Watertown Candidate Forum Highlights Data Center Debate, School Funding, and Codington County Auditor Race
Candidates at a Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce forum debated local control and the potential environmental and financial impacts of hyperscale data centers in rural South Dakota. Several candidates opposed or expressed reservations about expansion, while others said local communities should decide where projects are built.
Candidates for Codington County auditor and the South Dakota Legislature discussed data center development, education funding and local government during a Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce forum. The District 4 House panel focused on potential hyperscale facilities in rural South Dakota, with Emelia Enquist citing environmental and financial concerns and Samuel Froehlke opposing expansion outright.
Candidates Fred Deutsch and Ryan Kohl took a more pragmatic position, emphasizing that communities should have the final say and that data centers should not be located where residents object. The forum also included the Codington County auditor race and a discussion of public school funding among District 5 candidates.