Former Harmony Township leader disputes conflict claims, challenges automated energy bans

HARMONY TOWNSHIP, N.D. (KFGO)  Former Harmony Township Board Chairman Tom Roden is pushing back against allegations that he manipulated local zoning regulations to advance a controversial data center project, asserting in a legal submission Monday that he disclosed his private land negotiations to township officials months before stepping down. Fargo attorney Joel Fremstad, representing Tom and Jill Roden, submitted a 24-page letter and public statement to the township board detailing Roden’s three decades of public service and challenging the board s handling of developer Geronimo Power’s proposed Harmony Energy Park. According to the letter, Roden disclosed in a May 15 email to then-Township Attorney Sarah Wear and Zoning Administrator Mike Blevins that he and his wife had signed a conditional purchase agreement with Geronimo, expressly raising the potential conflict of interest and seeking legal guidance. Roden resigned from the board in August, prior to Geronimo formally filing it