Tech illiterate boomer politicians DO think they bring jobs.
They figure once the data centers are built, they can start extracting tax revenue from deep pockets somehow and the cost of relocation will be too high to run.
They think the prestige of being the center of Next Big Thing will put their region on the map. "We'll be the next Silicon Valley!"
They think they'll be able to get the datacenters to foot the bill of infrastructure fixes they've been postponing for decades.
But at the end of the day, you're probably right. Fat campaign contribution dangling in front of them.
There's a some other possibilities:
But at the end of the day, you're probably right. Fat campaign contribution dangling in front of them.