Davis running for Hayden mayor

Alan Davis announced his candidacy to serve as Hayden’s mayor.

Davis has volunteered for 11 years in several capacities for the city, currently as chair of the city’s planning and zoning commission, which according to a news release announcing his candidacy, has helped significantly reduce Hayden’s planned housing density.

He is endorsed by Hayden’s three most-recent mayors.

“My primary goal as your mayor is to preserve Hayden. Every time that we have a Fourth of July parade, a family movie night in McIntire Park or I grab a 25-cent soft serve at our local grocery store, I’m reminded of what makes Hayden such a great place to live,” Davis said in the release.

He is focusing his campaign, he said, on the issues he has experienced through intimate interactions with the city and staff, and Hayden's citizens.

“While our current city plans are an improvement, I know that we have more work to do. I will prioritize benefiting our quality of life as we continue to address growth and future land use,” Davis said. “I will also preserve one of the lowest tax bases of any comparable city in the state. We need to responsibly create new businesses in Hayden, as they offset the taxes paid by homeowners. I do not want to see Hayden turn into a dense growth municipality like we see from some neighboring areas.”

Davis said he also wants to improve another issue that frustrates Hayden citizens — traffic.

“Our roads were simply not designed for the number of vehicles that they carry. Improvements can be expensive, and we need to take advantage of federal and state grants, when available, to help improve traffic flow through the city,” he said in the release. “I will also work with Hayden’s Urban Renewal Agency to fund infrastructure when possible.”

Davis relayed his concern about ensuring that Hayden city staff continues working for its citizens without unnecessary distraction.

“I hope that you will agree as a voter how important it is to elect people with knowledge and experience, and to exclude political ideology from city elections,” he said in the release. “With my eight years of commission experience and knowledge with Idaho State laws, local ordinances and our city’s Comprehensive Plan, I will make decisions based on real data and I will not promote misinformation to advance fear, panic or distrust.”

Davis returned home to the Northwest with his family, relocating to Hayden in 2012, after concluding a 27-year U.S. Navy career. He continued his lifelong service locally by coaching Hayden’s children on city soccer teams through seven seasons. He and his wife have raised two children who are both attending Idaho Universities.

“It’s ‘Go Vandals and Broncos’ in the Davis household,” the release said.

Davis is a 10-year Hayden small business owner.