THE CLUB: How a Handful of Salisbury Insiders Voted Your Power Bill ROWAN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA A Forensic Cross-Reference of the Public Record

THE OUTLAW ARMORY

FORENSIC CIVIC ACCOUNTABILITY

R. Bryant Starnes

Outlaw Livin' LLC  |  outlawlivin.com

May 2026

The Quote That Started It

“Governments — already weighed down by historic deficits — cannot rely solely on taxpayers to shoulder the staggering costs of new infrastructure without risking a debt spiral. But governments aren’t alone in facing constraints. Even the world’s largest tech companies, despite their billions in free cash flow, aren’t equipped for this scale of investment. A single AI data center can cost between $40 billion and $50 billion.”

— Larry Fink, Chairman & CEO, BlackRock

2025 Annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors

Source: blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/2025-larry-fink-annual-chairmans-letter

Fink answered his own question two paragraphs later. The trillions, he said, would come from “bank savings and pension accounts.” In plain English: your retirement. Your savings. And — because data centers are built on power, water, and transmission — your utility bill.

This document is about the local apparatus that delivered the vote in Rowan County, North Carolina.

Part I — The Bill Arrives

1.1  What the data centers cost the rest of us

Residential electricity prices rose 11.5% in 2025 alone, outpacing inflation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects another increase of up to 40% by 2030 compared to 2025.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, cited by Environmental and Energy Study Institute (eesi.org), February 2026.

Goldman Sachs estimates AI-related data centers could consume 8% of total U.S. electricity demand by the end of the decade, versus roughly 3% today. The U.S. EIA projects data-center electricity demand could more than double by 2030.

Utilities requested more than $29 billion in rate increases in the first half of 2025 alone — double the amount requested in the first half of 2024. These rate increases were expected to affect 40 million customers nationwide.

Source: EESI, citing utility rate-case filings, February 2026.

Georgetown Environmental Law Review documented the mechanism in plain language: “residential consumers subsidize new infrastructure for new consumers: in this case, data centers.” That is not opinion. That is how standard utility rate formulas work — households use less electricity on average and are more spread out, so they pay a higher proportional share of fixed grid costs.

Carnegie Mellon University projected that data-center growth could increase electricity bills 8% nationally, and as much as 25% in some regional markets.

1.2  North Carolina — the cost-shift was already legislated

In July 2025, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 266 — misleadingly titled the “Power Bill Reduction Act” — over Governor Josh Stein’s veto. The bill:

• Eliminated the 2030 interim carbon-reduction target previously codified at N.C.G.S. § 62-110.9 (the 2021 HB951 framework).

• Allowed Duke Energy to charge customers up-front for new power-plant construction through a “construction work in progress” provision — even if the plant never comes online.

• Shifted fuel and purchased-power cost allocation. Under the new formula, large commercial and industrial customers — including data centers — pay less. Households pay more.

EQ Research calculated the shift moves 19% more of the fuel cost burden onto residential customers. North Carolina State University professors of utility economics calculated that SB 266 could cost ratepayers up to $23 billion by 2050 due to methane gas price volatility.

Sources: NC Newsline, NC Sustainable Energy Association, WRAL Investigates, Center for Progressive Reform.

The political mechanics are on the record. The industry front group “Citizens for NC Jobs” registered with the state in January 2025 and launched a Facebook page on March 13 — three days after the legislation was first introduced. Its registering entity was disclosed as “WASLAW,” giving among its addresses that of Ward and Smith, a North Carolina law firm. The bill was originally introduced as S. 261 by former Duke Energy executive Sen. Paul Newton, then cut and pasted into a stripped-out S. 266 originally intended to speed Hurricane Helene flood-recovery efforts in the western part of the state.

1.3  Duke Energy’s ask

In November 2025, Duke Energy filed its first rate case after SB 266. The proposal would raise typical residential bills:

• Duke Energy Carolinas region (most of western NC, including Rowan County): from $144.98 to $168.54 monthly — a 16.3% increase by January 2028.

• Duke Energy Progress region (most of eastern NC): from $163.84 to $193.54 monthly — an 18.1% increase by January 2028.

North Carolina electricity bills had already risen approximately 22% between 2020 and 2025.

Sources: Duke Energy NC Rate Case filings; Axios Raleigh, November 2025; WRAL, December 2025.

Duke Energy itself told regulators that data centers will represent approximately 80% of North Carolina’s projected future energy demand growth. Thirty percent of upcoming economic development projects in the Carolinas are data centers. Ninety-two data centers have already been constructed in North Carolina, with 128 planned across the Carolinas. Once finished, those projects will require approximately 37 gigawatts of energy.

