I have never heard Mayor Young or LaNae Millett take sole credit for the City Hall. Every time they speak about the City Hall, it is always, in a spirit of celebration, saying, “We built this with no new taxes.” It was a team effort involving past and present Mayors, Council Members, and Orem City Staff who made this happen. I question why Brunst wrote an op-ed with a FALSE narrative that simply throws mud at good people doing their best for Orem citizens and the community of Orem.

In November 2021, just weeks before leaving office, Mayor Brunst came to my house, sat at my kitchen table, and asked me to support the new City Hall. I have always been a proponent of building a new city hall, and I was all for it, but I was unsure of Dick’s numbers. Dick wanted me to help make sure it was put on our City Council agenda so he could vote on it while he was still in office. Brunst then said it was “for my legacy.” I was stunned and not happy with his response. I then told him I would not do that. Running for Mayor or City Council is not about a legacy, but service to the citizens of Orem.

Importantly, the reason the Council never approved a City Hall under Dick’s watch had nothing to do with waiting for new leadership so the new Council could get credit. It was because he did not have the support from the majority of the City Council, we questioned his numbers, we questioned the process, and it was not our job to help him fulfill “his legacy”.

The way the City budget works is that every year, the city can only maintain 15 percent of its budget surplus that was not used from the previous year. The rest of the money needs to be transferred to the capital improvement projects fund, like roads, water, sewer, parks, and other infrastructure needs. We received $2.5 million during COVID-19 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $5 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. During Mayor Young’s administration, we arranged to carry over $9 million from our budget surplus to help build the new city center.

During Mayor Brunst’s tenure, city staff floated various proposals, but critical questions were never answered. The costs and funding were unclear. Mayor Brunst, along with the former Orem City Manager, Jamie Davidson, reallocated money earmarked for road bond payments that were set to expire and used it to build the Library Hall and Fitness Center, rather than the City Center. My question was, if Dick was so concerned with the safety of our employees, then why didn’t he build the City Hall first, as was discussed back in 2018? It is because Former Mayor Brunst and the City Manager had other priorities.

Brunst likes to use baseball metaphors in describing his time as mayor. I am a baseball guy, but the truth is, City Hall was never a baseball game. It was football. Moving the ball down the field is one thing, but what counts is getting into the red zone and across the goal line. Under Mayor Brunst, the ball never got into the end zone. Under the leadership of Mayor Dave Young, the Council finally drove the ball all the way, scored the touchdown, and, with prior savings, delivered a debt-free, tax-free, fully-funded City Hall for the people of Orem. With that said, I am thankful for those who helped us drive the ball.

It is interesting to note that Brunst also mentioned Hillcrest Park as a project he helped push through. In reality, he voted against the purchase of this property for a park. Hillcrest Park was Councilman Terry Peterson’s project, which he championed and made a reality. Hillcrest Park has lifted that neighborhood and has brought excitement back to the area. It adds another great new amenity to Orem’s Parks portfolio.

Also important to note is that in 2021, Brunst, just before finishing his term as Mayor, voted against the moratorium that would stop 10,000 apartments from being built on State Street.

When Mayor David Young took office in 2022, he rebuilt trust with the employees, listened to the Council, and brought clarity and new priorities to Orem’s direction. Together, with a vote of 7-0, we passed a fiscally responsible plan to build City Hall. Plans and bidding were finalized, and construction began shortly after. In April 2025, we proudly opened a beautiful, modern City Hall that serves the people of Orem. Mayor Young has never once asked for plaques or pictures to hang in the new chambers. Mayor Brunst, on the other hand, has sent repeated emails and texts asking for both.

Orem deserves facts, not revisionist history. The new City Hall is a win for taxpayers because of Mayor Young’s leadership, this Council’s teamwork, and previous council members, not because of a former mayor now trying to rewrite the ending for his personal legacy.

I was not happy with my friend Mayor Brunst writing an op-ed to politically cast doubt during this campaign. His false narrative, using Brunst’s words from his op-ed, is “disrespectful, disingenuous, and frankly selfish.” All he is doing is stirring up contention, and contention is not a good thing.

I hope we can be nicer and be kinder to all around us and remain focused on building a future we can all be proud of.

We are Family City USA, and I take pride in living in Orem and serving our community.

David Spencer is a member of the Orem City Council.