Longtime Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett announced Tuesday he’s stepping down two months before the end of his term and moving to Ohio to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren.
Bennett, 74, has served as the city’s mayor for six years and spent nine as a city councilor. He said Tuesday he’d hoped to complete his term in office, but his house in Salem sold faster than he’d expected, and the availability of movers tied his hands.
“After 15 years I’ll miss three or four meetings as a result of this,” he said. “Trust me, I’d rather be here but it ain’t gonna happen. Really gonna miss the community.”
Bennett’s third term as mayor was due to expire in early January. He announced last fall he wouldn’t seek re-election, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“Your due date is there. You look at your birth certificate and you see the ‘use by,’” he joked Tuesday.
With his move to Centerville, Ohio imminent, Bennett said he’ll end his term Nov. 2.
He’s been mayor since 2017 and represented Ward 1, the area around downtown and parts of west Salem, on the council for eight years prior to that.
Bennett said he’s proudest of the many infrastructure projects and improvements to Salem completed during his time in office, including the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge and Gerry Frank Amphitheater in Riverfront Park, the seismic retrofit of the city library, Salem’s new police station and the work to address water filtration and treatment following the city’s 2018 algae bloom crisis.
“Our water is gonna be as good as it gets for as far as you can see into the future,” Bennett said.
Bennett grew up outside Spokane, Washington and moved to Salem at 17 to attend college.
He’s been here ever since, and started his career as a reporter for the Salem Capital Journal 50 years ago, covering city government.
“That’s where I really got the bug,” he said.
He served as a state legislator and was the longtime director of government relations for the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, retiring in 2018.
“I’ve had a great run. I’m gonna miss it,” Bennett said.
With the seat vacant, Salem City Council will appoint a replacement.
The mayor seat was up for election this year, with Council President Chris Hoy winning in the May primary. Council elections are typically decided in May, though candidates who win the primary appear again on the November ballot, and voters have the option to write in a candidate of their choice.
City council rules say if a seat becomes vacant when only one candidate has been nominated in a primary election, the council will appoint that person to serve the remainder of the term. The council will meet Nov. 14 to accept Bennett’s resignation and fill the seat, the city said in a news release.
Hoy said Tuesday he expects the council will nominate him to fill the seat. He campaigned as a progressive mayor who said he’d focus on continuing the city’s response to homelessness by adding shelter spaces and affordable housing while being mindful of the environmental impacts of development.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Hoy said Tuesday of his likely early appointment. “I’ve been planning on January, but I always knew this was a potential. I’m looking forward to stepping into the role.”
Hoy said he’s been working to prepare for the role without stepping on Bennett’s shoes. Hoy said Tuesday Bennett discussed his plans to resign early with him prior to the public announcement.
Though Bennett endorsed Hoy’s opponent, Chane Griggs, in the mayor’s race, Bennett said he thinks the city is in good hands.
“I have no trepidation. I think Chris is going to do a great job,” he said.
Because Hoy is currently the city councilor for ward 6, east Salem, his appointment would lead to that seat being vacant. Julie Hoy, no relation to Chris, won the May primary for the seat and would likely be appointed to step into the role early.
Under the city charter, council and mayor terms begin at the first city council meeting of the year, typically held the second Monday of the month.
Hoy said the council hasn’t yet discussed an appointment process.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
