Letter: Orem has change in Mayor/Council form of government
People are so focused on sorting out conflicting information on Proposition 2, they have not noticed that our form of government in Orem has changed. The Mayor/City council government is gone, instead we have a cabal. Cabal is defined as “contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government).” Other definitions mention “working secretly to promote private views or interests” and “a clique (often secret) that seeks power.” These definitions aptly describe the actions and intents of 4 elected officials who have wrongfully taken over the decision-making process in our city government.
Recently, 4 members of our Mayor/City Council group voted to pass a resolution to encourage Orem citizens to vote for Proposition 2. They proposed Prop 2, put it on the ballot, and now they are using their status as city officials to promote this political issue. These 4 individuals can push any agenda through our city government because they have the majority and majority rules. Three of our city council members are good public servants who want to do what is right for Orem. The other 4 have had a hidden agenda from before they were elected. We’re not talking about officials (mayor/city council) who just happen to agree and vote accordingly — we’re talking about collusion that was pre-planned before they ran for office. Splitting Orem from Alpine School District is just one of their agenda items.
The contention we are experiencing over Proposition 2 can be traced back to these 4 individuals. An obscene amount of money has been spent to promote Prop 2, including taxpayer dollars. They have hired a special attorney (legislative counsel), a publicity agency, “to get the word out” on Prop 2, and a communication specialist. All three work specifically for the Mayor and City Council and are being paid for by taxpayers.
This situation illustrates how easy it is to lose our right to a representative government, and once lost, how hard it will be to get it back again.
Virginia Sokolowsky, Orem
