Former NYC mayor faces boos while promoting AI data center in Wisconsin
Eric Adams was loudly heckled during a town meeting in Wisconsin Rapids as he tried to sell a proposed AI data center project.
At a Saturday gathering in Wisconsin Rapids, former New York City mayor Eric Adams attempted to pitch an artificial-intelligence data center and was met with immediate boos and hostile shouts from the audience. Representing industrial firm PNK Group, Adams described a plan to convert a 209-acre former paper-mill site on the Wisconsin River into a data-center campus, promising 50 to 150 permanent jobs. Attendees expressed distrust, accusing him of water theft, bribery, and demanding the project be placed elsewhere.
After the heated exchange, Adams’ spokesperson Todd Shapiro argued that a short video misrepresented the longer event, noting that several participants later thanked him and asked questions. PNK Group confirmed Adams is retained as a paid consultant for community-engagement strategy, emphasizing the importance of AI infrastructure. The episode highlights local resistance to large-scale tech projects in former industrial towns.
Why it matters
It shows how former political figures can face local backlash when promoting high-tech projects in communities wary of environmental and economic impacts.
In this story