City Council · 2022-11-10
Mayor & City Council Inauguration 2022
Minutes for this meeting aren't posted yet. The transcript is available.
Good evening. I love that music. I don't know about you, but my family, we're still celebrating. We're still enjoying Christmas and we're still enjoying New Year's. So I'd like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that 2022 is a wonderful year for each of you and your families. My name is Terry Peterson. I am currently serving on the ORMC Council, and we'd like to start off this evening with an invocation. The invocation will be given by Elder Glenn D. Mella. Elder Mella is currently serving as an Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I'll also add a 27-year resident of Orem. Elder Mella.
Our Father in Heaven, we are grateful to be assembled on this occasion. Tonight, we're thankful for many blessings where we live, for the freedoms afforded in this country, for the way of life that is sustained here in Orem, in our communities, where families and citizens can live free and safe. And we're grateful for so many resources, people, and opportunities to sustain that. We're mindful of the beautiful process in this place of leadership and transition of authority and administrations, and we pray for both those who have served and their families and those being inaugurated tonight— our mayor-elect and his family. Wilt thou bless him and them with safety, with health, with Uh, clear mind and intellect to confront the opportunities and challenges that face and will face our city. We're grateful for the administration, for other leaders, the city council, and those who will serve, and we pray for them and their families. We're grateful, Father, for so many things. We also recognize that there are those who suffer, that there is still a raging pandemic here and around the world. We pray that it will soon pass, that Thou will intervene and, and, uh, help those caregivers and those, uh, ministering to those who suffer, that they'll be led and inspired by Thee. We pray for those who are homeless and who lack the basic necessities, that they will be comforted and opportunities will be opened, and that those of us who can will reach out and help. We We petition thy Spirit and thy blessings upon us and upon this land, and do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank you, Elder Miller. So we'd like to thank, uh, Adam Robertson. Adam, I don't— I— the lights are out, so I don't know where you're at, but I know you're here. We saw you earlier. And this is, uh, Adam is in charge of the uh, Sierra Theater, uh, director. He's got— he— well, he has a lot of hats and a lot of different titles, and, uh, we appreciate them hosting the event. The Sierra was founded in 1933, uh, and there currently is over 800 volunteers that work in the Sierra program. The programs are for children, those with special needs, and also for adults. They offer training in pottery, dance, music, theater, arts education. The Sierra also runs the Orem Heritage Museum, which I believe is going to be open tonight after this event. It's just south of us. Hundreds of thousands attend Sierra events annually, hundreds of thousands. And if you haven't ever attended the outdoor Sierra Shell, shame on you, you're missing a treat. The Sierra is a gem for For our city. And well, on a personal note, when I was in junior high, I worked in the theater next to this one scraping the gum off the floors and the gum off the seats. So please don't put your gum on the floors tonight. I'll be thinking about you. But we love the Seara, and we appreciate Adam opening up to us this evening. And the most important group I want— like to acknowledge tonight are you. the citizens of Orem. It's your city. You worked hard for your candidates who supported your wishes and your hopes and your dreams for Orem, and we thank you for your hard work and your passion for Orem. So thank you very much, and this is your celebration, so give yourself a hand. So this evening, the honor guard will be presented by the Orem Fire Department, and we have the greatest first responders in the state. We appreciate them. So after the posting of the colors, the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Kelly Kirkpatrick. Kelly is the Post Vice Commander of the American Legion Post 72. So we'll have the honor guard, the Pledge of Allegiance. After the pledge— or excuse me, after the Pledge of Allegiance, then we'll have the national anthem that will be sung by Shea Owens. So Shea Owens is an assistant professor of classical voice and director of opera at BYU. Shea has performed all over the world. I know, I think about a year and a half ago, he was over in Switzerland performing. for a number of months. We appreciate Shay. So we'll first have the honor guard, then the Pledge of Allegiance, and then we will have the national anthem sang by Shay. Thank you.
Will the audience please rise? Company, attention! Half step forward march! Company halt! Prepare colors. Post colors. Face. Present arms.
