Learn the Rules of the Game...

What’s Good Friend!

Y'all know I love a Simple Reminder, and watching what's happening around data centers here in Fayetteville has brought me back to one I learned a long time ago: you cannot effectively change a system you refuse to learn.

I've been paying attention to this conversation, and from what I'm hearing, residents aren't simply saying they don't want progress or that a data center should never exist in Fayetteville. What I'm hearing is something much more reasonable: people want a process they can trust.

They want to understand the water impact, infrastructure capacity, energy demands, environmental implications, and what the actual community benefit will be. More importantly, they want those questions answered before we find ourselves committed to something we don't fully understand.

Maybe I understand the call for a moratorium differently because I've sat on the other side of the dais and, interestingly enough, I've made this argument before.

When I served on Fayetteville City Council, I proposed temporarily slowing development east of the river while we worked to better understand and address the flooding residents were experiencing. I remember seeing newer homes elevated in ways you would typically expect to see closer to the coast, and it made me question what we were doing. Yes, we can engineer around problems. We can elevate homes, improve drainage, and find ways to mitigate impact, but at some point good governance also has to ask whether we should continue adapting around a problem without addressing the system underneath it.

My proposed moratorium didn't go anywhere, but I believed then what I believe now: sometimes responsible growth requires us to pause long enough to get it right.

And baby, y'all know I'm a systems girl. I want to know where the breakdown can happen BEFORE we're standing in the middle of the breakdown trying to figure out who was supposed to prevent it.

That's why I don't hear "moratorium" and automatically translate it to "anti-growth." Sometimes a pause simply means we have enough unanswered questions to warrant doing our homework before moving forward.

Here’s What I Know as a Former Fayetteville City Councilwoman

Now here's where my former elected official hat comes back on, because if residents truly want a moratorium, being right about the issue isn't enough. You have to understand how to move the system.

On April 27, Fayetteville City Council voted to delay consideration of a data-center moratorium for 120 days, and that period ends August 25. That gives residents something incredibly valuable for organizing: a date, a clear request, and time to prepare before that date arrives.

So don't wait until August 25 to decide you're ready to organize.

If this is what the community wants, consider getting a petition together now and make the request clear. Talk to your neighbors and organize across districts. Build a group of people who are willing to show up more than once. Contact members of Council directly and ask whether they will support reconsidering a temporary moratorium after the 120-day period ends. Ask the question in writing, request an answer, document the responses, and follow up.

Long story short… I’ve been here before and because knowing how these processes work, I would not be surprised if there are efforts behind the scenes to move those UDO text amendment updates up from October and get them before Council sooner…

And that's exactly why residents who want a moratorium can't afford to wait until August 25 to start organizing.

PRO TIP: Under North Carolina law, a special City Council meeting can be called by the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, or any two members of City Council. So instead of sending elected officials a general message asking them to "do something," residents can make a specific request:

Will you support bringing a temporary moratorium back before Council once the 120-day period ends, and are you willing to use the procedural authority available to you to make that conversation happen?

That's a very different kind of organizing, in my opinion!

But friend, I need y'all to hear me on this next part because I've been there. I've sat behind that dais. I've served with some of the people you're trying to persuade, and credibility matters… like hell!

Stick. To. The. Facts. And when speaking… Speak. To. The. Body!

You don't have to make a data center sound like the scariest thing coming to Fayetteville to make a compelling argument for slowing down. In fact, exaggerating the argument can hurt the very thing you're trying to accomplish because all it takes is one bad statistic or easily disproven Facebook rumor for someone to begin questioning everything else you've presented.

If we don't know the projected water impact, say we don't know and ask for the information. If we don't know what infrastructure improvements will be required, ask for the plan. If we don't know what the long-term fiscal benefit or burden could be for residents, ask for the numbers.

There is nothing weak about saying, "We don't know yet, and that's precisely why we're asking for time to find out."

The unanswered questions are enough reason to ask for time to answer them.

And that's really the Simple Reminder underneath all of this for me. Civic engagement doesn't begin and end when we vote. Sometimes intentionally showing up for where we live means learning how the system works well enough to participate in it effectively. It means knowing when to speak, knowing what to ask, bringing credible information with you, building relationships with your neighbors, and understanding exactly who has the power to move the thing you're asking them to move.

So Fayetteville residents, if this is what you want, organize. Maybe get that petition together. Ask Council members whether they're willing to call a special meeting to consider a moratorium. Know your facts, know your ask, and know the process you're trying to influence.

You don't have to hold elected office to have political power, friend. However, you are responsible for organizing that power, AND your elected officials are responsible for listening to you and working with you.

And with that… keep showing up, I’m cheering you on!

With love + intention,
Shakeyla M. Ingram

P.S. this chick aint’ runnin for chit…