Salem Reporter won’t host free mayoral debate after mayor doesn’t respond to invitation
UPDATED: This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 22 to include a statement from Mayor Julie Hoy.
Mayor Julie Hoy responded to Salem Reporter via email Thursday evening, saying her lack of response to the debate request was not a refusal to participate in the debate, and was because she was “juggling other requests.” She also said she would not provide a definitive answer at this time and was exploring a fully virtual forum with other local news outlets.
“The event your organization hosted in the last mayoral race, did not, in my opinion, offer a fair playing field,” Hoy said. “The moderators did not keep the atmosphere collegial or conducive to a fair exchange of ideas.”
Original story below:
Salem Reporter will not host a mayoral debate in the spring after Salem Mayor Julie Hoy didn’t respond to an offer to participate in the free and televised event by a deadline this week.
The event would have been in the same format as the event hosted by the media outlet in 2024, when Hoy debated her predecessor, former Salem Mayor Chris Hoy, who is of no relation, at the Elsinore Theatre.
Salem Reporter sent Hoy and her opponent, Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke, an invitation on Jan. 19 to debate at a mutually-agreeable time. Nordyke accepted the offer on Jan. 20.
The two candidates debated each other earlier this month in an event hosted by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. The questions asked at the chamber debate were largely oriented to the concerns of Salem’s business community and attendees had to pay $45 for entry to the lunch.
The election takes place May 19 and so far Hoy and Nordyke are the only two candidates running for mayor.
Hoy also did not respond to emailed questions from Salem Reporter asking why she had not responded to the invitation by the deadline, which was the close of business Wednesday.
“The fact that Julie Hoy hasn’t responded to this is very surprising given her past participation in an identical forum that the community found to be of great value,” Les Zaitz, the owner and editor of Salem Reporter said in an interview Thursday. “This is disappointing not only for the Salem Reporter team, but I think voters will be disappointed to not have access to this event.”
Zaitz said these sorts of public debates “give voters insights into the candidates they can’t get otherwise.”
“These are unfiltered appearances. They are not controlled political rallies or scripted Rotary Club speeches,” Zaitz said. “This is an opportunity for voters to judge not only how the candidates respond to questions about the issues, but how they respond to issues on the fly that come from the audience and that come from the panel. That shows knowledge of the issues, the depth of understanding and an ability to react in real time to issues that are often very pressing.”
Zaitz said the community expressed appreciation for the last Salem Reporter event which gave a broad segment of the community access to the mayoral candidates in a nonpartisan and independent forum.
Hoy frequently does not respond to questions or requests for interviews from Salem Reporter.
Nordyke announced her intention to participate in the debate on her city councilor Facebook page on Jan. 20. She pointed out the importance of having a free and open debate for the general public after the two candidates debated each other at the chamber event.
“Our first debate focused largely on the business community. That community is an important part of our city, but there are many other communities and areas of service,” Nordyke said in her post. “Salem residents deserve to hear their mayoral candidates talk about all of Salem.”
Nordyke told Salem Reporter in a text message Thursday that Salem needs a mayor who won’t shy away from answering questions at an open debate. She pointed out Hoy’s participation in Salem Reporter’s last mayoral debate in 2024.
“The mayor is accountable to the people of Salem, not just their donors. Salem deserves a mayor who is not responsive only to certain groups, or only accessible to those who can afford to pay an entry fee,” Nordyke said. “This is a much larger problem than Mayor Hoy’s refusal to participate in this one debate. Over the past year, the office of mayor has been the least transparent resource in city government.”
Hoy received significant support from business owners and developers in the previous election with her campaign raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, dwarfing the financial support received by her opponent, Chris Hoy.
“Mayor Hoy’s refusal of this debate strikes another blow to government transparency. It sets a poor example for other local candidates,” Nordyke said. “As the senior-ranking member of city council, I know that Salem voters expect a lot more than canned campaign speeches and paid advertisements.”
Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected].