If any of you in the audience are veterans, Congress enacted law in 2015. It states whether you're in uniform or not, you may salute the flag. With that said, would all of the audience please. Please stand and render the proper salute and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance with me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Please, uh, arms. Arms.
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night That our flag was still there. Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave? O'er the land of the free? And the home of the brave.
Order arms! About face! Fall in! Company dismissed. Company dismissed.
I don't know about you, but I have chills going up and down my back. Thank you. So the oath of office tonight will be for the Orem mayor and the city council will be administered by the Honorable Judge Reed S. Parkin. Judge Parkin is the judge of the City of Orem Justice Court. So before he swears them in, I have a few— a little bit of information to give you about each of the people who are going to be sworn in. By the way, this wasn't provided by them. This is stuff that we want to hear that's provided by somebody else, some of their family members. But, but I think it's very interesting to get to know them a little better. So Dave Spencer, will you please stand? I'm gonna, I'm gonna roast you for a second. No, I'm not roasting him at all. Dave and I have gotten to serve together for the last few years. Great man. Dave's father was a pilot in the Air Force, and because of his dad's career, Dave attended 4 different high schools, if you can imagine. And his wife provided me a list of the places he had lived, and it's throughout the world. He lived in Germany 2 or 3 times and many places. Dave's married to Julie Crandall. They have 4 children. Dave's a doer, not a delegator. His employer was going to close their local office in Salt Lake, and Dave convinced the president to put trust in him. Dave worked tirelessly and was rewarded by turning the company around. Dave now is the director of the Pacific Northwest and oversees 85+ employees. A side note about David, has a passion for restoring cars, and I won't tell you that his favorite musical artist is Tom Petty because that really doesn't— anyway. So, After Dave is sworn in, uh, we will have a special musical number. Uh, well, after Dave is sworn in, we want to hear from Dave. So Dave will be sworn in as soon as I sit down, and then we'll hear from Dave. After Dave speaks to us, uh, his daughter— She'll sing before I speak. What's that? She'll sing before I speak. You want her to? Yeah. I'm sorry, we can't change the program, Dave. No, uh, Dave would like to have his daughter sing before he speaks, so that's fine. So before After Dave is sworn in, we'll have his daughter sing, and her name is Hannah Spencer. Hannah is the daughter of Dave and Julie Spencer. She's now married, so it used to be the former Hannah Spencer. Hannah is the daughter of Dave and Julie. She's a graduate of UVU in elementary education. She has performed at the Sierra and the Hale Theater. She's currently at the 2nd grade at Mount Mahogany teaching in Pleasant Grove. She will sing Come Thou Fount Font of Every Blessing, and she'll be accompanied by Paul Dimmock, who is a lifelong Orem resident and a family friend. So first of all, we'll have, we'll have you sworn in, and then we will have your daughter sing, and then we'll have you speak. Thank you.
I, state your full name.
I, David Milton Spencer.
Do swear.
Do swear.
That I'll support, obey, and defend.
That I'll support, obey, and defend.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Utah.
Constitution of the State of Utah.
That I'll obey the laws of the City of Orem.
Obey the laws of the City of Orem.
And that I will serve with diligence and all regard in my office and calling.
I will serve—
let's repeat that. The judge is messing up here a little bit. And I will discharge the duties of my office.
And I will discharge my duties of office.
With fidelity.
With fidelity.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Come, thou fount of every blessing, to my heart to sing thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me somehow God, your Sonnet sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love. Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I come, and I hope by thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He, to rescue me from danger, bought me with his precious blood. Oh, to grace, how great a debtor! Daily I'm constrained Strain to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, oh, take and Seal it, seal it for thy courts above. Seal it for thy courts above.