Other NC counties saw what was coming and pushed back. Tarboro Town Council voted down a 50-acre, $6.4 billion data-center proposal in September 2025. Person County residents protested a planned 300-megawatt Microsoft data center in April 2026. Several NC communities have already approved temporary moratoriums on new data center development.

Part II — The Local Trigger

2.1  Long Ferry Road

The timeline of how an $173 million data-center deal arrived on Long Ferry Road in Rowan County is a matter of public record. The dates matter.

June 2024.

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners voted to add “Data Center” as a permitted use for the Long Ferry Road parcel — while the parcel was still owned by Red Rock Development. Commissioners voting on that zoning change included Chair Greg Edds and Vice-Chair Jim Greene. Source: Rowan County Board of Commissioners minutes; Salisbury Post, 3/19/26.

March 2025 – November 2025.

Red Rock Development acquired the Long Ferry Road parcels from Carlton Fields and the Murdock family for approximately $21 million collectively.

November 2025.

Red Rock sold the property to EDC Charlotte LLC for approximately $173 million — an approximately eightfold increase over the assembled purchase cost. EDC Charlotte LLC is managed by Scott Silverman, CFO of Edged Energy, a subsidiary of Endeavour. Source: Salisbury Post 4/17/26; WFAE, WHQR, WFDD, Public Radio East, 3/25/26.

Rowan County’s own internal memo, from County Tax Collector Chip Main and County Planning Director Ed Muire to commissioners and County Manager Aaron Church, stated that the per-acre price “was not consistent with similar sales data” — and attributed the discrepancy to “an assumed commitment from Duke Energy to provide the power necessary to operate this facility.” That is the county’s own employees, in writing, saying the price reflected an expected Duke Energy power commitment.

March 2026.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission held a hearing on a proposed new peaker turbine at Duke’s Buck Steam Station — located approximately one mile from the EDC Charlotte LLC parcel. Rowan County residents objected. Shannon Solomon, who started the local petition against the data center, told the hearing: “We’re paying for that huge corporation that bought that property to have that electricity delivered to them. We are going to be paying for that out of our pockets.”

March 17, 2026.

Chair Greg Edds, addressing concerned citizens at a public commission meeting, said: “We have made no offers to any data centers. No data centers have made any offers to us. We are not speaking to any data centers. There is no data center deal.”

On that date the zoning had been amended for 21 months. The land had been bought by an Edged Energy subsidiary for $173 million. The county’s own tax officials had documented in writing the assumed Duke Energy power commitment. Construction was underway on the site. Source: WBTV, QC News (qcnews.com), Salisbury Post, 3/19/26.

2.2  What “waterless cooling” doesn’t mean

Edged Energy’s own marketing emphasizes its “waterless cooling” technology. That does not eliminate the electricity load. It shifts the question from water to power — and SB 266 has already answered who pays for the power. The residents along Long Ferry Road, in East Spencer, in Granite Quarry, in Salisbury, in Rockwell — not Edged Energy, not BlackRock, not Endeavour.

Part III — The Club

Citizens watching Rowan County’s economic-development apparatus often say “it’s the same people everywhere.” That observation is structurally correct. Below is the publicly documented architecture — every name sourced to a published record. No allegation of criminal conduct is made by listing these relationships. The accountability questions follow in Part IV.

3.1  The Commission (the votes)

Player	Commission Role	Outside Financial / Institutional Position
Greg Edds	Chair, 2014–2026. Running for NC House District 76.	Owner, Greg Edds State Farm Insurance Agency (NC license #1000045624). Past Chair, Rowan Chamber. Past President, NC State Farm PAC.
Jim “Jimmy” Greene	Vice-Chair, 2014–2026. Not seeking re-election.	Vice-President, Claims, Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance. 2024 Smart Start Rowan Ritchie Champion awardee.
Judy Klusman	Commissioner, 2014–2026. Not seeking re-election.	Ordained minister (Wartburg Seminary 2004). Cardinal Innovations Healthcare board, Rowan DSS board, Board of Public Health. Former Wisconsin State Assembly Assistant Majority Leader.
Craig Pierce	Commissioner since 2012.	Local business owner. Past Planning Board; past Chair, Airport Advisory Board.
Mike Caskey	Commissioner since 2012. Deployed Middle East 2024–2025.	Charlotte PD officer. Multiple nonprofit boards.
Daniel Lancaster	Interim Commissioner, March–September 2025. Filed for 2026 Commission seat.	Former Salisbury PD. Community college LE training coordinator. Rowan Helping Ministries Board of Directors.

