Erin Petrey for Kentucky

06/09/2026

Want to see this guy tomorrow AND make some noise to Flip the 6th?!

Then come to The Burl tomorrow at 11:30am for a rally for Zach Dembo for Congress featuring the one and only Governor Andy Beshear. It’s our first time in over a decade that this seat is actually in play. So let’s show up!

Plus you can hang with me and your favorite Dems from across the district. 💙

06/08/2026

TONIGHT: I will be the main speaker at the community meeting focused on the recent purchase of the Lexmark campus by DartPoints to use as a data center. The purpose will be to knowledge share and lay out the what and why and how community members can have their voices and concerns heard. Thank you to the organizers for allowing me the opportunity to share my knowledge and listen to the community.

In this meeting, I will share:
🔵 Purpose of data centers
🔵 Why they are expanding
🔵 History of the Lexmark property
🔵 Potential community impacts
🔵 Overview of current regulations
🔵 What residents can do to express concerns

There will also be a Q&A portion.

Details:
Monday, June 8th
6pm
Zion Baptist Church
308 Locust Ave

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, who is running for reelection, said, “we need to think very carefully about data centers.”

06/06/2026

Statement from Council Member Tyler Morton - Lexington's 1st District who represents the northside neighborhood where Lexmark is located.

Mr. Morton’s concerns are similar to mine and though it is true the campus was used as a data center before, it was for on premises use and the entire campus was not intended for complete use as a 70MW data center. The proposed use would require a significant increase in resources, notably, power and water.  I also want to see a noise study done and how it would impact the residence living nearby, most of whom are Black, Hispanic, and/or low income.

I am also concerned that our elected officials were not included in the process for such a large development. This signals to me that DartPoint does not desire to be a member of the Lexington community but rather just use it to drive profit for out-of-state customers and shareholders. I am all for growth, but it has to be responsible and sustainable, and include civic and community leaders. No one should feel bamboozled especially when it is an industry under so much scrutiny with zero regulation and significant environmental, economic, and social impacts. Transparency, communication, and regulation are non-negotiable. 

Statement on the Proposed Data Center at the Former Lexmark Property

Like many residents, I learned of the proposed data center at the former Lexmark property through recent announcements. This is new information to me, and I am currently gathering additional details and its potential impacts.

While I understand that a portion of the property has been used as a data center in the past, I have thoughts and concerns regarding large-scale data centers and their potential effects on surrounding neighborhoods, infrastructure, utility demands, and long-term land use planning. In my view, I would have liked to see this site utilized in ways that more directly address some of Lexington’s greatest needs, including affordable housing, workforce development, job creation, and other community-focused uses.

At this time, we are exploring all available options within the City’s authority related to data centers. I am committed to ensuring that residents are informed, engaged, and have an opportunity to be heard as more information becomes available.

I will continue to monitor this matter closely and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.

Council member Morton

06/05/2026

Say her name.
Remember her legacy.
Fight for a future that doesn’t repeat history.

Breonna Taylor would have been 33 years old today.

06/05/2026

I spoke with FOX 56 News about the data center at the Lexmark campus. I focus on energy impacts and the complete lack of regulation for this type of development in Kentucky. We cannot rush into this level of expansion without protections for our people and planet.

DartPoints has purchased a former Lexmark data center in Lexington, Kentucky for $29 million, raising concerns from local residents about its potential impact on the surrounding community.

06/04/2026

Thanks to Kentucky.com for publishing my joint oped on data centers in Kentucky. This is especially timely due to the recent announcement of the intended use of the Lexmark campus off of E. New Circle. It seems the conversation about data centers needing regulation is being outpaced by more and more data center projects.

Regulation can no longer wait. There is too much at stake to get this wrong. The worst thing we can do is let them regulate themselves because that route never benefits regular people. 

Kentucky needs rules to prevent data centers from raising utility bills, protect Eastern Kentucky communities, and require transparency before incentives are granted, these op-ed writers say.

06/04/2026

BREAKING: Former Lexmark campus purchased by DartPoints for a 70MW data center in the middle of a residential area in Lexington. Here’s what you can do.

06/03/2026

Data center regulations are not just necessary but provide one of the greatest opportunities for bipartisanship in our current era of seemingly intractable political division.

I know firsthand how many conversations I’ve had with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike who all want the same thing: to preserve our environment and prevent Kentucky from being used as a cash cow for big tech companies.

So I joined forces with my Republican friend, Roger Ford, to write an op-ed outlining why we cannot wait on data center regulation. As Roger and I both are deeply engaged in the energy industry, we focused the piece on the energy impacts. From protecting ratepayers to ensuring the resiliency of our grid to efficiency standards to protecting environmental protections, data center regulation in Kentucky is the Wild West and we can no longer wait for companies to “do the right thing.” Because when profit is involved, companies rarely do what is best for people and communities over what is best for their bottom line.

This issue is not right versus left but top versus bottom and the tech companies versus us regular Kentuckians. We’ve been sold out before and I - and many others - are determined not to let that happen again. To pass anything in Frankfort, we need broad bipartisan support and this op-ed proves that though this issue is political, it is certainly not partisan.

Read the full article here in the Hazard Herald at the link below. It’s also incredibly humbling to have my writing in my Dad’s hometown paper. My connections to eastern Kentucky run deep and I’m not about to let it be sold out again.

🔗 https://www.hazard-herald.com/opinion/kentucky-must-make-data-centers-pay-their-own-way/article_93e9436c-d514-426a-9560-7842a9c6bb8d.html

06/03/2026

I want to thank Governor Andy Beshear for adding Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis to the list of approved conditions that qualify for medical ma*****na in Kentucky.

Though I believe in full legalization of cannabis, I know personally what a life-saving difference ma*****na can make for a person with severe IBD. When I was struggling with sepsis, bowel obstruction, and other complications associated with my Crohn’s (all while working a full time job at a start up in DC), I opted for cannabis over the dozens of OxyContin pills received to me.

The cannabis not only relieved the most severe pain I’d ever experienced in my life (don’t even TRY to eat a piece of avocado with a fresh ileostomy), but allowed me to regain my appetite while I had lost 50 lbs and was in desperate need of nutrition, and allowed me to sleep despite pain that was a 20 on a 0 to 10 scale.

Cannabis is medicine. It is life-saving. It should be legal. I am working towards a world in which people are not locked away and lose their entire lives because of a plant that was incorrectly classified as a schedule 1 drug. But until then, I am deeply grateful that we are moving in the right direction.