It's pretty cool when you use a teleprompter and you don't have to use your glasses, but I'm truly humbled being here this evening. I want to thank you all for coming out tonight and showing your support. I want to thank my daughter, Hannah, for singing that song. It's very special to me. Thank you. And I'm truly grateful for her talent. I don't know if she got this— she must have got the singing from, from me because I like Tom Petty. But, um, um, so I want to thank Hannah again, uh, and also Paul Demick. Um, I don't even know if they've come out yet. Here they come. So we'll stop a little bit. And so I just, I just thank you, Hannah, for singing the song. Thank you. And also Paul. It's an amazing song, and it's one of my favorites, and it touches me deeply. Can we give them another round of applause, please? It's not good starting off crying, but it's the way it goes. Um, I want to thank Adam Robertson and the Sierra for all they do for our community. We are lucky to have the Sierra at Orem, and what a jewel for the city of Orem. Um, I don't know if Adam's son's here, Beckham, but is he here, Adam? You know, maybe not. He said he wanted to watch a Jazz game, but I thought this was a lot funner to, uh, to come to. But, um, we'll move on. Um, I want to thank all those who helped me with my campaign, those that walked neighborhoods and put up signs and talked to their neighbors and friends, those that gave me donations for my campaign. I am very grateful and thankful for you. We appreciate your support and confidence and trust in us. I'm thankful for my campaign manager, David Kyle, and his family. I know his wife put up with a lot, and his voicemail is always full. I don't know why, but so you always have to text him. But I appreciate his service. He's helped me on 3 campaigns, and I've won all 3. So appreciate you, Dave. I'm definitely thankful for my family, my son Taylor, and his friends also. Walked and did door hangers. I'm thankful for my wife, Julie, for her support. She's really a taskmaster when it comes to campaign because she has it all mapped out, and this is where you need to walk, this is where you need to knock. And, you know, I listened to her and I say, yes, dear. So. But I'm thankful for her, and she's, she's amazing, and she does an amazing job. Thank you, Julie. This gathering this evening is really a celebration of our democracy, our ability as citizens to have a voice in our local government. For those that want to protest, you can do it in other ways. Never disrespect the flag of the United States of America or the national anthem. Men and women have fought and died for our freedoms. Let's not try to erase history. Let's learn from it. I'm honored to live in a free country and have the freedoms we have today. If you're active military or served in the military, would you please stand? Let's give them thanks for their service. Thanks again for your service. Appreciate it. So my father couldn't be here tonight. He is 91 and he likes to watch Hallmark, so it's hard to get him out of the chair, but hopefully he's watching at home. But he, he's a veteran of the military and he fought in the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart. I retired after 80— 80 or 28 years in the Air Force, and I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for my father and mother setting examples of service to our country and community for me to follow. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I also want to thank the Orem Police and the Orem Fire who keep us safe and protect us every day and night. They put their lives on the line every day, and I appreciate your service to our community. Every day they leave their house and they don't know if they're going to return because they're protecting the citizens of Orem. I am thankful that being on the City Council, I will never defund the police or the fire, period. That's nonsense. Thank you. Okay, so did the— please stand. We had an applause, right? Okay, we appreciate your service. So Orem is at a crossroads. The pressure to change our core values is increasing, and now more than ever we need to take a stand. I will continue to listen and be your voice of concerns, an advocate for transparency, work to solve the ongoing issues. Here are a few that we have. The State's Your Master Plan. We all know about the State's Your Master Plan, and we're going to work and try to get that solved. High-density housing— we know that's an issue in Orem. We need to look at that also. We also need to keep the integrity of our neighborhoods from high-density housing creep. And also traffic. We all know— we know Orem is very busy, but I think if we can figure something out, we can, we can solve our traffic issue. I am humbled to have another 4 years serving you on the Orem City Council. Together we can keep moving in the right direction. God bless you. God bless the city of Orem, and God bless our great nation. Thank you.
