Rita Christensen (former Head of the Children’s Department at Orem Library) accused “the Mayor and certain City Council members” of using Draconian tactics and “uncompromising unfairness.”  At first, I thought this statement was too harsh. After all, when I looked up the word draconian, the definition referred to the Nazis and the severe laws that ended the free press in Germany. It’s interesting that the perceived censorship at the library has gotten so much attention when this group of four public officials have actually done much worse than censor book displays at the library. It seems apparent that these officials want to control pretty much everything that happens in Orem, and they have set themselves up, almost brilliantly, to accomplish that very goal.  

Since their inauguration in January of 2022, they have forced members of the planning commission to resign and replaced them with people who agree with their policies. They hired an attorney and a publicity specialist to work with the Mayor and City Council. They rolled back the State Street Master Plan rather than look for a balanced approach to growth in Orem. They proposed the creation of an Orem-only school district, commissioned a questionable feasibility study, put the issue on the ballot, hired a public relations firm to promote the split, used their positions as Mayor and Council members to campaign for the split, and caused contention in the community. Good employees are resigning or being forced from their jobs in Orem because they disagree with these officials. Now they want to combine the library and recreation departments, which is not appropriate for a city like Orem. This is no doubt another control tactic, but it pales in comparison with their desire to change our form of government. They will of course push for the Strong Mayor format which will provide even more complete control for these four city officials. So, let’s “just say no!”

Virginia Sokolowsky, Orem

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