multiple data centers, you could see rate hikes of over 25%. With housing and living expenses already soaring, an increase in electricity costs could be devastating to the average household. And while residents could be stuck holding the bag, others like Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker are filling theirs with big tech money.
While Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker is not directly profiting from data centers, her husband might be. According to a shocking report by the Star–Telegram, David Parker is listed as a lobbyist for the Virginia-based Data Center Coalition, according to a filing with the Texas Ethics Commission. He has been involved in this group since January, according to official filings. It is against Fort Worth city ethics for officials or their partners to accept any sort of benefit that could influence official duties. But according to a statement by the Mayor to Star–Telegram, it is an Austin-based member of her husband's firm who has handled state policy for the Data Center Coalition; her husband performs no direct advocacy for them. Matte Parker and city spokespeople maintain that neither she nor her husband has received direct benefits or engaged in advocacy that would require recusal. The Mayor of Fort Worth and her husband deny any allegations that they financially benefited from a conflict of interest. But if the mayor’s husband's firm is possibly benefiting from the Data Centers, doesn’t that align him too closely with the money? Many are calling for further investigation into Parker's ties to the Data Center Coalition.
The Fort Worth City Council is scheduled to vote on August 11th on new data center development regulations. Will Fort Worth enter a new age of technological advancement by welcoming data centers, or is it just another piece of the city's soul being sold for the promise of temporary construction work and 150 extra jobs?
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hola Texas or its publisher."
Sources:
Bahar, D. & Wright, G. (June 11, 2026). The Data-Center Panic Is Overblown. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/ai-data-center-electricity-water/687521/?utm_source=apple_news
Thompson, D. & Lenoir, T. (May 4, 2026). Renewable energy curtailment offers a surplus opportunity for Texas data centers. S&P Global. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/05/renewable-energy-curtailment-offers-a-surplus-opportunity-for-texas-data-centers
Foelber, D. (April 15, 2026). Is Energy the Real AI Bottleneck? What Investors Need to Know. The Motley Fool. https://www.fool.com/research/ai-energy-use/
Blackhurst, M., Wade, C., DeCarolis, J., Queiroz, A. d., Johnson, J. & Jaramillo, P. (May 27, 2026). Data Center Growth Could Increase Electricity Bills 8% Nationally and as Much as 25% in Some Regional Markets. Carnegie Mellon University. https://www.cmu.edu/work-that-matters/energy-innovation/data-center-growth-could-increase-electricity-bill
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