Thanks, Dave. I'm glad to get to serve with you. Tom McDonald, would you please stand? Tom grew up in New York. I learned a lot of things from Kay, his wife, when she was telling me about him. He grew up in New York. He arrived in Utah at age 13 with a heavy New York accent. That fits right into Orem, doesn't it? He worked at age 14 to help his single mother and his family of 6. But I think it's really pretty impressive story. Tom married his high school sweetheart, Kay Magnum. Tom's father-in-law was a longtime Orem mayor. He was a mayor when I was growing up in Orem, Mayor Magnum. In 2020— and Tom's had a long history of some great accomplishments, both in business and in his religious and his church. But one thing that Tom is very proud of, I'm sure among others, is one, he's He has his 4 children, which he's very grateful for and proud of. And Tom fulfilled a goal of his this last year to hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim. So pretty impressive. He's a very big outdoorsman. He loves to hike, and you see him doing that in all kinds of weather. So Tom will now be sworn in. After he's sworn in, we invite Tom to come and say a few words.
How we doing?
I— state your full name.
I, Thomas William McDonald.
Do solemnly swear.
Do solemnly swear.
That I'll obey and support the Constitution of the United States.
That I will obey and support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Utah, the Constitution of the State of Utah, the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem, the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem, and I'll discharge the duties of my office with fidelity, and I'll discharge the duties, duties of my office with fidelity.
Congratulations. Thank you.
Notes are gone. Hold on. It's great to be with you. This is a celebration tonight, isn't it? There's, uh, there'll be plenty of work ahead of us, but tonight is a celebration. I am so grateful. I'm grateful for the music that's been offered. I'm grateful, Elder Mella, for your opening. I don't know where you are. You must be somewhere in the front. I can't see you, but your, your invocation, we could end after that and the music and And of course, this posting of our colors were wonderful. I'm also grateful my children are not singing today, David. When they were young, they stood up in church and tried to sing the song Follow the Prophet. And my youngest thought it said fire the rocket. And so he was pretty active in that exclamation, and the audience was laughing. And I was on the stand, and my wife was hiding a little bit. But the 4 children saying— 3 of them saying follow the prophet, one saying fire the rocket. Today, I think we're firing the rocket. We're celebrating. I'm grateful for that. I want to congratulate all these people who have been elected and also wish those who didn't win the very best in their service elsewhere in our city. I came to know all the candidates, and I believe they had the very best interests of Orem at heart. And those of us who were fortunate enough to be elected now have a duty to move forward in harmony, to build a better Orem. Like David, of course, I stand on the shoulders of those who've gone before me. A mother and father who— whose party affiliation I did not know, who I did not know who they voted for, but I knew in our home we were never to speak disrespectfully of elected officials. I knew that we would pray for those who had been elected. Whether my mother and father voted for them, I had no idea, but I knew we were duty-bound to support them. In like manner, I'm grateful for those who pray for their elected officials, as we heard today in invocation. I'm also grateful for a wife and child— children who support me, and grandchildren. Not too long ago, our child, our prodigal son who's moved to California— I don't care where he lives, but he took our grandchildren with him. He was up here during some of the campaign, and my then 7-year-old grandson, who thinks I'm pretty special, thinks, Mike, everyone likes my grandfather. Well, had he been involved in the election, he would have known that was not true, but he said, everyone likes my grandfather. My son said he would wait until later to tell him the truth. But I'm grateful for their support with a bit of joke, and a bit of humor and a whole lot of love. Kay, who has had a father serve in city politics and heavily in church experiences, supported me in like manner, and I'm grateful for that. Like me, perhaps you are glad that the noise, the signs, and the mailers of the elections are behind us. I am grateful and humbled to have been reelected, and I'm committed to continue to be part of the coalition of reason on the City Council. I sincerely appreciate those who supported and encouraged me, especially during the last trying weeks of the election. However, a long tradition which has hallmarked political transitions in the United States has seen rivals come together after a hard-fought campaign to work as a key team for the common good of all citizens. I am committed to do my part to keep that practice alive and well in Orem. The first time I had the opportunity to cast a vote for the President of the United States, it was for Ronald Reagan. I have a quote of his that I've often used and reminded myself in business efforts, charitable responsibilities, and also in city causes is The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor. So in that spirit, I invite all citizens, neighborhood organizations, other organized groups of Orms, city management employees, and of course the city council to stay positive and work together in a productive way. I trust that we're all more interested in finding real solutions than winning an argument. I think the citizens believe that faith and hope will win over anger and despair, and that a spirit of cooperation rather than combativeness is what is needed to keep Orem great. Thank you for joining me in the quest to make Orem even better. Thank you and good night.
