Besides the ignorant, nobody likes data centers except for the rich billionaires who own those companies. Not only do they cause significant environmental harm, but they also create various issues for people living nearby. For one, electricity bills can increase substantially. Some people have even reported concerns about water contamination. Recently, in Vineland, New Jersey, residents attended a meeting where they questioned City Council President Paul Spinelli about possible financial ties between him and the DataOne data center in New Jersey.
During the meeting, Spinelli cut off a citizen’s public comment, saying they did not know what they were talking about. He defended himself by arguing that the city had to approve the data center because of a previous agreement, or else the city would face a lawsuit. According to him, rejecting it would result in a waste of taxpayer money. He then escalated the situation by stating that he would sue the resident for slander. Spinelli said his lawyer would be paid with taxpayer money, while the resident would have to pay for their own legal representation out of pocket. He went as far as admitting that he likely would not win such a case, but suggested that he could still cause the New Jersey resident to lose money through what would amount to a frivolous lawsuit.
Residents in New Jersey who heard these remarks were angered by what the City Council President said. In a video shared on Reddit, one woman remarked that if taxpayer money was going to be wasted anyway, it would have been better for the city to use those funds to reject the construction of the data center rather than threaten legal action against citizens.
Online reaction mirrored that frustration. Many users were stunned by how direct Spinelli was about threatening a lawsuit he admitted he would not win. “Threatening frivolous lawsuits. Awesome,” one Redditor said. Another wrote, “He’s been the biggest problem in politics in Vineland for decades. And somehow keeps getting elected, despite how he speaks to his constituents.”
Others called for the City Council President to be removed from his position, arguing that his comments showed poor judgment. Some Redditors suggested continuing to protest and push back, even if Spinelli followed through on his threat. One user said:
“What the elected official here has seemed to overlook in his blatant attempt to intimidate a taxpayer, his boss, is something called discovery… it means he and the town will be required to turn over every email, meeting notes, call logs, meeting recordings, any and all correspondence, every piece of paper the town has on this… then every board member, department head, town employee will be subpoenaed for a deposition… then when the suit is dismissed, which there is a high probability it will be, the town will be required to pay for the taxpayer’s legal bills for bringing what looks to be a frivolous waste of time. Then he opens himself up to a lawsuit personally… which I would bet the town will not pay for.”
