Portland town Supervisor Richard Lewis in March set the ball rolling. In an interview with Dunkirk OBSERVER reporter Braden Carmen, the elected official noted there may be some interest in the former Sugar Hill golf property by a data center.

Within a month, the board meeting saw attendance numbers that had not been that high since the solar discussions took place before the COVID pandemic. On April 8, about 50 residents came to voice their opposition to the center.

Days later, a petition began filling up online. There are now more than 2,000 who have signed it with the intention of keeping the center out of the town.

In the online document, started by resident Kelly Perlette at change.org, she said: “Chautauqua County’s beauty and integrity should not be compromised by decisions made without public consensus and thorough evaluation.”

For his part, Lewis noted in April, of the potential of a data center, “At this point, it’s not an issue because nothing is happening.”

Lewis and the town of Portland have done an excellent job in eyeing government efficiencies when it comes to services. In this case, the town deserves credit as well.

If they heard there is development interest in the site, possibly even a data center, they let it be known in a meeting — and through this newspaper — about it. That’s transparency at its finest — and it allowed residents’ voices to be heard.

For our communities, that is the most important thing governments can do for constituents.