So, Lynnae Millett, would you please stand? Lynnae grew up in Midway, where she learned to hunt, fish, and ride horses. She earned money with— in doing various jobs. One of them was changing major sprinkling pipes on a 250-acre nearby farm near to her home. She played high school softball and basketball, and she's always had a record of standing up against injustice to be an advocate for those who can't stand up for themselves. She's married to Ken Millett, and they're the parents of 4 children. So after the oath of office, then we'd like to hear from Lynnae. After Lynnae speaks to us, we will hear a musical number from Aaron Wise. He will sing The Only Home I Know, and he'll be accompanied by David Smith. Aaron's a classical crossover singer who performs a spectrum of opera, popular songs, and musical theaters and hymns, and has traveled around the country doing this. So first of all, we'll hear the— well, first of all, we'll have the swearing-in, and then we'll hear from Lynnae.
I, state my— your full name.
I, Lenee Millett.
Do solemnly swear.
Do solemnly swear.
That I'll support, obey, and defend.
That I will support, obey, and defend.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Utah.
The Constitution of the State of Utah.
And the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem.
And the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem.
And I will discharge the duties of my office.
And I will discharge the duties of my office.
With fidelity.
With fidelity.
Congratulations. Thank you.
Hold on just a minute, Terry's really tall. Thank you, Terry. First of all, can I just say how fun it was to go out and greet a lot of you in the audience before this meeting started? I haven't seen you for a few months, and it seemed like for a while there I was seeing you quite a few times during the week. So thank you, thank you for coming tonight and for your support. I'm honored to be here with you tonight and to take the oath of office. Could we move the prompter up a little bit? Thank you so much. Sorry about that. Thank you to all of you who organized this event. I'd like to especially thank Adam Robertson and the Sierra for hosting tonight. I think it's been said a few times tonight, the Sierra truly is a jewel of our community, and I have my family— Yes, thank you. Let's do that. I know my family has been personally blessed by the programs that they have here. I'd like to first begin by expressing my profound gratitude to my husband Ken for his loyal support and his behind-the-scenes efforts, including putting up every single one of my campaign signs. That one deserves a round of applause. I think he's got a rotator cuff injury because of all that. Um, his encouragement for me to follow this path has made all the difference. For over 20 years, he has supported my efforts and my desires to serve in our community. Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate that. I also want to thank my children for their support and their willingness to share their mom with the community. They're great kids. Thank you. I am also grateful for this opportunity in this environment to really express my gratitude to the people who helped make tonight possible for me. Thank you for contributing your time. A campaign is a big thing and it takes a lot of people. To make it happen. Thank you for hosting cottage meetings, making donations, placing a sign in your yard, walking miles— literally miles for some of the people who hung the door hangers on each door in the City of Orem. And thank you for speaking to your friends and neighbors. Especially, thank you for caring enough about the great City of Orem to be involved in this election process. Thank you to you right now. Can I tell you, I have met so many who have a sincere love for this city and a desire to keep Orem a great place to live, to work, to play, and to raise a family, both now and in the years to come. Thank you for your service. Thank you for being here tonight, and especially thank you for your vote. I am truly humbled to be here with you. In the past couple of months, I have been thinking about some of my favorite quotes, and 2 of my favorite ones have come to my mind often. The first quote is attributed to a gentleman named Donald McGannon, and that quote is, leadership is action, not position. When referring to this quote, Master Sergeant Scott Harris said, This phrase, leadership is action, not position, epitomizes my leadership philosophy. Specifically, I feel people are leaders by virtue of what they do, not the authority they are given or the title or position that they hold. I completely agree with Master Sergeant Harris, and I will work hard to be a person of action for our Orem residents. The second quote is one that's near and dear and very personal to me, one I was raised with. It simply states, let— leave everything better than you found it. My dad taught this often to his 7 children, and my mom always, always exemplified it. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I miss you. I wish you were still here, and I'm grateful for you both, for the way you shaped and guided my life and that of my siblings. I want to tell you that I am looking forward to working with Mayor Young and the other members of the City Council, with the city employees, and with our first responders. And I appreciate, I appreciate the accolades that were given to them tonight. Can we do— let's do— let's give them a round of applause. Thank you so much. Couple weeks ago, I got to take popcorn balls with some of the other members of the City Council to our firefighters and police, and they are just incredible men and women. We're in good hands. I really feel we are. One thing I do want to say is that I know that working together, the City Council and the mayor and the residents, the employees, I know we will leave Orem better each day. We will leave things better than we found them. Thank you again for this opportunity, and may God bless Family City USA. Thank you.
