Mayor· 2026-2030

Karen McCandless

Orem City

About

Karen McCandless's platform focused on addressing key local issues such as housing and improving city infrastructure. She also emphasized a desire to reduce political polarization within Orem.

Contact

✉ kmccandless@orem.gov ☎ 801-724-3803

Campaign promises (3)

housing
Discussed housing as a key issue.
infrastructure
Aimed to improve city infrastructure.
transparency
Advocated for lowering the political temperature in Orem.

At a glance

News mentions: 3

Term ending Dec 31, 2030.

Voice

Meetings spoken in: 24
Total speaking time: 8:55:26
Avg per meeting: 22:19
Segments: 9282

Want every word McCandless has said?

The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has McCandless said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.

Voice summary

Mayor Karen McCandless on the recordAI-generated · 10 meetings

Mayor Karen McCandless has consistently focused on improving governmental transparency, fiscal accountability, and collaborative infrastructure planning. Throughout these sessions, she has prioritized the formalization of council procedures, including establishing clear 'advice and consent' processes for appointments and emphasizing strict compliance with the Open Meeting Act. She has also been deeply engaged in local policy development, particularly regarding short-term rental regulations, public safety funding, and sustainability initiatives like the city-wide tree planting program. Her leadership style emphasizes thorough vetting of budget proposals and the inclusion of citizen and neighborhood feedback in both land-use decisions and traffic management.

All categories Appointments Budget Business Jobs Development Education Environment Finance General Governance Government

Filtered to Budget

Top issues during term (2)(Budget)

critical↓Feb 2026[3]

Budget Amendments

This move makes $350,000 available for new city infrastructure projects.

critical↓Apr 2026[1]

General Fund Sustainability

The city is facing inflationary pressures of approximately 3.3% on general costs and higher for specific operational needs.

Moved or seconded (1)

Motions McCandless personally put forward or seconded. Attribution comes from the minutes; where the minutes name somebody we cannot match to the roster we leave it out rather than guess, so this is a floor, not a total.

movedpassed2026-06-09
Ms. McCandless moved to adjourn

Decisions during term (8)

Recorded while McCandless was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.

approvedVoted yes5-2Aug 27, 2026

Voting record (13)(Budget)

13 yes0 no

Oldest to newest — hover a bar for the item.

Voted yesAug 27, 2026

Adoption of FY 2026-2027 Budget, Property Tax Increase, and Public Safety Fund

Voted yesJun 23, 2026

Mr. Killpack moved to approve amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget as presented in Exhibit 'A'

Voted yesJun 23, 2026

Ms. Millett moved to approve and adopt the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget of the Redevelopment Agency for the City of Orem as presented in exhibit 'A'

Voted yesJun 23, 2026

Mr. Lambson moved to approve and adopt the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget of the Special Service Lighting District of the City of Orem as presented in Exhibit 'A'

Voted yesJun 23, 2026

Ms. Millett moved to approve, by resolution, the creation of a new “Public Safety Special Revenue Fund” to be included in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Tentative Budget and state that the Orem City Counci

Voted yesJun 9, 2026

Mr. Lambson moved to to approve and adopt the fiscal year 2026 2027 tentative budget, as shown in Exhibit A, which will serve as the city's interim budget, beginning July 1, 2026 and ending after the

Voted yesJun 9, 2026

In the news (3)

heraldextra.comJan 6, 2026

Karen McCandless

About

Contact

Campaign promises (3)

Voice summary

Top issues during term (2)(Budget)

Budget Amendments

General Fund Sustainability

Moved or seconded (1)

Decisions during term (8)

Adoption of FY 2026-2027 Budget, Property Tax Increase, and Public Safety Fund

CDBG 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan and Budget

FY 2025-2026 Budget Amendments

RDA FY 2026-2027 Budget

Special Service Lighting District FY 2026-2027 Budget

Adopt FY 2026-2027 Tentative (Interim) Budget

Approval of FY 2025-2026 Budget Amendments

PUBLIC HEARING - FY 2025-2026 Budget Amendments

Voting record (13)(Budget)

Adoption of FY 2026-2027 Budget, Property Tax Increase, and Public Safety Fund

Mr. Killpack moved to approve amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget as presented in Exhibit 'A'

Ms. Millett moved to approve and adopt the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget of the Redevelopment Agency for the City of Orem as presented in exhibit 'A'

Mr. Lambson moved to approve and adopt the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget of the Special Service Lighting District of the City of Orem as presented in Exhibit 'A'

CDBG 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan and Budget

FY 2025-2026 Budget Amendments

RDA FY 2026-2027 Budget

Special Service Lighting District FY 2026-2027 Budget

Ms. Millett moved to approve, by resolution, the creation of a new “Public Safety Special Revenue Fund” to be included in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Tentative Budget and state that the Orem City Counci

Mr. Lambson moved to to approve and adopt the fiscal year 2026 2027 tentative budget, as shown in Exhibit A, which will serve as the city's interim budget, beginning July 1, 2026 and ending after the

Adopt FY 2026-2027 Tentative (Interim) Budget

approve the FY 2025-2026 budget as shown in Exhibit “A” as presented

Approval of FY 2025-2026 Budget Amendments

In the news (3)

Taking their places: Mayor Karen McCandless, three council members sworn-in at Orem’s Oath of Office

Orem mayoral candidate Karen McCandless speaks on lowering the political temperature

Orem mayoral candidate Karen McCandless discusses housing, improving city infrastructure