Sources: rowancountync.gov/Commissioners; Salisbury Post, multiple dates; gregedds.com; WBTV 9/28/23; Salisbury Post 12/17/17, 3/4/25, 3/19/26.

3.2  The Bank — F&M Bank, Granite Quarry

F&M Bank (Farmers and Merchants) is headquartered in Granite Quarry, Rowan County. Founded 1909. Independent local bank — not a regional holding-company subsidiary. Approximately $700 million in assets at its 2009 centennial; larger now.

Historical lineage matters. Jacob Eli Fisher Sr. founded what is today Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance in 1914 — while he was simultaneously working at F&M Bank. The Fisher family appears in both the bank and the insurance agency from origin. Source: Salisbury Post, 12/1/09; Salisbury Post, 9/7/25 (“100-Year Business Spotlight”).

Player	F&M Bank Role	Other Adjacent Roles
Steve Fisher	President & CEO, F&M Bank.	Co-Chair, Forward Rowan and Forward Rowan 2 (with Commission Chair Edds). Chair, Rowan Chamber of Commerce Board, 2025.
Tim Proper	Chief Lending Officer & Executive Vice President, F&M Bank.	Chair, Rowan EDC Board, 2025. EDC board member since 2018.
Carrie Hanneman	F&M Bank.	Rowan Chamber of Commerce Board, 2025.
Nick Means	F&M Bank.	United Way of Rowan County 2024–2025 Campaign Cabinet.

Sources: rowanedc.com/rowan-edc-announces-officers-and-directors-for-2025; Salisbury Post 1/26/25, 1/5/25, 11/27/24.

3.3  The Insurance / Bond Trinity

Two insurance agencies are central. Both are tied directly to sitting county commissioners.

Greg Edds State Farm Insurance Agency.

Owned by sitting Commission Chair Greg Edds (since 1995). NC license #1000045624. Edds has been a State Farm agent for the duration of his tenure as commissioner. Forward Rowan investor of record (rowanedc.com investor page).

Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance.

Four offices: Salisbury, Granite Quarry, China Grove, Statesville. Result of a series of mergers: JE Fisher Insurance Agency (founded 1914 by Jacob Eli Fisher Sr.) + Greene Insurance Agency (founded 1977 by Roy and Jim Greene Sr.) merged in 2012; Burchette & Hicks acquired January 2018; Walker Robinson Clark merged June 2021. Source: Salisbury Post 9/7/25; WBTV 9/28/23.

Current officers, per WBTV 9/28/23 and Salisbury Post 9/7/25:

• John Fisher — President

• Hunter Fisher — Vice-President, Benefits

• Barry Hill — Vice-President, Commercial Lines

• Jim “Jimmy” Greene — Vice-President, Claims  —  SITTING COMMISSIONER, Rowan County Board of Commissioners (Vice-Chair).

• Karen Greene — Vice-President, Personal Lines

• Alex Walker — Vice-President, Bonds

That last entry is the architecture worth marking. Alex Walker writes surety bonds at the same agency where the sitting Commission Vice-Chair is a Vice-President. Rowan County’s bonded officials — Sheriff, Clerk of Superior Court, District Attorney, magistrates, Register of Deeds, and others — are required by N.C.G.S. §§ 58-72-5, 58-76-5, and 7A-174 to be bonded.

Whether Fisher Greene Walker Hill writes any of those bonds, or any insurance touching county property, contracts, or developers receiving county incentives, is verifiable through NC Department of Insurance records and Clerk of Superior Court bond filings. See Part IV.

3.4  Rowan EDC — 2025 Board

The Rowan Economic Development Corporation (Rowan EDC) is the public-private partnership the County Commission funds and effectively directs. Board membership, per the EDC’s own published structure: 7 appointed by County Commission, 2 by Salisbury City Council, 1 by other municipalities, up to 5 by EDC from private/non-profit funders, plus the Chamber Chair ex-officio.

EDC Position	Player	Company / Affiliation
Chair, 2025	Tim Proper	Chief Lending Officer & EVP, F&M Bank
Chair-Elect, 2025	Greg Alcorn	Global Contact Services
Secretary/Treasurer	Victor Wallace	Wallace Realty
Immediate Past Chair	Nicole Holmes Matangira	Holmes Iron & Metal, Inc. (East Spencer). Past 2019 Chair, Rowan Chamber.
Director	Luke Fisher	Carrol Fisher Construction Company. Past Immediate Past Chair, 2023.
Director	Karla Foster Leonard	New Pointe Properties. Filed for 2026 Commission seat.
Director (new 2025)	Don Ruddy	Hexagon Agility
Director	Ashley Stewart	Town of Landis / USI Insurance Services
Director	Dr. Anthony Davis	Livingstone College
Director	Cynthia Mynatt	Ben Mynatt Nissan
President & CEO (staff)	Rod Crider	Rowan EDC

Source: rowanedc.com/rowan-edc-announces-officers-and-directors-for-2025; Salisbury Post 1/26/25.