The willow that I used to climb may bend a little more. The paint may all be peeling off the front porch and the door. No matter what, I'm heading back and whistling as I go. For better or for worse, it's still the only home I know. The garden, Mama, you The fields we used to tend may now be overgrown. Our friends and neighbors moved away to distant parts unknown. It could be no one's waiting there to smile and say hello. Still my heart is yearning For the only home I know. The memories I left behind may all have turned to dust. A penny in a wishing well, copper turned to rust. I can't remember why I left. For what I hope to find, I only know that more and more I'm back there in my mind. A fire place, a gentle face, a warm and friendly glow. Flee the letting Let it be the way it was. The only home I know. The only home I know.
Thank you, Aaron. That was beautiful. So I'd like to acknowledge a few people that are here. First of all, Mayor Brunson, would you please stand? Mayors. And is Brent Sumner here? I don't— I know Brent has a home in St. George. He might be sneaking away and getting warm for a few days. But we appreciate you, Mayor. You served well, you served hard, you served with passion, and we appreciate your service to the city. So thank you. Also like to recognize 2 people that are currently serving on the City Council with me, where we're halfway through our term. Jeff, would you please stand? Jeff Lampson. And, and Debbie Larray is in the back. So the City of Orem I won't move them. They have these teleprompters, which, uh, those are kind of cheating, aren't they? So I won't use them anyway. Uh, the city of Orem was incorporated May 5th, 1919. Uh, former names of the city: one, it was called Sharon. I don't know if any of you, uh, ever remember that, but, uh, and it used to be called the Provo Bench, which really irritates me being an Orem guy. I don't like to be called the Provo Bench, but, uh, Those were some of the former names. Currently, the population of Orem is just a hair under 100,000. Mayor Young will be the 20th mayor in the history of Orem. For the first part of Orem, it wasn't called mayor. It was kind of tied in with the church, and you'd have a stake president service, this and that. But, but as far as technically as a mayor, Mayor Young will be our 20th mayor. So before we have the mayor's mayoral oath of office, a few interesting facts about our new mayor. Dave Young is a magician, and that might come in really handy as mayor of the City of Orem. But not only just as a part-time, he was, he was encouraged to use his talent as a missionary when he was in Australia. In fact, he was named Magician of the Year in Australia. as— while he's serving as a missionary. Kind of interesting, which was a great, great way to introduce people to his message, to be able to meet and hear, hear what he was doing. He loves the outdoors and the mountains. If you've ever been in his home, he's a big game hunter, and the basement has some incredible trophies to see some of the hunting that he's done. His family started a foundation Called Live Your Dream Foundation, which I think is pretty special, and you could always reach out to Kathy or the mayor and learn more about that. It gives scholarships to single mothers so they can go back to school. So that kind of gives you a glimpse into the personality of this man. After Dave Young is sworn in, we would like to hear from him. Following Dave Young's comments, We will hear a musical number, God Bless the USA, sang by Tiffany Barker. Tiffany grew up in Orem. She graduated from BYU in broadcast journalism. She lived in Nashville and while traveling around the United States performed with her band. Tiffany's married to Shane Barker. They have— she and Shane have 5 children. She still performs, but she says being a mother and a wife is her biggest accomplishment. So first of all, we'll have Dave Young being sworn in. Hear from Dave and then Tiffany Barker.
