James Harrison, an endorsed candidate for Lehi City Council, said he is running to steer the city toward more strategic growth and stronger public-safety staffing.

Harrison told the Utah County Republican Party podcast hosted by Charles Max Wood that rapid high-density development in parts of Lehi has outpaced infrastructure and contributed to traffic and safety concerns. He said the city needs to protect neighborhood character and preserve commercial zoning on key corridors to increase sales-tax revenue rather than rely on property-tax increases or large developer incentives.

"If we're gonna have ... elderly [residents] on a fixed income and the value of their house went up," Harrison said, "thats where, you know, it can threaten to take an elderly person's home away" through rising taxes. He added that about "83% of our property taxes in Lehi are tied to school districts," a figure he cited while describing limits on municipal control over overall property-tax burdens.

Harrison criticized recent city spending and bonding, calling some projects excessive and questioning priorities. He pointed to a multi-block city-hall project and Family Park expenditures as examples that create longer-term fiscal pressure and said he would seek a clearer budgeting strategy before approving similar projects.

On development, Harrison described state-level mandates and local zoning changes that he said have allowed residential overlays enabling higher-density infill in established single-family neighborhoods. He said many such overlays are sold as "affordable" but often produce small units with market prices he described as still costly, arguing the overlays can reduce transparency in neighborhood values and increase parking demands and school enrollment.

Harrison also stressed the citys need for a stronger commercial tax base. "We have very little land left that's commercially zoned," he said, and urged city administrators to market commercial corridors and avoid large tax-incentive packages that defer revenue recognition for years.

Public safety featured prominently. Harrison said Lehi is short of sworn officers and that the police chief requested nine hires this year but the council funded only a subset. "If we wait, then there's gonna be increased crime," he said, arguing the council should prioritize patrol headcount now rather than fund lower-priority capital projects. He also said the city should consider civilian code-enforcement staff to free patrol officers for policing duties.

Harrison criticized pedestrian infrastructure decisions, saying a MAG-funded road project originally promised sidewalks and instead resulted in a mid-block HAWK crossing near Ascent Academy. He described that change as a "bait and switch" and pressed for consistent pedestrian safety near schools.

He also described a long-running dispute between residents and a nearby light-industrial staging area operated by Hadco, saying buffers have not resolved noise and early-morning activity and that the city must protect residential welfare.

Harrison said he pledged not to accept donations from home builders or developer associations to avoid conflicts when voting on rezones or incentives. He named state senator Heidi Baldry as an endorsement he values and encouraged voters to use ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on election night; his campaign website is jamesforlehi.com.

Harrison described his goals as modest and time-limited: serve perhaps two terms, then return to private life while trying to leave Lehi with a clearer strategic plan for growth, improved regional coordination on traffic and stronger basic safety services.