John Taylor, District 14 candidate, vows tax relief, tighter fiscal transparency and opposition to opaque public‑private deals

John Taylor, a candidate for District 14, told members of the Davis County Conservatives that he would prioritize limiting government, reducing tax burdens and requiring strict transparency for any public‑private partnerships that use tax dollars.

“I feel government needs to be limited and checked and strictly maintain the principles of freedom for the people, not government bureaucracies that continue to grow and bloat to oblivion,” Taylor said during a roughly 15‑minute question‑and‑answer session. He later added that “people need to be protected from overwhelming tax burdens.”

Taylor described attending a recent county public hearing where an elderly Farmington resident handed his tax statement to a commissioner and appeared at risk of having to sell his home because of taxes. He said that example underlined the need to review tax policy and to change spending incentives that encourage year‑end “use it or lose it” approaches within local agencies.

Asked whether he would support suspending legislative rules during the final week of a session, Taylor said he would study the rules and follow the law, but emphasized that procedural changes should promote fairness. “When you create a process and it's a legislative process, we're going to follow the process,” he said.

On public‑private partnerships and special taxing entities, Taylor said he has “red flags” about outsourcing public functions and called for “100% visibility and accountability to every single line item that was spent” whenever tax dollars are involved. He told the group he would push back on arrangements that, in his view, amount to taxation without representation.

When asked how he would stay true to his campaign promises once in office, Taylor cited long involvement in party roles and community leadership. He described his faith and leadership background and said he had trained junior soldiers in army intelligence. “I will listen. I'm great at it,” he said, adding that he would make decisions “prayerfully” and with transparency.

Taylor said he has lived in Syracuse for about 25 years, grew up in Ogden and is running to address local challenges including housing affordability, taxes, water and energy. He closed by inviting attendees to learn more at johntaylorforutah.com and to host or attend meet‑and‑greets ahead of the election.

No formal motions, votes or policy decisions were taken at the forum; it was a candidate Q&A hosted by the local group.