I— state your full name.
I, David A.
Young, Do solemnly swear.
Do solemnly swear.
That I'll support, obey, and defend.
That I will support, obey, and defend.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Utah.
The Constitution of the State of Utah.
And the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem.
And the laws and ordinances of the City of Orem.
And I'll discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.
And I'll discharge the duties of my office with fidelity.
Congratulations.
Thank you. Let's see. Well, thank you for coming tonight. First, I want to thank the person who's been by my side for the last 42 years— 32, 42— the last 42 years, my beautiful wife Kathy. Thanks, Ken. I appreciate you and I love you, and I really appreciate all you do for our family and me. My family, volunteers, and supporters, we wouldn't be here tonight without you. Would you please stand to be recognized? Everyone who is our supporters. You guys were awesome in the campaign. To the voters of Vorm, I thank you. I appreciate your support and the decisive vote of confidence that you gave me. 45 years ago, back in my former life, I performed magic extensively throughout the western United States. My slogan was, all you've got to do is believe. I've incorporated that slogan into everything I've done in my life since. Friends, I believe in Orem and our residents. I believe we can put Orem back on track and move in the right direction. But we must work as a community to move Orem forward responsibly. We can do this by understanding our heritage and planning for our future. While driving here on State Street tonight, it's easy to forget that Orem was initially settled by courageous pioneers whose fertile orchards and farmlands created the area's early reputation as the Garden City of Utah.
A generation later, in 1919, these same pioneer families split off from Provo— Terry, you appreciate that— and incorporated a new city called Orem because of the need to develop their water system and solve the area's long-standing shortage of water. Later in 1933, Orem struggled through the devastating effects of the Great Depression. Many had lost lifetime investments in farms and homes, and spirits were low.
A group of leaders pooled their resources and vision to create the Sierra. They envisioned the Sierra as a community gathering place, a place for neighbors and families to come together, develop friendships, and have fun. The Sierra has evolved into Utah Valley's arts leader with educational performing arts programs that have been enjoyed by millions of Utahns over the last 88 years. We welcome you to the Serra tonight. It's great to have this here. Today we benefit from the generations before us who had a vision, took risks, and worked hard to set Orem apart. They set the standard high and made Orem a great place to live and raise a family. In the last 10 years, our community has lacked a long-term vision to maintain and move Family City, USA into the future. Like many of you, I was upset with the poorly planned high-density developments being pushed down State Street on top of our family neighborhoods. But I've always believed, if you aren't going to help fix a problem, then don't complain about it. So I ran for mayor because I believe that with your help, we can make a difference. Together we can move our community forward responsibly and in a better direction. But if we were to succeed, our leadership must be aligned with the people's will. The people of Orem, the city council, and Orem city management must be aligned regarding our vision for the future. Moving forward, we will pass reforms that will guarantee The residents will always be heard. Let's talk about the future, our vision, and the type of community we want to leave our kids and grandkids. After speaking with literally thousands of Orem residents throughout the campaign, it's clear that we all want to ensure Orem remains a great place to raise our families. With that in mind, we will promote a vision that prioritizes neighborhoods In addition, our vision includes a continued focus on recreation, the arts, and involvement in our— in the future of our children's education. We will promote a high level of safety provided by excellent first responders. We want to live in a city that allows our residents, children, and grandchildren to play and learn safely, follow their dreams, and be the best they can be. We want an environment that allows all city employees to be the best at what they do and provide excellent service to the public. A new city building would help facilitate that and solve a host of other concerns. So we'll study that issue and proceed responsibly if it can be done without burdening the taxpayers. Our community values transparency. Together with the council, we will pass reforms to enhance transparency and encourage input from residents. This will also give elected city leadership the information needed to make the best possible decisions for our community. Orem is an amazing place for business incubation, but we must do better.
