Louisiana congressional candidate Stephen Wagley said Saturday that career politicians have allowed data centers and Flock surveillance cameras to expand without any real oversight, accusing officials of hiding the terms of deals struck with private companies.
Wagley, chief operating officer of the Delta College proprietary healthcare-training school, made the remarks during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday with host Matthew Boyle. He is one of six Republicans running in Louisiana’s open 6th Congressional District, with a jungle primary scheduled for November 3.
Wagley said lawmakers have signed off on data center projects funded in part by taxpayer dollars while keeping residents in the dark through non-disclosure agreements with private corporations.
“Our elected officials think it’s okay to sign these NDAs with these private corporations that are basically going to be funded with our tax dollars,” Wagley said. “If they’re signing NDAs, then who are they really representing? Us, or the big companies?”
He said residents in his district are already seeing electrical bills climb before the facilities are even built, with no way to see how the projects will strain the grid.
“Everyone that I’m speaking to is already showing how much higher our electrical costs are getting before the things have even been built,” Wagley said. “We are all for economic growth. We’re all for advancement, but we need transparency.”
Wagley extended the same criticism to Flock Safety’s license-plate reading cameras, saying some police departments have abused the technology and that residents are being surveilled with no limits in place.
“For too long, these career politicians have been signing off on these deals, allocating funds to let things like Flock cameras basically just surveil us nonstop with no oversight,” Wagley said. “People have a right to privacy. It’s out of control.”
The Baton Rouge Republican traced his political ambitions to a 2014 encounter in New Orleans, when he drove Donald Trump around the city during Trump’s pre-campaign tour of the country.
“Right before he got out of the car, he said, ‘So, you’re a pretty good driver. I don’t think that’s your career. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you in politics one day,'” Wagley said.
Wagley said his campaign has been in talks with the Trump administration and would be “honored” to receive the president’s endorsement, though Trump has not backed any candidate in the race.
Wagley also criticized Congress for failing to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said last week that Democrats are responsible for blocking the bill, and Trump has raised the possibility of declaring a national emergency to force voter-ID requirements nationwide.
Both data centers and Flock cameras have become flashpoints in midterm races across the country. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) opened an investigation into Flock’s data practices last month, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered license-plate readers removed from state highways.
