Who Decides — and what we're asking each of them to do

The scoreboard.

Two commissioners — Chair King and Commissioner Harris — are aligned in walking out on the Farrior anti-abatement motion. Two — Vice-Chair Farrior and Commissioner Barganier — are on the record opposing any tax abatement. Commissioner Hayes is the swing vote. The campaign is working him with respect, not pressure.

CONFLICT

UNDECLARED

OPPOSED

2 structural conflicts — recusal demanded1 undeclared — the swing vote2 on record opposed

LCEDC dual role

Chair

Charlie King Jr.

Commission chair. By LCEDC structure, also serves as Vice-President of the body recruiting Project Red Clay. Walked out with Commissioner Harris to break quorum on Vice-Chair Farrior's anti-abatement motion.⁴⁶

YOUR ASK

We are asking him to recuse from any Project Red Clay vote on the basis of his LCEDC role. Public-pressure letter, not a filing.

broke quorum w/ chair

Comm.

Robert Harris

Recommended deferring Vice-Chair Farrior's anti-abatement motion. Walked out with the chair before the motion could be voted, breaking quorum.⁴⁷

YOUR ASK

Constituent calls. Ask him to support a recorded vote on the abatement question rather than a procedural deferral.

the swing vote

Comm.

Fletcher Hayes

The seat that decides this. Has not taken a public position on Project Red Clay. The coalition is actively working with him — when you call, lead with respect, not pressure.⁴⁸

YOUR ASK

Call with respect. A 'no' on the abatement, or a 'yes' that joins the Farrior motion, is the swing vote that protects Lowndes — and the community will remember it.

OPPOSED

Comm.

Joey Barganier

Seconded Vice-Chair Farrior's anti-abatement motion in regular session. On record opposing any tax abatement for any data center coming to Lowndes County.⁴⁹

YOUR ASK

Thank-you calls. Show up to back him at the next meeting. He is the second anchor — protect him.

OPPOSED

Vice-chair

Dickson Farrior

On-record opposition. Moved in regular session to deny any tax abatement for any data center coming to Lowndes County, citing health, property values, and quality of life. Commissioner Barganier seconded; the chair and Commissioner Harris broke quorum before the motion could be voted. Procedural status of the motion is unclear.⁵⁰

YOUR ASK

Thank-you calls. Show up to back him at the next meeting. He is the anchor — protect him.

Elected

Lowndes County Commission

Five elected commissioners. A simple majority approves the abatement. Two seats are undeclared — that is where this is decided.

Charlie King Jr.

Lowndes County Commission Chairman

Commission chair · LCEDC dual role · recusal demanded^C1

By LCEDC structure, the sitting Chairman of the Lowndes County Commission also serves as Vice-President of the Lowndes County Economic Development Commission — the body recruiting Project Red Clay. King simultaneously chairs the body that votes on the abatement and serves as Vice-President of the body recruiting the project. We are asking him to recuse from any Project Red Clay-related vote on that basis.

Call and ask the Chairman to publicly commit to recusing from any Project Red Clay vote on the basis of his LCEDC Vice-President role.

Call
(334) 412-9096

Robert Harris

Lowndes County Commissioner

Recommended deferral on Farrior's anti-abatement motion^R1

Recommended deferring the anti-abatement motion until 'data center operators submit such a request.' Per accounts of the procedural sequence, walked out before the motion could come to a vote, breaking quorum. The motion remains on the floor.

Call and ask Commissioner Harris to support a vote to deny — or substantially condition — any Project Red Clay tax abatement before the HB399 grandfathering deadline.

Call
(334) 412-7415

Unelected board

Lowndes County Economic Development Commission

The body that recruited Cloverleaf. By structure, the County Commission Chairman serves as Vice-President here, and the major utilities hold board seats.

Thomas Ellis

President, Lowndes County Economic Development Commission

LCEDC President · Pintlala Water board · Dixie Electric Cooperative board^T1

Sits on the Pintlala Water System board, the Alabama Rural Water Association, the Dixie Electric Cooperative board, the Alabama Cattleman's Association, and the Alabama Agricultural Development Authority. Water and rural-electric cooperative board memberships sit directly adjacent to the data center's water and power needs. This is the structural-conflict pattern — not a personal claim.

Call and ask the LCEDC to publish its current officer roster and any recusals on Project Red Clay. The growlowndescounty.org site is materially out of date.

Call
(334) 657-3222

Jim Byard, Jr.

Contracted Economic Developer, Lowndes County Economic Development Commission

LCEDC's contracted lead on Project Red Clay

Runs day-to-day project recruitment for the LCEDC. The lead negotiator with Cloverleaf on the LCEDC's behalf. Office at 10 Commerce Street, Hayneville. A public records request is pending for all communications between Byard Associates and Cloverleaf related to Project Red Clay.

Call and ask the LCEDC to release all communications with Cloverleaf and to publish the current officer roster.

Call
(334) 414-2560

Private developer

Cloverleaf Infrastructure

The Houston-based site developer. Cloverleaf does not build, own, or operate data centers — they assemble and flip.

Aaron Bilyeu

Chief Development Officer, Cloverleaf Infrastructure

Issued the public withdrawal statement in Greenleaf, WI^A1^A2

Previously ran land acquisition at Meta and at Microsoft. Issued the formal withdrawal statement when Cloverleaf retreated from Greenleaf, WI in January 2026 — and acknowledged in the Dundee Township, MI withdrawal that Cloverleaf 'should have done more public communication and listening.' Lowndes is being asked to approve the same kind of project from the same company that has now walked away from two states in seven months.

Call Cloverleaf and ask them to disclose the operator-tenant, the gallons-per-day water demand, and the megawatt request — in writing — before any County Commission vote.

Call
(571) 244-1940

Michael Evans

Project Manager, Cloverleaf Infrastructure

Cloverleaf's on-the-ground lead in Lowndes County^M1

Said public meetings could come 'at a later stage of project development.' We are asking that the order be reversed: public meetings, with the operator-tenant present, before any County Commission vote.

Call Cloverleaf and ask for a public hearing with the operator-tenant present before any abatement vote.

Phone
not published — write instead

Shareholder-elected

Pintlala Water System Board

Five shareholder-elected directors decide whether the Pintlala Water System enters into a service agreement with a hyperscale data center — a use case outside the system's stated mission. See the full Pintlala page for the mission statement, the structural-conflict note on President Thomas Ellis, and the call script.

Wayne Hatcher

Thomas Ellis

John Meadows

Tim Wilsford

Stan Cook

Read the full Pintlala page →

Send the demands →Demand recusal of the Chairman See the LCEDC structural map