Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke will challenge Salem Mayor Julie Hoy in the May 2026 election for the city’s top leadership role. 

Nordyke announced her candidacy for mayor Thursday, the day filing opened for city offices.

Hoy also filed for the office Thursday, according to city spokeswoman Erin Neff.

Hoy and her campaign manager Betsy Schultz did not respond to emails and phone calls from Salem Reporter asking about the mayor’s plans for reelection.

Nordyke said her decision to run was about putting her experiences in government and in the nonprofit sector to good use to do what she can as mayor to help struggling families. 

The mayor is a volunteer position and serves a two-year term on the Salem City Council. The mayor runs council meetings and carries one vote, but also serves as the figurehead of city government and can wield influence to guide city priorities.

Nordyke has served on the council representing Ward 7, which covers the southwestern part of the city. Nordyke currently works as the director of CASA of Marion County, a nonprofit dedicated to serving foster children, and is a former assistant attorney general at the Oregon Department of Justice. She is also the council’s senior member. 

Nordyke is politically progressive and generally votes with other liberal and progressive council members, who hold a 5-4 majority. She broke with most other council progressives in 2023 when she voted against the city imposing a payroll tax, saying it should go to voters first.

“I stand by my decision to vote against the payroll tax. There was just no way I was going to vote to pass any tax without voter approval,” Nordyke said in a statement to Salem Reporter. “For starters, I thought low-income workers would pay too much, while wealthy retirees wouldn’t pay a dime. That’s not a progressive value.” 

Nordyke, along with the rest of her colleagues on council, voted to accept a property tax increase to help pay for city services including the public library, parks and recreation, and Center 50+. 

She told Salem Reporter in an interview that she believes she is the most qualified person for the job and will prioritize the needs of Salem’s most vulnerable communities. She said she was planning to run for mayor regardless of whether or not her opponent sought reelection. 

“I was going to run regardless because I feel I am the best fit for this position, the most experienced, and the best suited to run our city in this economy when there are a lot of people struggling and they are about to hurt a whole lot more,” Nordyke said. “I am the best person for the job. Period.”

Nordyke differentiated herself from her opponent, pointing out that she did not accept hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors with financial stakes in city decisions regarding new development. 

Nordyke’s first city council campaign received financial support from labor unions, and she raised less than $2,000 for her unopposed 2024 campaign, most of it from small individual donors.

As mayor, she said she would represent the city with a renewed commitment to ethics and transparency.

She said as mayor she would be more focused on providing relief and services for the unhoused, those with substance abuse and mental health issues, children, families and people in severe poverty. 

Prior to joining the council she served on the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission where she helped work on improving access to treatment and recovery services. As a former president of the Oregon State Bar she focused on similar initiatives. 

“These experiences set me apart from my peers on the council. I’ve been an advocate professionally and personally for much of my adult life,” Nordyke wrote in a statement to Salem Reporter.  

Nordyke said she believes it is counterproductive to criminalize homelessness and supports sending mental health professionals on 911 calls. She has called for such a program several times during her career on council.

Four other council seats are also up for election in May, and at least two sitting councilors plan to seek reelection. Councilors serve four-year terms. Elections are typically decided in May, with councilors taking office the following January.

• Ward 2, representing south central Salem: Council President Linda Nishioka told Salem Reporter on Monday she was still deciding whether to run.
• Ward 4, representing the southernmost part of Salem: Councilor Deanna Gwyn told Salem Reporter in a text message Monday that she would run for reelection.
• Ward 6, representing southeast Salem: Councilor Mai Vang told Salem Reporter on Monday she was still deciding whether to run. On Thursday, Neff said she was scheduled to submit her paperwork that afternoon. 
• Ward 8, representing a large portion of West Salem: Councilor Micki Varney told Salem Reporter on Monday that she was still deciding whether to run.

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected] or 503-335-7790.

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