Maysville/Mason County 2026 Elections: Candidates’ Clear Stances on the Proposed Hyperscale Data Center
Where Each Candidate Stands on the Proposed Hyperscale Data Center in Maysville/Mason County
MAYSVILLE, Ky. (Mason County Post) — the 2026 election season (primary May 19, general November 3) have become a direct showdown over a proposed $1+ billion hyper-scale data center — a massive AI/tech facility eyeing ~2,080 acres near Big Pond Pike, Germantown Road, and Valley Pike. The project promises 400 full-time high-paying jobs, 1,500+ construction roles, and major economic growth for a rural area facing population decline. Critics, including the grassroots We Are Mason County, Inc., warn of irreversible farmland loss, high energy and water demands (potentially up to 2.2 GW), noise pollution, environmental risks, grid strain, and secrecy via NDAs.
The Mason County Fiscal Court adopted Ordinance 26-01 in February 2026, regulating data centers in I-3 zones with 750-ft residential setbacks, 500-ft from sensitive uses, 50 dB(A) daytime noise caps, daytime-only construction, and more. A rezoning public hearing for the ~28 parcels is set for March 25–26, 2026, at Fields Auditorium — just weeks before the primary.
The data center dominates local discussions, here’s a list of every candidate’s position on the data center project we could compile.
County Judge/Executive: The Central Battleground
Republican Primary (top vote-getter advances; ballot order: Frame, Bach, Moran):
• Peggy S. Frame (R) — Incumbent County Commissioner. Leans in favor, emphasizing regulated implementation. At the February ordinance adoption, she thanked contributors and stated the project is a “good opportunity as long as it’s done in the right way,” praising the balanced rules.
• Eric Bach (R) — Stance unknown. No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• S. Max Moran (R) — Leader of We Are Mason County opposition group. Strongly against. Moran has been a leading voice at meetings, rallies, and online, criticizing NDAs, farmland destruction, environmental/health impacts, and lack of transparency. He demands stricter rules or outright rejection and has organized “NO DATA CENTER” signage and community efforts.
Democratic Side:
• Owen J. McNeill (D) — Incumbent (re-elected 2022). Strongly in favor. McNeill has signed NDAs for negotiations, championed the new ordinance as protective and forward-thinking, and highlighted jobs/opportunity to bridge rural-urban divides. He compares it to past industrial growth and notes Mason County’s leadership in data center policy statewide.
Other county-wide offices remain largely unopposed and show no prominent data center ties:
• Property Valuation Administrator: Troy Cracraft (D) — running unopposed. No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• County Attorney: Claire Estill McHugh (D) — running unopposed (assisted with ordinance drafting). No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• County Clerk: Stephanie G. Schumacher (R) — running unopposed. No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Sheriff: Ryan Swolsky (R) — running unopposed. No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
District magistrate races exist but lack public stances on the issue.
Maysville City Commission: Emerging Voices
The crowded commission race (more than 8 candidates; primary narrows to top 8) features divided opinions:
• Steve Chandler — In favor. He has publicly announced support for the secretive hyperscale project, citing potential benefits.
• David Doyle — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Brey Foster — Strongly against. A lifelong resident and Maysville Commission on Human Rights member, Foster launched a Change.org petition (“Say No to Data Centers in Maysville KY”) and emphasizes transparency, public input, rural heritage protection, and halting approvals for full community discussion. Her campaign stresses accountability amid the debate.
• Ann Brammer — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Laron Washington — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Rick Lawrence — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Tommy Marshall — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• David Cartmell — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• John Meng — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Victor McKay — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• Kirby Bennett — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
• David Irwin — No public statements or positions on the data center have surfaced in reports or filings.
Voters face a pivotal choice: supporters prioritize jobs, investment, and rural revitalization; opponents fear permanent landscape changes, quality-of-life erosion, and unaddressed risks. With rezoning hearings imminent, the primary could sway long-term outcomes.
A request for comment on the proposed data center was sent via email to all candidates. Most have yet to respond.
For updates, visit the Mason County Clerk, City of Maysville Data Center Zoning Public Information Page, Early voting details coming soon. This issue may define Mason County’s future for decades.
Mason County's Future Is on the Ballot
Some are urging voters to ask every local candidate where they stand on innovative land uses — including solar energy and data centers. They're right. Every voter deserves to know how candidates envision Mason County's future, because the current trends are not sustainable.
The numbers tell a stark story. Since 1974, annual agricultural sales have fallen by $64 million. Employment is down nearly 2,500 jobs from its peak. Our population has shrunk by 7.6% over four decades. Tobacco is gone. Dairy is gone. Major industrial employers are gone.
The status quo works well enough for those with the financial resources to treat land as a lifestyle choice. But most Mason County families bought their land to build a future — for themselves, their children, and their community. That expectation deserves to be honored. Each landowner should have the right to use their land in any manner that complies with local, state, and federal regulations.
With tobacco and dairy gone, new land uses aren't a luxury — they're a necessity. Yet some oppose every proposed change, spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt about each opportunity. What they're seeking, in effect, is a government-imposed scenic easement at their neighbors' expense — asking others to forfeit the productive use of their land to preserve a way of life the economy no longer supports.
They claim to be protecting the land. But look at what they actually support:
Extreme setbacks that ironically require more land to be taken out of productive use
Blocking solar and similar uses that would keep ground covered in sod — while defending continued row cropping that is washing away our irreplaceable topsoil and polluting our watersheds with agricultural chemicals linked to cancer
We need elected officials willing to let Mason County citizens take the risks of adapting to the world as it is — not candidates whose strategy is denial. Mason County's history, public services, and arts and culture — all of it was built by forward-looking generations willing to embrace change. We owe them and the generations that follow us the same courage.
Ask your candidates: Are you willing to allow your citizens to build the economic foundation Mason County needs? Or will you choose denial to assure our decline and call it protection?