"Cutting taxes and increasing economic development are critical to ensure Davis County does not slip into a poor economic trend," he said.

He recognizes that cutting taxes may be difficult because tax revenue is allocated for various projects and personnel in the county, but there may be room to hold department heads' feet to the fire so they will cut waste in their departments, he said.

Minson said he's starting to campaign now because he needs to take advantage of the limited time to introduce himself to voters and Republican delegates in advance of the April 12 Davis County Republican convention.

Minson has a Web site, www.daviscountycommission

.com, which he will use to post information about himself and his vision for Davis County.

Minson, his wife, Tonya, and three sons have lived in West Point since 2002. Before that, the Minsons spent eight years in Clinton.

Minson has provided consulting services for Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both R-Utah. He also consulted for state Rep. John Swallow, who was narrowly defeated by Rep. Jim Matheson in his 2002 bid for the U.S. Congress.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com