We need to eliminate the roadblocks and find incentives to create an environment where all businesses will thrive. and wants to stay in Orem.
In this election, there was universal opposition to putting 9,400 apartments on State Street as outlined in the State Street Master Plan. As a result, a moratorium was put in place to stop future high-density, high-rise development until after the input from this election. We have your input. We heard your mandate. Our first order of business will be to work with the City Council on this issue and ensure that your voices are heard. And once and for all, after talking about it for all these years, we need to work with Warren businesses and investors to revive and upgrade State Street. We must make it— we must restore it and make it ideal to invest and service businesses, retail businesses, and commercial office space. It may sound like a lot, but we can accomplish our vision through communication and hard work if we believe we can do it. Friends, this is our chance to take action like our ancestors before us and work together to create a vision that moves us into the future and puts a renewed focus On keeping Orem Family City, USA. As I stated through that throughout my campaign, I promise you that I was— will always do my best to do the right thing for the right reason. And I can't think of a better reason to be standing with you tonight than to fight for the future of our community that we all call home. I can't thank you enough for being here tonight. I appreciate your support, and I encourage, encourage you to get involved and stay involved. Thank you, and God bless you.
If tomorrow all the things were gone you worked for all your life, and you had to start again with just your family by your side, I thank my God above to be living here today. 'Cause the flag still stands for freedom. And they can't take that away. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I'll gladly stand up next to you and I know you guys know it. You can sing too. From the lakes From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea, from Detroit down to Houston, from New York to LA, there is pride in every American heart, and it's time we stand and sing. And it's time we stand and sing. I'm proud to be an American. That I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died Who gave that right to me? And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. 'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA. Thank you.
Thank you, Mayor Young, and thank you, Tiffany. By the way, Tiffany's my daughter. I'm very proud of that girl. And, and Sherry had a little bit to do with it too, my wife. Yeah. We'd like to thank, uh, all those who have made this such a special evening, for the music, which has just been amazing, and for the speeches from the heart from our 3 new council people being sworn in on the City Council and our mayor. I'm so excited to get to work with, with each of them. And just a reminder, let's remember that those who are sworn into office Work for us as citizens. So if they're not making the decisions you feel are in the best interest of the city, it's our city. So remind them, talk to them, let them know your feelings and your concerns. But I'm so excited what we heard tonight and the commitment from, from these folks. And remember, tomorrow starts day one. Our benediction will be offered tonight by the Reverend Eleazar Elazar Silva Galvan. The Reverend Galvan is at the St. Francis Church here in Orem. The church was founded in 1892 in Provo, and then they became smarter and moved to Orem in the year 2000. Reverend Galvan was born in Mexico, and he came to Orem in August of 2021. So after the benediction, we'd encourage you to just stay in your seats for just a moment so that we can let Our 3 city council folks, members, and our mayor get to the back of the theater so they can greet us after the prayer. Thank you. She ain't a reverend, but she's my sweet wife. Sherry will say the— Sherry Peterson will say the benediction.
Our dear Father in Heaven, we are so grateful to be gathered here tonight in this beautiful city of Orem. We are so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for the plan that he has for each of us. We're so grateful for the opportunities that we have to be on this earth and to learn and to try to live like he would live and do the things that he would do. We are so grateful for those that are so committed to our city of Orem and to this way of life that, that we have established, has been established here for generations, this Family City USA. That has made it a wonderful place to raise our families and help them to grow up and to learn more about thee and to learn more about serving each other and serving our community. Tonight we're so grateful for those who have served and all those who are endeavoring to serve this city and to serve each of us. We're so grateful for their commitment and for their leadership and diligence and the, and the service they will render. We're grateful for all those that make our community safe and strong. We are so grateful for the citizens and all those that live here. And Father, we are so grateful again to be able to be here tonight. And we say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.