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Joe Siess is a reporter for Salem Reporter. Joe joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and primarily covers city and county government but loves surprises. Joe previously reported for the Redmond Spokesman, the Bulletin in Bend, Klamath Falls Herald and News and the Malheur Enterprise. He was born in Independence, MO, where the Oregon Trail officially starts, and grew up in the Kansas City area.
23 Comments
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It’s disappointing if not altogether surprising that Mayor Hoy has avoided this opportunity for a public debate. That being the case, and honoring Councilwoman Nordyke’s commitment to transparency and addressing the needs of voters (not just donors), any chance Salem Reporter would host a town hall for the Councilwoman to answer questions from the community?
I would like to thank Salem Reporter for initiating a second debate January 19. Would like to see a longer grace period for replies and debate. Let’s not rush to judge or question potential reason for late response.
No one should vote for someone who refuses to participate in a fair, unbiased debate.
The debate should go on without her. Questions should be asked & answered. If Julie Hoy refuses to participate In Public transparency, the show can go on without her.
I was very happy to hear that there will be a FREE debate for people to hear both candidates and gave the chance to make a more informed decision about who they want to have as our next Mayor. I am very disappointed that Mayor Hoy did not accept and prioritize this opportunity.
Instead of cancelling the event, maybe the event could become a FREE town hall for us to ask questions of Councilor Nordyke and hear her answers?
I agree !
I follow local politics and have met, listened to, spoken with, and voted for both Ms. Nordyke and Ms. Hoy. My feedback is that’s kind of short notice for a public debate, offered Jan 19th, now its Jan 22nd and its not happening? Could you give Mayor Hoy more time to respond? She is not a career politician and has come to serving public office out of a genuine care for the community. I am actually really torn between who to vote for in this mayoral election, and a public debate would be helpful. 72 hours to make a schedule work seems tight.
I’m astonished and quite disappointed Mayor Hoy is declining an invitation to engage in public discourse prior to the May election.
Salem is a dynamic, growing community that is confronted with many significant challenges, and we citizens deserve the opportunity make informed decisions based upon the platform each condidate offers.
As I recall, the Salem Reporter format would consist of questions from their reporting team as well as queries from those in attendance. (Editorial Team, please correct me if I’m mistaken.) Evidently the mayor wishes to control the narrative about her track record and vision for Salem.
-JQ
Thank you for this report. Hoy’s action is outrageous and disappointing.
Respectfully to Les Zaitz, it’s not very surprising to me that our mayor who can’t take responsibility for a clearcut ethics violation is unwilling to engage in a debate with her opponent.
And honestly, if I had told the Salem Rotary club debate about how I mistook the resident of an apartment building for a homeless person and then complained about trash that I also didn’t pick up, I’d probably be too embarrassed to attend another debate.
There was also significant name confusion between the two Hoys last time—which was an advantage for the current mayor. No such advantage exists this time.
“Lead, follow or get out of the way “ Unless a valid reason for not participating, I guess Hoy decided to get out of the way.
Personally I can understand Hoy’s hesitation in participating in a debate hosted by this publication. I didn’t see the last one, but I can readily believe her point that the last one wasn’t a fair playing field.
Despite its claims to present the news in an unbiased manner, I don’t see that’s the case at all. The way that stories are framed, particularly by this reporter Joe Seis, it’s really clear what the political bias is – same as any other establishment media outlet. And how could it be otherwise, as objectivity in news reporting is not even taught in Journalism schools anymore, and not expected in the profession.
And good for Hoy standing her ground not signing an ethics statement that she doesn’t believe represents the truth of what happened. The public is not really interested in whisper campaigns aimed at taking down politicians doing their best to serve their community. We see you!