3.5  Forward Rowan 2 — The Investor List

Forward Rowan is the EDC’s five-year strategic plan and its accompanying private-money fundraising campaign. Forward Rowan 1 (2020–2024) raised approximately $1 million from private investors. Forward Rowan 2 (launched November 2024) targets $1.5 million. Both campaigns were co-chaired by sitting Commission Chair Greg Edds and F&M Bank President & CEO Steve Fisher. Campaign Director: Carlotta Ungaro of Convergent Nonprofit Solutions — an outside fundraising consultancy.

Per the EDC’s own published investor page (rowanedc.com/forward-rowan/investors), Forward Rowan 2 investors include:

Construction and materials.

• The Alexander Companies, Inc.

• Carrol Fisher Construction Company

• Chandler Concrete

• Choate Construction

• Fourth Elm Construction

• Custom Glass Products, Inc.

• ECS Southeast, LLC

• Martin Marietta Aggregates

• Holmes Iron and Metal

Banking and finance.

• F&M Bank (campaign co-chair Fisher; EDC Board Chair Proper)

• First National Bank

• Fortius Capital Partners

• Kidd Financial Investments

• Self-Help Credit Union

Insurance.

• Greg Edds State Farm  —  the sitting Commission Chair’s own insurance agency, listed as an investor in the campaign he co-chairs.

Real estate and development.

• New Pointe Properties, Inc. (Karla Foster Leonard — EDC director; 2026 Commission candidate)

• North Point Development

• Wallace Realty (Victor Wallace — EDC Secretary/Treasurer)

Utilities and infrastructure.

• ElectriCities of North Carolina

• North Carolina Railroad Company

Education, government, civic.

• Livingstone College

• Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

• Rowan-Salisbury School System

• Rowan Chamber of Commerce

Individual investors of record.

• Dyke Messinger (Power Curbers; Bell Tower Green co-leader)

• Edward Norvell (attorney)

• David Post (Salisbury City Councilman; sold the HUB building to Rowan United Way “at one-third of appraisal” — his words)

Source: rowanedc.com/forward-rowan/investors (Forward Rowan 2 investor page).

3.6  Forward Rowan 2 Committee — Mayors and Presidents

Per rowanedc.com/forward-rowan/leadership, the Forward Rowan 2 Committee includes:

• Greg Edds + Steve Fisher — Campaign Co-Chairs

• Carlotta Ungaro — Campaign Director (Convergent Nonprofit Solutions)

• Greg Alcorn — Global Contact Services

• Mayor Karen Alexander — Salisbury

• Mayor Randall Barger — Faith

• Mayor Brittany H. Barnhardt — Granite Quarry

• Gary Blabon — Novant Health Rowan Regional Medical Center

• Mayor Chuck Bowman — Rockwell

• Dr. Anthony J. Davis — Livingstone College

• Luke Fisher — Carrol Fisher Construction Company

• Mayor Darrell Hinnant — Kannapolis

• Mayor Barbara Mallett — East Spencer

• Dr. David Nelson — Catawba College (also United Way Board)

• Mayor Patrick Phifer — Cleveland

• Mayor Rodney Phillips — China Grove

• Mayor Meredith Smith — Landis

• Dr. Carol Spalding — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

• Dr. Kelly W. Withers — Rowan-Salisbury Schools (Superintendent)

• Mayor Jonathan Williams — Spencer

• Teross Young — Ahold Delhaize / Food Lion

Every mayor in Rowan County, every major school and college head, and the senior business leadership of the county sit on a fundraising committee co-chaired by the sitting Commission Chair. The political alignment is documented in writing.

3.7  Rowan Chamber of Commerce — 2025 Leadership

The Rowan Chamber of Commerce represents over 800 member firms. Long-time President/CEO Elaine Spalding announced retirement effective August 31, 2026, after 40 years.

