2026 General Election Q&A: Onondaga County Legislature 2nd District candidate Matt Jones
Onondaga County Legislature candidate Matt Jones opposes building data centers in Onondaga County and says the county should not spend heavily studying their feasibility. He cites concerns about noise, air quality, water and electricity demand, utility costs, and the cumulative impact of data centers alongside Micron's planned semiconductor operations.
Democratic candidate Matt Jones, who is seeking the Onondaga County Legislature's 2nd District seat, said data centers do not belong in Onondaga County. His comments came in response to County Executive Ryan McMahon's plan to study the feasibility and potential impacts of developing a data center in the county.
Jones argued that the county can already anticipate serious concerns based on data center impacts reported elsewhere, including noise, respiratory risks, higher utility costs and strain on power systems. He said he would do everything possible to prevent data centers from being built in the county, while acknowledging that individual towns and municipalities ultimately control development decisions. Jones also linked the issue to Micron's expected demand for electricity and water, saying additional data centers could make affordability and environmental pressures worse.