John Adams, candidate for Davis County commission Seat A, vows to defend local zoning and tighten county spending

John Adams, a candidate for Davis County commissioner Seat A, told a local candidate forum he would defend cities’ zoning authority, oppose what he called state overreach, and prioritize fiscal restraint if elected.

Adams, 45, who said he has lived in Kaysville for 25 years and has served seven years on the Kaysville City Council, led with local-control messaging when asked about high-density housing and recent state proposals. “We aren't the state. We are a city,” Adams said, arguing that cities should retain primary responsibility for rezoning and that developers should build affordable, single-family homes rather than projects that become rental stock.

The candidate framed fiscal discipline as the county’s top operational duty. He said department heads should be expected to stay within their budgets and that staff should “wear many hats” rather than rely on new hires paid with one-time funds. Citing a conversation with Brian Hatch at the health department, Adams said that using one-time federal funds to fund ongoing salaries — he referenced ARPA-funded positions — created recurring obligations that later contributed to tax increases.

On election rules, Adams said he pursued both the signature-gathering route and the party convention route for ballot access and emphasized voter education about caucuses and conventions. He said he is preparing outreach materials and has asked a representative to consider legislation to include caucus/Convention process instruction in school civics curricula so more residents understand how local party nominating processes work.

Asked about public-private partnerships and public infrastructure districts (PIDs), Adams warned they can transfer long-term financial risk to residents if projects falter. “They’re an absolute nightmare,” he said, describing scenarios in which homeowners face assessments or local governments are asked to assume failed private roads or bond obligations.

Speaking to state–local relations, Adams said a county commissioner’s role includes defending cities from unfunded state mandates. He said he intends to visit municipalities across the county and tell state lawmakers that cities should not be forced to implement programs the state does not fund.

Adams closed by stressing his local government experience and ability to work across constituencies, saying he seeks solutions that reflect resident preferences rather than top-down mandates.

The forum, hosted by local organizers, was limited to a short Q&A; Adams answered questions on zoning, taxation, election rules, development finance and intergovernmental relations but no formal endorsement or vote occurred.