{"id":345644,"date":"2026-06-22T14:46:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/345644\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:46:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T14:46:29","slug":"fort-worth-mayor-husband-deny-conflict-of-interest-over-data-center-lobbying-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/345644\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth mayor, husband deny conflict of interest over data center lobbying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Mattie Parker and her husband, David Parker, denied allegations Friday that he lobbies for a data center coalition, pushing back on claims that his position at a consulting firm\u00a0poses a conflict of interest<\/a> for the mayor as Fort Worth grapples with how to regulate data center development.<\/p>\n

A registered Texas lobbyist of more than 20 years, David Parker is a partner at the Austin-based consulting firm Longbow Partners. His employment there came under scrutiny this week when a local activist found David Parker\u2019s name on public filings<\/a> with the Texas Ethics Commission, where he is listed as a lobbyist for the Virginia-based Data Center Coalition.<\/p>\n

In a social media post Friday morning<\/a>, David Parker wrote that the coalition has been a client of his firm since 2023. However, it\u2019s his colleague \u2014 not David Parker himself \u2014 who advises the Data Center Coalition on \u201cstate-level policies and politics\u201d impacting the data center industry, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never received a penny of compensation, directly or indirectly, from the Data Center Coalition; I have never met with any Data Center Coalition employees; and I (never) conducted meetings on their behalf or held external conversations about anything related to the DCC,\u201d David Parker\u2019s post read.<\/p>\n

Mayor Parker\u2019s spokesperson said the mayor was unavailable for a phone interview with the Fort Worth Report on Friday. In a statement, Parker doubled down on her stance that her husband\u2019s position as a lobbyist does not impact her decision-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me reiterate again, David Parker has never advocated for or received any compensation from the Data Center Coalition,\u201d the statement read. \u201cDavid’s firm’s clients do not, nor does his profession, have any (bearing) on my voting or perspective for any zoning case or business before council.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fort Worth has four existing data centers, and five more are under construction or in progress<\/a>. City Council members are scheduled to vote in August on regulations that would limit where and how data centers can operate in the city, after pushback from residents concerned about how the centers will impact Fort Worth\u2019s natural resources such as water and energy.<\/p>\n

Under Texas Local Government Code, city and county government officials must file an affidavit, or conflict of interest disclosure, before helping deciding city matters involving a business entity or property for which they have a \u201csubstantial interest.\u201d Officials must abstain from such decisions that would benefit them economically more than the general public or benefit their entity or property.<\/p>\n

The city charter, which serves as the playbook for City Hall, states that council members will be excused from voting on matters \u201cwhere (their) financial interests are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city attorney\u2019s office \u201cconstantly\u201d reviews questions about recusal and disclosures among city council, city spokesperson Sana Syed wrote via email. City leaders are committed to transparency and openness, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time, there is no known reason for anyone on Council to recuse or disclose any legal conflict of interest regarding data centers,\u201d Syed wrote.<\/p>\n

On social media, David Parker wrote that the Data Center Coalition \u201cdoes not actively perform local education or advocacy\u201d in Texas and has never been involved with Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

The coalition says it advances data center interests by advocating for policies and investments that support their growth; informing state and local officials about data centers; and promoting data centers\u2019 \u201ceconomic and community-building impacts,\u201d according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s clients that operate data centers include Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. None of the groups seeking to build data centers in Fort Worth are listed on the coalition\u2019s client page.<\/p>\n

David Parker\u2019s employment came under scrutiny this week when local activist EJ Carrion published a video<\/a> on social media detailing the Texas Ethics Commission filings, alleging \u201cnepotism and corruption\u201d run Fort Worth. Carrion, who hosts a podcast focused on local progressive politics, is a frequent speaker and critic at Fort Worth City Council meetings.<\/p>\n

The day of Carrion\u2019s video post, Mayor Parker told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/a> neither she nor her husband had received direct benefit from the Data Center Coalition. But some residents critical of local data center projects suggested the mayor recuse herself from future council votes related to data centers to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.<\/p>\n

In his post, David Parker acknowledged the media coverage, saying he and the mayor \u201cgenuinely respect and appreciate our local news sources and want others to as well.\u201d However, he said, he wanted to clarify the facts by letting the community know he does not lobby for the coalition.<\/p>\n

His name appeared on the Texas Ethics Commission filings because Longbow Partners requires all members of the firm to register their names for all the firm\u2019s clients, regardless of who serves each client.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not required by law, nor is it standard practice,\u201d David Parker wrote. \u201cWe do this as part of our firm commitment to transparency and I do it personally given the microscope that our family voluntarily signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council member Charlie Lauersdorf, who represents parts of north Fort Worth, defended the mayor, saying via email that readers focused on a \u201cVERY misleading headline\u201d without understanding the facts of David Parker\u2019s employment. The mayor still has his \u201cfull support and trust,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we’re really talking about here is guilt by association, not an actual conflict of interest,\u201d Lauersdorf wrote via email. He later added, \u201cIt’s like claiming a surgeon is responsible for a patient’s treatment because they work at the same hospital as the doctor who actually treated the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

No other City Council members returned requests for comment Friday.<\/p>\n

In March, the council faced backlash from data center critics when the Star-Telegram reported that the mayor and eight city council members had accepted a cumulative $46,000 in campaign contributions<\/a> from the CEO of the energy consortium Black Mountain, which is developing a data center in Fort Worth. Council members said at the time that the contributions have not influenced their decision-making on the project.<\/p>\n

Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n