Alvin Thurgood, a Democratic candidate for Weber County Commission Seat A, has detailed his platform priorities in a survey response published October 25. Thurgood is focusing his campaign on issues including AI data center zoning, housing costs, and oversight regarding immigration enforcement.
Thurgood identified AI data centers as a primary concern following 2023 zoning law revisions that allowed these facilities under manufacturing and technology classifications. He expressed interest in revisiting these laws to prevent data center construction within Weber County.
Addressing housing and rent, Thurgood noted that the average house in Weber County is $440,000, while rent averages $1,300 per month. He stated that property taxes continue to rise and rents are trending upward. Thurgood proposed performing an audit to determine actual home values and investigating corporate land sales data to ensure corporate owners pay a fair share into the tax system rather than relying on private citizens to subsidize them through their tax burden.
Regarding immigration, Thurgood intends to demand transparency from the Sheriff’s Department concerning how they handle immigrants detained by ICE. While acknowledging that Sheriff Arbon does not participate in the warrant system used in other areas, Thurgood stated his goal is to ensure ethical treatment and transparency for those detained.
Thurgood also expressed a desire to improve public access to the County Commission. He criticized the current meeting schedule, which occurs on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM, and the three-minute speaking limit restricted to the current agenda. He intends to work toward moving meetings to more accessible times and allowing the three-minute limit to apply to any discussion rather than just items on the scheduled agenda.
A self-described neurodivergent working-class citizen, Thurgood reported that he has never owned or rented out property, land, or business space. He volunteers at Weber Fridge, a local food and pantry, and has been involved with various local grassroots political activism groups, including Indivisible Ogden, BEAR, 5501, and Weber DEMNUTS.
