Know Your Candidates 2026: Nafisa Fai, Washington County Chair
Washington County chair candidate Nafisa Fai says residents need clearer safeguards and community benefits from data center development. She supports examining a moratorium or other pause, along with rules governing water use, energy consumption, land use, noise, wastewater and tax incentives; a lawsuit is also challenging incentives tied to projects in Hillsboro and Washington County.
Nafisa Fai, a Washington County commissioner and candidate for county chair, said residents have been frustrated by the county’s handling of data center development, particularly the lack of clear standards and community-benefit agreements. She said future projects should face guardrails for water and energy use, land use, noise, public health, wastewater and stormwater impacts, and should demonstrate a clear return on investment when receiving tax abatements.
Fai said she has urged the Washington County Board of Commissioners to discuss a data center moratorium and previously proposed a county workgroup. If the board does not approve a formal moratorium, she suggested alternatives including a de facto pause, rules governing nondisclosure agreements and a public process for developing standards for data centers and artificial-intelligence computing. The interview also referenced a lawsuit challenging tax incentives connected to data center projects in Hillsboro and Washington County.