- Davis County Commissioner John Crofts is the subject of a third-party investigation that revealed multiple allegations from current and former county employees.
- A five-month investigation by Kristin VanOrman revealed claims of a hostile work environment, defamation, LGBTQ discrimination, among other accusations.
- Crofts denies wrongdoing, calling the investigation costly and inaccurate, yet says he's open to dialogue.
FARMINGTON — Allegations against Davis County Commissioner John Crofts, including claims of a hostile work environment, LGBTQ discrimination, political favoritism and other misconduct, have come to light in the findings of a recent investigation.
Kristin VanOrman, of the law firm Strong & Hanni, who conducted the five-month investigation, spoke with 26 people, including current and former Davis County employees as well as other former co-workers of Crofts who never worked for the county, who all shared experiences of the alleged concerning behaviors.
In an email sent to KSL, Crofts called it a "frivolous and costly investigation that resulted in finding zero criminal activity." He goes on to state, "I've consulted with my own personal attorney to review the claims and report. I am proud to reveal the investigation exonerates me of any illegal doings whatsoever."
The full investigative report was obtained by KSL through an open records request, though the names of the people who spoke with VanOrman were omitted from the report.
She also spoke with Crofts to discuss the allegations made against him, most of which he said he was unaware of, VanOrman said in the report.
"So many of the allegations cross the boundaries of acceptable conduct and could be considered actionable in a court of law. While Mr. Crofts denies most — all of this conduct, he demonstrated a clear willingness to change," she wrote in the report.
VanOrman's investigation, based on personal accounts from participants, was categorized into six areas of concern: allegations of a hostile work environment, political favoritism, incorporation of religion into the workplace, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, defamation and questions regarding fitness for duty.
'Fear the commission'
Crofts began serving his four-year team as the County Commission chair in January 2025. Since then, according to VanOrman's investigation, several employees quit their jobs with Davis County, and others said they were seeking new employment, due to what they called a hostile work environment.
"While these resignations are not solely based on Commissioner Crofts, it became clear during the investigation that interactions with him played a significant part in their decisions," VanOrman wrote. "Nearly every witness that I interviewed experienced what they termed a hostile work environment. This includes being yelled at, being told they are a liar to their face, having their job threatened due to their political affiliation, being attacked and slandered in public meetings if they disagree with his views, and being publicly accused of both criminal and personal misconduct."
Crofts has publicly stated that "employees will learn to fear the commission," according to witness accounts cited by VanOrman.
At least one instance of "hostile and unprofessional treatment" as mentioned by witnesses, according to VanOrman, occurred when a library employee asked Crofts about cleanup plans following a political town hall meeting that took place at the facility.
The commissioner, according to the report, responded in an aggressive manner stating, "Why don't you ask your boss," before he allegedly pulled the assistant out of her office and "started ripping into her." He then proceeded to criticize everyone at the library and "became red faced and livid," the report reads.
Crofts later apologized to the employee after learning that they were upset and felt uncomfortable due to the incident.
Flag fallout
The eight-page report notes more tensions between other library employees and Crofts, specifically related to art and LGBTQ flags.
The commissioner allegedly wanted to "get rid" of an employee because he said the person "flies a pride flag at the library, and Republicans can't use the library anymore because of the flag," VanOrman wrote in the report.
Problems also arose due to artwork that was designated for the library. VanOrman wrote that the issue between Crofts and a particular library employee was an example of a pattern she said emerged during her investigation.
"Time and time again, if Commissioner Crofts was challenged, or if someone took a path that he did not agree with, instead of agreeing to disagree or attempting to solve the problem and work with the individual, an attempt to discredit, with the ultimate goal of getting rid of the individual (either by termination or resignation) occurred," she wrote in the report.
Alleged political favoritism, defamation
VanOrman said a common concern that many of the individuals she interviewed alleged of Crofts was political favoritism.
Some witnesses alleged the commissioner has indicated that he "owes the conservative arm of the Republican Party" for donating money to help get him elected into office. There was also a perception that he tried to help his political supporters obtain jobs or raises, based on their political affiliation — even if said person wasn't qualified for the role, "while seeking to discredit and or terminate his 'political enemies,'" the report states.
VanOrman also said one of the more concerning claims she looked into were those of alleged defamation.
"In my opinion, it is these claims that bring the greatest potential for liability both to Davis County and personally to Commissioner Crofts," she wrote.
VanOrman said some of the more "egregious and legally defamatory statements" alleged that Crofts made comments about some elected officials not being transparent and hiding things from voters, claims that a couple of county employees were having affairs and accusations that county officials were engaged in criminal activity.
Concerns were also raised in the report regarding claims that Crofts would discuss topics of religion in the workplace where it didn't belong. However, VanOrman noted "that no witnesses alleged that they were discriminated against for being a member of a different faith."
In her conclusion, VanOrman said that while the statements brought forth during the investigations were concerning and could pose a potential liability for the county and Crofts, she didn't find that there was any malice in his actions, and she believes he genuinely was unaware of any wrongdoing.
"While that is concerning, it also gives me hope that positive changes can be made. I would strongly recommend that (Commissioner) Crofts undergo training in leadership, management, and proper workplace conduct," she wrote.
Crofts, in an emailed statement late last month, denies the accusations, calling the interviews with participants in the investigation "riddled with inaccuracies, exaggerations, omissions and claims that are plainly untrue."
However, during Tuesday's board meeting, Crofts seemingly addressed the accusations in his closing remarks — though he didn't specifically indicate what the comments were referring to.
"I wanted to mention that if there are any staff in the county that would like to talk to me, they're welcome to. I have an open-door policy, and I'm more than happy to discuss concerns," he said.
