Data centers emerge as one key issue in NY-17 congressional race
Lawler and Conley campaigns clash over responsibility for data center development as voters weigh the issue ahead of Election Day.
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The debate over data centers has become one of the major issues in the race for New York's 17th Congressional District, with both campaigns trading accusations over facilities in Rockland County.
Speaking Wednesday in front of the JPMorgan Chase data center in Orangeburg, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said he had no involvement in the approval of data centers in Orangetown.
Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny, who previously served as the town attorney, said local officials have exclusive authority over zoning decisions.
"The reality is, the only entity with jurisdiction over local zoning is the town of Orangetown. Decisions are made by a building inspector, which then went on to the planning board, and they had to go through a rigorous process and they ultimately received approval from the town of Orangetown," Kenny said.
The comments came in response to criticism from Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley, who raised the issue during a News 12 debate last month.
"On Mike Lawler's watch there have been five data centers built in Rockland County," Conley said during the debate.
Lawler on Wednesday sought to connect Conley to former Democratic Orangetown Supervisor Andy Stewart, whose administration approved the facilities, while also questioning Conley's stance on the issue.
"She has no consistent position on anything. My view hasn't changed, the people who live next to these things should decide," Lawler said.
Lawler showed that two were approved before he was deputy town supervisor from 2018-2020 and he was not on the town boards that would approve of these projects.
Maddy Rosen, with the Conley campaign, pushed back on Lawler's comments, issuing a statement that read in part, “Mike Lawler himself bragged about his role overseeing these data centers during his time as Deputy Town Supervisor and making Rockland County 'the destination for data centers.'"
Adding, "Mike Lawler is the biggest champion of data centers the Hudson Valley has ever seen."
The Conley campaign pointed to Lawler's opposition to data center moratoriums as an example.
Data centers have become a hot-button issue in the battleground race for New York's 17th Congressional District.
Former New York state Sen. David Carlucci said the topic has emerged as a major campaign issue.
"Every campaign year we have the topic of the year, right? This year it has been data centers. They've developed into the boogeyman of 2026," Carlucci said.
Carlucci said voters want more information about how future developments could affect their communities.
"I think voters want to know and understand what can be done to make sure that their quality of life is not denigrated while we continue to build the data centers," Carlucci said.
News 12's September debate between the two congressional candidates is available on the network's website.
Separately, current Republican state Sen. Bill Weber also criticized his opponent, Mayor Joe Rand, during Wednesday's press conference.
Andy Stewart currently serves as Nyack's village administrator under Mayor Rand.
Rand told News 12 that he supports legislation to temporarily halt the construction of new data centers and add protections for local communities.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
