The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. 

I have a friend who is a pragmatist. “You are seldom going to get exactly what you want, so you need to be satisfied with the next closest thing,” he says. 

He applies this not only to products but also to politics. For some, this makes sense when viewing Davis County’s elected leaders.

The Utah Legislature is a perfect case. In recent decades, no county has had more influence at the State Capitol than Davis.

When I first moved here, I was told by Salt Lake journalists that the “go-to” guy in the Legislature lived only a mile from my small one-bedroom apartment. “If you want something done or need a bill passed, you need to talk with Haven Barlow.”

Barlow, a banker, real estate developer, and insurance broker, was a well-respected titan of the Senate. When several residents approached him about being able to call Salt Lake or Ogden without paying a long-distance fee, he assured them he’d talk to the telephone company. Even though the company hated to take the financial hit, its officers didn’t want to anger the powerful Barlow. Later, when a young upstart announced he would run for office against one of Barlow’s legislative friends, the senator simply said, “Hold your water. Give it two more years and I’ll make sure you replace him.”

He wasn’t the only power. Kevin Garn made a rapid rise in county politics, elected to leadership by his peers after only one two-year term, he eventually served as Majority Leader of the Utah House – and no legislator wants to mess with the Majority Leader.

Which brings us to today…Davis County’s Brad Wilson is ending his tenure as Speaker of the House and will probably be replaced as speaker with Mike Schultz who, while technically representing more Weber County than Davis constituents, has long-time business ties in Davis.

As for the Senate, the President is Stuart Adams, from one of the county’s more prominent families.

Again, you don’t have to agree with either of them politically. As the Democratic Party stated on Wilson’s legislative record, “From brutally gerrymandering our districts to pushing through school vouchers, to relentlessly attacking trans kids, to ripping reproductive freedom away from thousands of Utah women, Wilson’s record is one of right-wing extremism.”

Certainly, the same – if not more – could be said about Sen Adams. But considering the conservative bent of Davis voters, one can make a case that the county was protected (and received financial benefits) by having the top two legislative leaders being long-time residents.

And one should not neglect Becky Edwards. The Bountiful woman and former House member didn’t hold a leadership post, but she became influential in the Republican Party, only slightly losing this year’s primary election for a U.S. House seat in Washington D.C. And if she had won, who would she have replaced? Another Davis County resident, Rep. Chris Stewart.

You shouldn’t vote for someone simply due to their power. What they stand for is vastly more important, but aside from politics, Davis County has had more influence in state government than its population total would deem appropriate.