Position	Player	Affiliation
Chair of Board, 2025	Steve Fisher	F&M Bank (also Forward Rowan co-chair)
Chair-Elect (2026)	Starling Johnson Kaklamanos	Johnson Concrete
Treasurer	Alan Burke	Alan Burke, CPA
Business Advocacy Chair	Karla Foster Leonard	New Pointe Realty (EDC director, 2026 candidate)
Education/Workforce Chair	Dr. Andrew Smith	Rowan Partners for Education
Membership Chair	Donna Groce	Trinity Oaks
Immediate Past Chair	Terry Osborne	Rowan-Kannapolis ABC Board
President (staff)	Elaine Spalding	Chamber staff; retiring 8/31/26
Business Director (staff)	Tracy Walser	Married to Jason Walser, ED of Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation
Board Member	Carrie Hanneman	F&M Bank
Board Member	Mollie Ruf	Rowan EDC
Board Member	Natasha Brinegar	Food Lion Corporate Offices
Board Member	Lori Cinquemani	SECU Granite Quarry
Board Member	Ryan Dayvault	North Carolina Railroad Company
Board Member	Rosalind Hines	Waggoner Realty Company
Board Member	Dr. Christine Lynn	Catawba College
Board Member	Ryan Stowe	Stowe Law Firm
Board Member	Stacey White	Rowan-Salisbury Schools

Source: Salisbury Post, 1/5/25; rowanchamber.com.

3.8  The Philanthropy Layer — Robertson Foundation and the HUB

Salisbury native Julian H. Robertson Jr. — founder of Tiger Management, one of the wealthiest hedge fund managers in U.S. history, childhood friend of Fred Stanback — established the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation in 1997. Since founding, the foundation has given more than $34 million to local nonprofit groups and governments. Source: Salisbury Post, 6/26/22, 1/2/18.

Executive Director of the foundation since 2018: Jason Walser. UNC Law ’98. Former Executive Director of LandTrust for Central NC (2001–2015). 2016 NC-13 Congressional candidate. Vice President of Bell Tower Green, Inc. (Bell Tower Green is the 501(c)(3) that holds Salisbury’s $10 million downtown park, which the Robertson Foundation funded into existence).

Jason Walser’s wife: Tracy Walser — Business Director of the Rowan Chamber of Commerce since 2018. Source: WBTV, 4/13/18; Salisbury Post 1/2/18.

One household sits at the funnel point between the largest local philanthropic foundation and the back office of the Chamber of Commerce.

The HUB — A Center for Collaboration

122 South Main Street, Salisbury. The historic Oestreicher Building. Purchased October 2024 by Rowan County United Way from David Post (Salisbury City Councilman; David Post Law) for, in Post’s own quoted words, “one-third of the appraisal.” Architecture and engineering: Ramsey Burgin Smith. Construction: Vertex. Source: Salisbury Post 5/15/25.

Anchor tenants and committed partners include:

• Rowan County United Way (Jenny Lee, Executive Director; Audrey Eudy, Philanthropy Director)

• Smart Start Rowan (Amy Brown, Executive Director; Denise Heinke, Outreach; Lorie Aldridge, Past Board Chair; Erik Lipscomb, Board)

• Catawba College Social Entrepreneurship Lab (Dr. David Nelson, College President — also United Way Board Member; Dr. Imran Chowdhury, Ketner School of Business Dean)

• Salisbury Symphony (Peter Ferretti, Executive Director)

• Food Lion “Feed the Need” initiative

• Main Street Marketplace

HUB Committee, per Rowan United Way:

• Jim Behmer (Salisbury-Rowan Utilities Director)

• Micah Ennis

• Jayne Helms

• Mark Lewis

• Josh Barnhardt

• Jonathon Williams

• Melonie Thompson

• David Foote

• Jenny Lee (United Way ED)
  

United Way of Rowan County — 2024–2025 Campaign Cabinet

Chair: Kaisha Brown, Communications Coordinator for the City of Salisbury. Cabinet members include:

• Jim Greene — Commercial No. 2 Division (also sitting County Commission Vice-Chair; also VP/Claims at Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance)

• David Post — Leadership Giving Division (also Salisbury City Council; also sold the HUB building to United Way)

• Nick Means — F&M Bank

• Dr. Jared Tice — Catawba College

• Carol Ann Houpe — Rowan-Salisbury Schools (Director of Student Health and Wellness)

• Jonathan Williams — Town of Spencer

• Peter Franzese — Town of Spencer

• Donna Honeycutt — United Way

• Audrey Eudy — United Way Philanthropy Director

• Elia Gegorek — Gegorek & Associates Realty

• Dystanie Richard — Capstone Recovery Center

• Dale Peeler

• Gary Blabon — Novant Health (also Forward Rowan committee; past EDC Chair 2023)

• Elizabeth Cook

• Kevin Auten (retired)

Source: Salisbury Post 9/8/24, 11/27/24.

