Vivek Ramaswamy addresses Butler County concerns over data centers, property taxes during fair stop

With the Butler County Fairs Ferris wheel spinning behind him, Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy spent more than an hour making his case to Ohio voters Wednesday. Some of the biggest questions he faced came from issues hitting close to home in Butler County.Standing on a stage set up near the fairs political booths, Ramaswamy drew a crowd of roughly 100 people who listened as he outlined his campaign priorities before staying afterward to shake hands, answer questions and talk one-on-one with fairgoers.Ramaswamy, who is running against Democratic nominee Amy Acton in Novembers race for Ohio governor, used the stop to discuss issues including taxes, education, public safety and economic development.But two topics stood out for Butler County voters: property taxes and the future of data centers.After Ramaswamy finished speaking with voters, WCPO asked him about large-scale data centers.Butler County commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on new data center development in areas where the county oversees zoning as officials study the potential impacts of future projects.The debate has continued beyond that pause in Butler County, with residents in some communities pushing citizen-led efforts that could restrict future data center development. Trenton and Hamilton have submitted signatures for proposed charter amendments targeting data centers larger than 25 megawatts.Supporters point to potential economic investment, while opponents have raised concerns about impacts on utilities, infrastructure and quality of life.When asked how he would balance economic development with those concerns, Ramaswamy said large-scale data centers should be responsible for the energy costs they create."I am against you and the people of this state having to pay for them," he said.

"If you are going to use electricity from the electric grid, you should have to pay for it and bring your own energy."During the question-and-answer portion of the event, one voter asked Ramaswamy about another issue affecting many homeowners: property taxes.Becky Banks, a former teacher at Edgewood City Schools in Trenton, asked how Ramaswamy would lower property taxes while still making sure public schools have the funding they need.Banks said she understands the issue from multiple perspectives as a former educator, a mother and the wife of a Butler County school principal.She sai…