Fort Worth mayor’s husband listed as lobbyist for data center group

by Alexsis Jones | KERA News, Fort Worth Report
June 18, 2026

David Parker is listed as a lobbyist for the Virginia-based Data Center Coalition according to a filing with the Texas Ethics Commission. He has been involved in this group since January, according to official filings.

The organization describes itself as representing and advancing the interests of the data center community through policy advocacy, informing public officials and promoting the benefits of the industry.

The coalition represents major tech firms like Google and Microsoft. It should be noted their public list did not include the organizations currently developing data centers in Fort Worth.

They claim to advance industry interests through policy advocacy and public official outreach.

The city reviews ethics rules regarding potential conflicts of interest.

According to the Star-Telegram, Mayor Mattie Parker and city spokespeople maintain that neither she nor her husband have received direct benefits or engaged in advocacy that would require recusal.

The Data Center Coalition is among 37 groups David Parker represents as a lobbyist, alongside the Dallas Regional Chamber, the Texas Association of Realtors and Uber Technologies.

City ethics rules forbid officials or their partners from accepting benefits that could influence official duties.

Data centers face increasing scrutiny for high resource consumption; mid-sized hubs use up to 300,000 gallons of water daily, while large AI facilities can use 5 million gallons. While small centers require up to 5 megawatts, large facilities operated by giants like Google or Amazon can consume 20 to 100 megawatts—with a single megawatt capable of powering 200 Texas homes during peak demand.

Mayor Parker told the Star-Telegram that while an Austin-based member of her husband’s firm has handled state policy for the Data Center Coalition, her husband performs no direct advocacy for them.

Mayor Parker, also chief of staff at Cook Children’s Hospital, maintains transparency by filing conflict of interest forms and regularly recusing herself from city business involving the hospital network.

Residents remain concerned about noise and resource use and push for a moratorium on data centers.

City Manager Jay Chapa prepared a report to ensure Fort Worth’s policies protect residents while meeting economic goals concerning data centers. This follow’s the council’s decision to table a 50% tax break for Edged Data Centers on March 31.