The same names recur. The same elected officials run the same fundraising divisions. The same business leaders sit on the same boards. The same college presidents sit on the philanthropy board, the Forward Rowan committee, and the HUB anchor list. This is what constituents observe when they say “it’s the same people everywhere.” Structurally, it is.

3.9  The Interlock — Same People, Multiple Hats

Player	County	EDC	Chamber	Forward Rowan	United Way	Bus./Bank/Ins.	2026?
Greg Edds	Chair	—	Past Chair	Co-Chair	—	State Farm	NC House 76
Steve Fisher	—	—	2025 Chair	Co-Chair	—	F&M Bank CEO	—
Tim Proper	—	2025 Chair	—	Investor	—	F&M Bank CLO	—
Karla Foster Leonard	—	Director	Bus. Advocacy Chair	Investor	—	New Pointe	Cand.
Jim Greene	Vice-Chair	—	—	—	Cabinet — Comm. 2	FGWH Ins.	—
David Post	—	—	—	Investor	Leadership Giving	Sold HUB bldg.	—
Greg Alcorn	—	Chair-Elect	—	Committee	—	Global Contact Svcs.	—
Victor Wallace	—	Sec./Treas.	—	Investor	—	Wallace Realty	—
Luke Fisher	—	Director	—	Investor + Cmte.	—	Carrol Fisher Const.	—
Jason Hinson	Planning Bd. Chair	Board	Gov’t Affairs / Bus. Advocacy	—	—	—	Cand.
Daniel Lancaster	Interim 2025	—	—	—	—	Rowan Helping Ministries	Cand.
Jason Walser	—	—	(wife = Bus. Dir.)	—	—	Robertson Fdn. ED	—
Dr. David Nelson	—	—	—	Committee	Board	Catawba Pres.	—
Mayor B. Barnhardt	—	—	—	Committee	—	Granite Quarry Mayor	—

3.10  The Succession

Three commissioners walk out the door together at the end of 2026: Edds, Greene, Klusman. Eleven Republicans filed for the three open seats. At least two filed candidates are documented members of the same apparatus the retiring commissioners chaired:

• Karla Foster Leonard — EDC Director (current); Chamber Business Advocacy Division Chair; Forward Rowan 2 investor (New Pointe Properties); past chair of Rowan County and East Spencer Housing Authority. Source: Salisbury Post, 1/4/26 candidate Q&A.

• Jason Hinson — “Chairman for the Rowan County Planning Board” and “board member of the Rowan Economic Development Commission,” “active member of the Government Affairs Committee for the Chamber of Commerce where I now serve as the division chair for Business Advocacy.” Source: Salisbury Post 1/4/26 candidate Q&A (direct quotation).

• Daniel Lancaster — already served as interim commissioner under Edds, Greene, and Klusman appointment (3–1 vote, March 2025). Rowan Helping Ministries board.

The remaining filed candidates are publicly described as “newcomers” and do not show on EDC, Chamber, Forward Rowan, or Robertson Foundation rosters as of this writing.

This is the succession architecture. The three departing commissioners exit together; the bench is already in position; voters will be asked to ratify continuity dressed as renewal.

Part IV — The Accountability Questions

This document makes no allegation of criminal conduct against any named individual. What it does is document the public record of overlapping institutional and financial positions and identify the receipts that would establish, or disprove, whether N.C.G.S. § 14-234 has been implicated.

4.1  The statutory framework

N.C.G.S. § 14-234. Public officers or employees benefiting from public contracts; exceptions.

The statute makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor (with limited exceptions) for any public officer or employee, who is involved directly or indirectly in making or administering a contract on behalf of a public agency, to derive a direct benefit from that contract. “Direct benefit” includes, among other things, ownership of more than a 10% interest in a benefiting business; receipt of any income or commission directly from the contract; or acquisition of property or services that are the subject of the contract.

This is the law the receipts have to be measured against.

4.2  The receipts citizens have the right to demand

Each of the following is verifiable through specific, named public-records sources. None requires an allegation; all that is required is the receipt.

1.  Greg Edds State Farm Insurance Agency — county-touching coverage.

Public records request to the Rowan County Manager and Finance Department: Does Greg Edds State Farm Insurance Agency write — or has it written, at any point during 2014–2026 — any policy on county-owned property, county vehicles, county employees, or any contractor, vendor, or developer that received county-approved incentives, contracts, or zoning amendments? If yes, attach all such policies and pricing terms.

2.  Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance — county-touching coverage and bonds.

