LeVon Barnes

Across the country, we have seen data centers being built in rural or underprivileged communities, ostensibly to drive economic opportunity, but ultimately raising concerns about physical and noise pollution, increased demands on our energy and water infrastructure, and higher costs for consumers. I am not inherently opposed to data centers, but only when the community has a seat at the table and can help dictate the terms under which a data center is built and operates within that community.

As a state representative, I would support legislation that requires data centers to pay their fair share of the infrastructure and energy costs they create, rather than shifting those costs onto residential customers. We also need to enact appropriate safety and environmental protections to protect our communities and water supply. Economic development should directly benefit the people who live in a community, not leave them to shoulder the costs.

As a public school teacher, I am a firm believer in a robust education for every child in my district, regardless of ZIP code. That means our state must do better than the bottom fifth in the country when it comes to public school funding and teacher pay.

We have also allowed politicians to interfere with what teachers are able to teach, all in the name of removing anything that is arbitrarily deemed to be “DEI.” I would advocate for greater investment in STEM education and support initiatives around scholarships and academic funding for young people from underprivileged backgrounds. Every child should have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their family’s income, and investing in those students will allow North Carolina to continue growing our reputation as a great place to do business and build a talented workforce.

I believe that investing in public health is investing in our communities, our economy, and much more. Resources such as vaccines and other preventive health care should be available to residents regardless of their ability to afford them, because herd immunity is not based upon income or tax brackets.

I also believe that government has an important role to play in ensuring that our environment is safe by cleaning up old hazardous waste sites. Look at what is currently happening with Western Electric in Burlington. By tapping into both public resources and private investment when appropriate, we can not only clean up life-altering hazards but truly revitalize parts of my district that have been neglected for far too long.

Even as a millennial, I remember a time when government officials didn’t run away from the science when it politically benefitted them. I cannot in good conscience support disinformation because I know the harmful impact that it can have on my community, my family and my loved ones.

In a social media-dominated world, visibility matters. I would work to build trust by promoting scientific and medical breakthroughs, speaking publicly with doctors, scientists, and other professionals, and generally playing into the overarching theme of both my campaign and my method of coaching: delegating tasks to fit each person’s strengths.

I may not be a scientist, but I am capable of recognizing when it is best for me to defer to scientists and their knowledge regarding a certain issue. As an elected official, my job will not be to pretend that I am the smartest person in the room. My job will be to listen to people with the expertise to understand an issue, evaluate the evidence, and use that knowledge to make the best decisions possible for the people I represent.