In My Opinion - by Bob Ruth
June 12, 2026 — Bob Ruth
Grove City Council President Ted A. Berry berated hard-nosed tactics used recently by the Texas developer of a proposed data center complex. Berry’s comments during the June 1 meeting of Council referred to two actions by Headwaters Site Development of Dallas.
Berry’s first reference was to a letter sent three days before the meeting to all Council members threatening to sue the city, if a one-year moratorium on the data center was enacted. The three-page letter from Headwaters Development’s local attorney, Rebecca Mott, also hinted that a suit might ask for monetary damages from the city.
“I don’t take lightly threats of being sued,” Berry declared. “Sending (threatening) letters is not right . . . not productive.” Minutes earlier, Mike Lebow, Headwaters Development’s managing partner, told Council members his company is “a part of the communities in which we operate.” Data centers that Headwaters Development promotes are good neighbors, Lebow added. Berry countered by saying “good neighbors” don’t threaten to sue each other.
After the meeting, Council member George Holinga echoed Bery’s comments. “Lawsuits? I’m not intimidated by lawsuits,” he said.
Berry’s second comment referred to emails sent by Mott that invited Council members to private meetings with Headwaters Development representatives. The meetings should include no more than three Council members at a time, Mott warned. Any more than three members would constitute a quorum that would require public notice and minutes to be taken and allow public participation.
The secret-meetings plan collapsed after Berry and Council member Alan Sturm refused to attend and their reasons for refusing were published in an In My Opinion commentary posted by ProtectGroveCity.org.
At the June 1 Council meeting, Berry said he will continue to refuse any private lobbying sessions with Headwaters Development representatives. And he recommended other Council members follow his lead. He recommended to Headwaters Development representatives that “all your comments be made in City Council meetings where minutes are taken and the public is involved.”
Despite Berry’s suggestion, Sturm and Council member Randy Holt dined with Lebow and four of his Headwaters Development associates at Plank’s on Broadway after the Council meeting. Holt was the lone dissenter in the 6-1 vote to approve the temporary moratorium.
After Berry’s remarks, Council member Jodi Burroughs noted that the Council on July 17, 2023, unanimously rejected a significantly smaller data center on part of the farmland that Headwaters Development’s center would be built.
The reasons for the 2023 rejection “highlight the very issues we continue to face today: the absence of clear standards and expectations for developments of this scale and complexity,” Burroughs said. “A temporary moratorium would provide the time necessary to fully evaluate and establish . . . standards,” she said. Burroughs also recommended the city hire a consultant to assist in evaluating the many technical and complex issues surrounding data centers. Holinga and Councill member Melissa Anderson endorsed Burroughs’ consultant suggestion.
Anderson followed Burroughs’ comments by stating, “This (a moratorium) is what the community is asking for.” Earlier in the meeting, Jen Belt of Pleasant Township handed the Council petitions with more than 4,000 signatures from residents who supported a moratorium.
Council member Mohamed Omar, who wrote the moratorium ordinance, said, “Trust plays a big part in this.” A one-year pause will allow for study, evaluation and voter input, he added. The Council should “take a step back. Look at this as a whole. Do our research. Talk to experts. Let’s do the work.”