Combined public records request to (a) the North Carolina Department of Insurance, (b) the Rowan County Clerk of Superior Court (bond filings under N.C.G.S. §§ 58-72-5, 58-76-5, 7A-174), and (c) the Rowan County Manager: identify every surety bond, fidelity bond, official bond, and commercial or fidelity policy written by Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance (or its predecessors and component agencies) on (i) any Rowan County government entity, (ii) any bonded Rowan County official, (iii) any vendor or contractor under contract with Rowan County, and (iv) any developer receiving a county-approved incentive, zoning amendment, or land transaction. Sitting Commissioner Jimmy Greene is VP/Claims at FGWH; Alex Walker is VP/Bonds at FGWH. The question is what the agency writes that touches the county.

3.  F&M Bank — county financial relationships.

Public records request to Rowan County Finance: identify all deposit, lending, financing, lockbox, custody, depository, and treasury services provided by F&M Bank to Rowan County government and to Rowan EDC during 2014–2026. Identify any F&M Bank financing extended to developers or contractors receiving county-approved incentives during the same period (to the extent disclosed in public closing documents and county records).

4.  Forward Rowan investors ⇔ county incentive recipients.

Cross-reference the published Forward Rowan 1 and Forward Rowan 2 investor list (rowanedc.com/forward-rowan/investors) against the recipient list of every Rowan County–approved economic development incentive, tax grant, infrastructure reimbursement, and land-purchase reimbursement awarded 2020–2026. Identify every instance where an investor in the campaign chaired by sitting Commission Chair Edds subsequently received a benefit voted by the Commission.

5.  Recusal records.

Pull the Rowan County Commission minutes for: (a) the June 2024 vote adding “Data Center” as a permitted use for the Long Ferry Road parcel; (b) the Red Rock Development reimbursement; (c) every Forward Rowan–related budget allocation or county appropriation to Rowan EDC and Rowan Growth Partners; (d) every incentive vote touching a documented Forward Rowan investor. For each: identify which commissioners voted yes, no, abstained, or recused, and the documented basis of any recusal.

6.  David Post / HUB sale — IRS treatment.

David Post stated on the record that he sold the Oestreicher Building to Rowan United Way “at one-third of the appraisal.” Two questions: (a) Did Post file IRS Form 8283 claiming the appraised-value-minus-sale-price differential as a noncash charitable contribution? (b) Is the differential reflected in Rowan United Way’s IRS Form 990 disclosure for 2024–2025 as an in-kind contribution? Both filings are publicly accessible.

7.  Forward Rowan / Rowan Growth Partners — 990s.

Rowan Growth Partners is the EDC’s affiliated nonprofit vehicle for the public-private partnership. Pull its IRS Form 990 disclosures for every available year. Identify investor names and amounts (Schedule B redacted for federal filing, but full names are available on the EDC investor page already).

8.  EDC public-records pull.

Rowan EDC receives a majority of its funding from government partners (county, Salisbury, Kannapolis, and the towns). It is therefore subject to NC public records law. Request: all contract awards, all incentive applications, all due-diligence files for the Long Ferry parcel transactions, and all correspondence between EDC staff, commissioners, and any data-center developer.

Part V — What the Document Stands For

Larry Fink told his shareholders the truth. Trillions are needed to build the AI infrastructure of the next decade. Governments cannot afford it. Tech companies cannot afford it. The bill, by his own words, will come from savings accounts, pension funds, and the utility rates of ordinary Americans.

The North Carolina General Assembly already passed the cost-shift mechanism. Senate Bill 266, over Governor Stein’s veto, restructured rate formulas so that residential customers — not industrial customers, not data centers — absorb a larger share of fuel and capacity costs. Duke Energy has already filed its rate case to collect.

In Rowan County, the same handful of insiders — the Commission, the EDC, the Chamber, F&M Bank, Fisher Greene Walker Hill Insurance, the Robertson Foundation, the United Way Campaign Cabinet, the Forward Rowan Committee — sit on each other’s boards, fund each other’s campaigns, and have for over a decade. They voted the Long Ferry zoning, they raised the money, they staffed the apparatus, and they have already filed the candidates who will succeed them.

None of that, standing alone, is illegal.

What is required is the receipts. Whether the agency owned by the sitting Commission Chair has written insurance on county contracts. Whether the agency where the sitting Vice-Chair is a partner has written bonds on county officials. Whether the bank chaired by the Forward Rowan co-chair holds the county’s money. Whether the same companies investing in the campaign chaired by the Commission Chair have received the votes of the Commission he chairs.

That is the document. That is the question. The bill is being delivered to your address this winter. Whether your elected representatives benefited financially from delivering it is a matter the public has the right to verify.

R. Bryant Starnes  |  Outlaw Livin’ LLC  |  The Outlaw Armory  |  outlawlivin.com

Forensic civic accountability. Above reproach. Let the document swing.

