Commissioners call for police in schools, celebrate wildfire recovery in State of the County

Marion County’s commissioners celebrated the opening of a new addiction recovery home, rebuilding houses in the Santiam Canyon and an ongoing partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library during the annual State of the County address Wednesday.

Each commissioner spoke about their top priorities and recent achievements or challenges facing them during the address, which took place in front of a packed room of hundreds at the Salem Convention Center. All of them touched on the significance of Marion County’s partnerships with nonprofits and city governments.

“There’s nothing more important to an elected official than the partnerships in an elected space,” Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell said.

The address started with a recognition of Christian Aid Ministries, the nonprofit that has helped rebuild at least two dozen homes in the Santiam Canyon destroyed by the 2020 wildfires. Commissioners said volunteers have spent over 50,000 hours rebuilding homes in Gates since 2021.

Marion County gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the nonprofit’s work to rebuild homes through a wildfire recovery program.

Commissioner Kevin Cameron focused his brief speech on other environmental issues like the reconstruction of a sewer system in the Santiam Canyon with disaster aid and the Detroit Lake drawdown, which will affect Salem’s water supply.

The Detroit drawdown, which is now delayed until fall 2026, will clog Salem’s water filters, Cameron said, and affect local fishing and boating activity. 

Commissioner Colm Willis talked about the positive impact of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which has provided free books for hundreds of Salem kids since 2022. The county funded an expansion of the program to areas other donors hadn’t covered, including portions of northeast Salem and Woodburn.

“I can’t think of anything I’m more proud of than bringing this service to our kids and our community,” Willis said during his speech at the address.

Willis used his speech to call for law enforcement and the justice system to increase pursuits of drug dealers and traffickers who bring substances like heroin and methamphetamine into Salem.

“Today, I’m calling for a joint Salem-Marion County drug team,” Willis said, that would investigate criminal organizations targeting vulnerable communities in Marion County. “We will find you and we will put you in jail.”

He also suggested that school resource officers be brought back into schools in the Salem-Keizer School District, which was met with loud applause and cheers from the audience.

County officials discussed youth involvement in gun violence at a meeting last week and expressed concern about the impact removing resource officers had on local schools. The removal harmed relationships, mentorship and early intervention efforts, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in written responses to questions from the county.

“We need to bring these officers back as soon as possible,” Willis said. Marion County does not have the authority to bring the officers back, Willis acknowledged, but said he hopes the county and community will work together to push the district to make the decision.

Bethell, who is the board’s chair, finished the address by talking about challenges in addiction treatment and housing.

She used her speech to highlight several county programs and grants that have supported housing for people from the Santiam Canyon to Salem.

Just a few weeks ago, the county opened a new home called Our Place for families to live together as parents go through addiction treatment and recovery. Bethell said that it was a long coming project after the county first opened Her Place, a home for mothers in recovery, around 20 years ago.

One thing that interrupts someone’s addiction quickly “is the threat of losing their children,” Bethell said. 

Bethell also discussed her recent testimony in support of a state bill that would lower the bar for forcing people with mental illnesses into treatment, a process called civil commitment. People die on Salem and Marion County streets as a result of extreme mental health and substance use challenges, she said.

“It’s because we have a civil commitment process that’s broken,” Bethell said.

Bethell finished the address by thanking Mayor Julie Hoy for her participation in county meetings and interest in collaboration after previous challenges in working with city leadership.

“It shouldn’t always come down to money, but it should come down to partnerships,” Bethell said. “I think it’s our job every day to show up for our neighbors.”

“It’s important that we have consistent leadership,” Cameron said. He emphasized that leadership should work together to promote, protect and enhance the quality of life for Marion County residents.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly quoted Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis talking about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

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