At the Utah County Republican Convention, while talking with several people about her run for City Council, Angela was asked where she stood on two key issues: high-density housing and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along State Street. She openly said she supported both. But then she added something revealing — she admitted she would never state those positions publicly in Orem because, in her words, she wouldn’t get elected if she did.

Since then, Angela has been careful. Her videos, website, and printed materials avoid any mention of high-density housing or BRT. She’s worked hard to present a polished image that hides her true positions. Yet in smaller, more informal settings, she’s been less guarded.

At a recent cottage meeting, Angela floated an “idea” she’d been considering: allowing businesses along State Street to build “two to four apartments, tops” above their existing buildings to supplement their income. She said such residents would likely use public transportation, fitting neatly with her pro-BRT stance. But there’s a problem — current zoning does not allow mixed-use housing like that. To make it possible, she would need to create a new zoning category for State Street.

That sounds simple enough — until you realize what it would mean in practice. Zoning doesn’t work one parcel at a time. Once a new “two-to-four-apartments-tops” zone is created, it applies to the entire corridor. State Street has hundreds of businesses. “Two to four apartments” at each location can quickly escalate to two to four hundred, or even two to four thousand new apartments. It may not be the 10,000 units in the old State Street Master Plan, but it’s a move back in that same direction — the wrong direction for Orem.

If you’ve ever read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, you know how the story goes: give a mouse a cookie, and he’ll want a glass of milk. In Orem’s case, if you give Angela “two to four apartments, tops,” she’ll soon want more — more density, more development, more change to the very character of our city.

Angela Moulton knows that her true positions on these issues are unpopular in Orem, so she keeps them out of her public messaging. Her plan is simple: get elected first, then start quietly implementing her “ideas” once she’s in office.

Orem deserves leaders who say what they mean and mean what they say — not candidates who hide their agenda behind clever talking points

Bobby F Jackson is an Orem resident.