Appendix A — Primary Sources

BlackRock / Larry Fink

• Larry Fink, 2025 Annual Chairman’s Letter to Investors. blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/2025-larry-fink-annual-chairmans-letter.

• Fortune. “BlackRock’s $40 billion deal highlights the unstoppable AI data center gold rush.” October 15, 2025.

• Cryptopolitan / Cryptonews. “BlackRock’s Larry Fink tells Americans they will be forced to invest trillions into AI.” November 2026.
  

Cost-shift evidence — national

• U.S. Energy Information Administration; cited by Environmental and Energy Study Institute, “Data Center Power Demands Are Contributing to Higher Energy Bills.” February 24, 2026.

• Goldman Sachs Research; cited by Yahoo Finance, December 2025.

• Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Engineering and Public Policy: data center growth study.

• Georgetown Environmental Law Review, “Consumers End Up Paying for the Energy Demands of Data Centers.” October 6, 2025.

• U.S. Senators Reed, Whitehouse, Welch et al. letter to ISO-New England, January 29, 2026.

• Consumer Reports, “AI Data Centers: Big Tech’s Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More.” March 20, 2026.
  

North Carolina

• NC Newsline, “Industry front group backs NC bill that raises Duke Energy costs for residential customers.” July 26, 2025.

• NC Sustainable Energy Association, North Carolina Senate Bill 266 analysis. October 30, 2025.

• WRAL, “The hidden costs of North Carolina’s data center boom.” February 4, 2026.

• WRAL, “New data centers could strain the grid — and your wallet.” September 13, 2025.

• Duke Energy NC Rate Case filings. duke-energy.com/home/billing/dec-nc-rate-case.

• Daily Tar Heel, “As customer frustration over high rates builds, Duke Energy seeks to expand its reach.” March 31, 2026.

• Axios Raleigh, “Duke Energy asks for rate increase.” November 21, 2025.

• Center for Progressive Reform, “North Carolina Must Change Course.” April 8, 2026.
  

Rowan County / Long Ferry

• Salisbury Post, “No end user: Initial utilities, fire, energy details for potential Long Ferry data center revealed in County correspondence.” April 17, 2026.

• QC News (qcnews.com), “Thousands oppose potential data center. But Rowan County leaders deny making deal with the company that owns the land.” March 27, 2026.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan County Chair Edds engages with citizens against data center project.” March 19, 2026.

• WFAE, WHQR, WFDD, Public Radio East, “‘Nobody wants it here’: Rowan County residents rail against data centers at Duke Energy hearing.” March 25, 2026.
  

Players, boards, and entities

• Rowan County Board of Commissioners. rowancountync.gov/Commissioners.

• Rowan EDC. rowanedc.com/rowan-edc-announces-officers-and-directors-for-2025; /forward-rowan/investors; /forward-rowan/leadership.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan EDC announces officers and directors for 2025.” January 26, 2025.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan Chamber announces new officers, directors.” January 5, 2025.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan County United Way purchases the HUB.” May 15, 2025.

• Salisbury Post, “Music to their ears: Elected officials tour the HUB.” February 21, 2026.

• Salisbury Post, “Building Community Together: United Way Campaign closing in on goal.” November 27, 2024.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan EDC kicks off Forward Rowan 2 campaign, celebrating halfway mark of $6 million goal.” November 20, 2024.

• Salisbury Post, “100-Year Business Spotlight: Fisher Greene Walker Hill.” September 7, 2025.

• WBTV, “Business news: Insurance firms in Rowan and Iredell merge.” September 28, 2023.

• Salisbury Post, “Daniel Lancaster named interim commissioner.” March 5, 2025.

• Salisbury Post, “Rowan County commissioner candidates weigh in.” January 4, 2026.

• Salisbury Post, “Early literacy: Smart Start Rowan hosts annual Ritchie Champion for Young Children Celebration.” March 21, 2024.

• Salisbury Post, “10 to watch: Jason Walser.” January 2, 2018.
  

Statutory references

• N.C.G.S. § 14-234. Public officers or employees benefiting from public contracts.

• N.C.G.S. § 58-72-5. Sheriffs’ bonds (Sheriff’s official bond).

• N.C.G.S. § 58-76-5. Action on official bonds.

• N.C.G.S. § 7A-174. Magistrates’ bonds.

• N.C.G.S. § 62-110.9. Electric public utility carbon emissions (HB951; modified by SB266).

• N.C.G.S. § 138A. State Government Ethics Act.

• N.C.G.S. § 75D. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of North Carolina.North Carolina.