Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Davis County commissioners reassign supervisory duties and rotate chair after independent workplace-investigation findings
Summary
Following an independent investigation that documented employee complaints about Commissioner John Crofts' workplace behavior, the Davis County Board of Commissioners voted July 7 to enact the board's normal chair rotation and said Crofts will be removed from supervising county employees while administrative assignments are reassigned.
The Davis County Board of Commissioners on July 7 moved to reassign supervisory duties and rotate the commission chair after an independent investigation produced findings the board summarized publicly.
The censure letter read into the record said the investigation, begun in January 2025 and based on interviews with 26 individuals, "confirmed essentially uniform complaints of egregious and unacceptable workplace behavior by Commissioner John Crofts," listing categories including hostile work environment, political favoritism, religious discrimination, LGBTQ discrimination, defamation and questions about fitness for duty. The commission office said changes to supervisory assignments would be made to protect staff and reduce county liability and that those administrative reassignments do not require a separate board vote.
During the public comment period, former county employee Jenna Nelson urged Crofts to resign, saying she filed grievances and multiple complaints while employed at the Davis Community Housing Authority and that private conversations with Crofts after her resignation raised concerns about opaque personnel decisions. "At this point, I am asking firmly but respectfully for Commissioner John Crofts to resign," Nelson said.
Crofts responded from the dais, calling the investigation politically motivated and disputing specific allegations. He said the report should have been shared with him in advance, defended outreach he has done with county employees and denied making derogatory comments about LGBTQ residents. "I have not made derogatory comments," Crofts told the commission, and he invited affected parties to speak with him privately.
Vice Chair Bob Stevenson moved that the commission follow its normal rotation at the end of the meeting (the vice chair becomes chair, the third member becomes vice chair and the chair moves down the list). The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; Commissioner Crofts announced he would abstain. The commission then turned the remainder of the meeting over to Commissioner Stevenson. The public censure letter and the commission office's summary remain the primary administrative record of the investigation; the office stated the reassignment of supervisory duties will be implemented to protect staff.
The commission discussion also included members' concerns about the report's public release, anonymity of interviewees, and historical context (commissioners referenced prior budget debates and staff turnover). The letter and the motion to rotate leadership were the principal formal actions recorded at the meeting; the letter stated some planned administrative reassignments would not require a separate vote.
The board did not announce any criminal charges or final personnel terminations on the record; the action taken at the meeting was an internal reassignment of supervisory duties and a leadership rotation, with details of reassignment to be carried out administratively.
The commission adjourned the meeting at 11:04 a.m.
