Are There Regional Brokers in Findlay Data Center Deal?
BY CAREY MORGAN
FINDLAY - An ongoing public records dispute over the cancelled data center briefing has prompted a server-wide information technology search by the City of Findlay, according to public documents, raising questions overwhat role Regional Growth Partnership is playing in the dynamic across the state.
The document tracking has raised questions from media observers regarding whether early-stage economic development coordination through private, regional intermediaries creates a potential buffer from state transparency mandates during initial multi-million-dollar land development talks.
The records dispute developed following a public records request submitted by The Ohio Register to the City of Findlay. The request sought outbound and inbound correspondence concerning an Aug. 12 virtual data center briefing scheduled between Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn and economic development officials from the City of New Albany, an established technology hub near Columbus.
Findlay Law Director Robert Feighner Jr. initially indicated that no outbound city records matched the specific query, writing in an official email Monday morning that Muryn "did not reach out to New Albany. New Albany reached out to the Mayor."
However, public documents released by the City of New Albany under a parallel disclosure response have introduced conflicting correspondence, indicating that a virtual session had been requested by a regional economic development partner, potentially on behalf of Mayor Muryn.
New Albany records show that on July 31, Gary Thompson, Executive Vice President of the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP)—a Toledo-based private non-profit that serves as the official network partner for JobsOhio across 17 northwest counties—sent an email to New Albany specialists regarding a potential meeting block.
"The mayor of Findlay was wondering if we could find time for a Zoom call within the next 2 weeks," Thompson wrote to New Albany staff on July 31. "Mayor Muryn would like to educate her council members on data centers because they have some timely development issues coming forward quickly."
Following the release of the New Albany emails, Feighner sent an update Wednesday morning at 7:42 AM indicating that he had directed the city's IT department to perform an automated keyword search of mayoral, administrative, and city council servers to verify if any responsive internal records exist.
Open records advocates frequently argue that public offices may face compliance risks if meeting directives or public logistics are managed primarily through private third-party proxies.
In State ex rel. Mazzaro v. Ferguson (1990), the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a public office cannot avoid its statutory duties under the Public Records Act simply by delegating a public function or scheduling coordination to a private intermediary. Additionally, the court held in State ex rel. Toledo Blade Co. v. Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (2005) that records generated by an intermediary acting as a "person responsible" for executing public business are subject to standard public disclosure.
While the discrepency is still being investigated actively, many advocates are becoming concerned over what level of involvement Regional Growth Partnership is playing in data center development across the state. Is RGP simply providing informational meetings to local officials, or is it possible they are acting as a facilitator and private communication channel between JobsOhio, local municipalities and the area many in higher level positions refer to as 'Wexnerville'?