-mm
I have to agree, I have found this news outlet is very biased i have called them out on a couple things , and honestly I rarely look at their article because of the bias. I can believe the debate was biased
“These are unfiltered appearances. They are not controlled political rallies or scripted Rotary Club speeches,” Zaitz said. “This is an opportunity for voters to judge not only how the candidates respond to questions about the issues, but how they respond to issues on the fly that come from the audience and that come from the panel. That shows knowledge of the issues, the depth of understanding and an ability to react in real time to issues that are often very pressing.” This is exactly why she will not debate. She has no knowledge of real issues of Salem residents. She is not able to answer on the fly. Exactly as Mr. Zaitz said, this style of debate would show in my opinion she has no depth of understanding of the average Salem resident. There is no way she would be able to react in real time with a good answer. My opinion is it would make her look even more stupid.
Our poor mayor. She seems to me like a genuinely nice person, for the most part, just out of her depth. She’s not a skilled debater or the smartest person in the room, as she herself repeatedly has said. She can’t quite understand that when you violate the city charter or the public meetings laws, it doesn’t matter that you didn’t intentionally set out to be bad. And people (especially former mayor Chris Hoy) are so mean to her! I can see why she’d avoid debating Councilor Nordyke, who is highly intelligent, skilled, and informed, and not given to whining.
Bless her heart!
I understand people’s concerns and comments about not having another debate. All things being equal, I would want to have another debate that is free to the community. However, the Mayor’s concerns are valid. If you watch council meetings or city budget hearings, the audience has been very vocal and at some points vitriolic, including offensive gestures, that are unbecoming of “progressive” ideals. If there is to be future debates, the Salem Reporter needs to silence the crowd and only allow applause at the beginning and end of the debate. I was at the Hoy v. Hoy debate and the audience laughed, jeered, yelled, etc. to show their enthusiasm/disdain for their candidate. Change the format, have your staff or paid security ensure the tranquility of the crowd, then we may see another debate.
I’m tired of Julie Hoy play the victim and not taking responsibility for her actions
As someone who can’t seem to find the right words when the spotlight is on me, although I’m pretty articulate at other times, I can understand Mayor Hoy being reluctant to participate in a debate with Ms. Nordyke, who is so very accomplished at talking and telling. And I don’t think it’s necessary for a public official to be highly articulate to be effective in their job. But even though I keep current with city news from different sources, and have an open mind, I don’t have a solid sense of Mayor Hoy’s leadership qualities, what her supporters see in her (besides being similar in social and political background and professional/industry interests), or how she has been an effective mayor for Salem. I would like to see another mayoral debate with the hope that Mayor Hoy’s leadership capacity would come through somehow, in her answers to questions. My impression at the moment — something I’d like to change — is that she shines when surrounded by friends and supporters, but shrinks and sharpens when challenged. That is not what I want my mayor to be like …. our city faces so many challenges that need courage and standing on principle and strong-minded commitment to the common good. This sounds kind of harsh, but I don’t want the mayor of Salem to need to be surrounded by admirers in order to do the work of mayor. (That said, I agree that heckling and jeering have no good place in a public mayoral debate, but my view is that if you want to lead a city, man or woman, you have to learn how to handle that and to see it for what it is: not your problem.)
Well said.
Since Hoy won’t accept or decline, I hope Salem Reporter goes ahead with the debate. A chair on the stage for each candidate and if she shows, then it’s a debate. If she’s a no show, her opponent should be allowed to respond to the original debate questions. I would hope the Salem Reporter doesn’t allow the passive aggressive tactics utilized by Hoy to be a win for her by canceling the debate.
Continue with the “debate”. I’d like to hear from whatever candidates attend. Please don’t penalize one for the failure of the other.
Not surprised at all that Ms Mayor says nay to more debates. Her own words in the last debate, “not my favorite thing to do” when asked if she would participate in another. Her responses to several ethics related questions from Councilor Nordyke were another good reason for her to opt out. She will not recuse herself from voting, even when there is an obvious conflict of interest! She will vote as long she is not getting paid, Mayor Hoy said in the last debate. I find this a ludicrous response for an elected official responsible for pulling the City of Salem leadership into the first ethics review and reprimand from the State of Oregon in history, then not admit her mistakes.
I certainly understand Mayor Hoy’s reluctance to reappear on a public stage.