Both candidates for lieutenant governor spoke to the Virginia Association of Counties, making their case to supervisors from across the Commonwealth.
Senator Ghazala Hashmi is the Democratic candidate, and she told county leaders that they should be able to make land use decisions most of the time.
"Well, I think we need to have a comprehensive statewide plan on the citing and permitting of data centers, and that is not to create obstruction to the establishment of data centers," Hashmi said. "It is to have a more thoughtful understanding of what we are doing and how we’re moving forward."
John Reid is the Republican running for lieutenant governor, and he says local leaders should be the ones making local decisions.
"I wouldn't have voted for all the casinos and the gambling in the state if I had been around voting 30 or 40 years ago," Reid says. "But it's a done deal, and I just don't think it's the place of Richmond to tell Fairfax County, ‘This is where your casino should be.’ Let the people in Fairfax decide."
Democrats have a one-vote majority in the Senate, and the lieutenant governor has the ability to vote in the event of a tie.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
