Good morning………
Salem endured two storms in recent days – one from Mother Nature and a political one at City Hall.
The ice storm that brought the community largely to a halt for a couple of days has passed. Photographers Ron Cooper and Laura Tesler and the rest of our team caught scenes from all over Salem as snow and freezing rain hit. Our readers proved to be able photographers as well, contributing their own work for another collection of Salem storm photos.
Meantime, matters heated up at Salem City Hall in a situation still unfolding.
This much is known. Keith Stahley is no longer Salem city manager.
How his departure came to be has been an evolving story for days.
Salem Reporter got wind of his departure on Monday. City officials wouldn’t say a word so reporter Joe Siess headed to City Hall to find Stahley’s office vacant, his name gone from the door. City officials only then confirmed he was gone – but said little more.
That Monday evening, Mayor Julie Hoy and city councilors met in executive, or closed door, session and then in a public vote accepted the resignation. There was no explanation and the city wouldn’t immediately release Stahley’s letter immediately, saying it had to be reviewed.
Joe Siess continued to press for a full accounting of what happened, meeting a wall of silence from most city councilors and Hoy.
In the next days, city officials issued a string of statements. That’s unusual in itself – the city doesn’t typically keep adding to earlier explanations.
The statements only added to community confusion about why Stahley was gone. Salem Reporter reported on his letter of resignation. That heated up matters with his then-uncontroverted claim that he had been told the majority of the council wanted him gone. The city on Thursday issued a new statement providing a few more details as the mayor and most councilors kept their silence when contacted by Salem Reporter for details and understanding. A day later, Councilor Micki Varney issued her own statement, providing her version of events.
“I write this feeling great sadness and regret at what has transpired over the past week. It has eroded the trust and transparency we as a Council have been trying to rebuild over the past year,” she said.
The parade of statements continued Saturday, with City Attorney Dan Atchison providing yet another version of events followed hours later by a statement from Linda Nishioka, Salem council president. We’ll have in-depth reporting on their statements, including the suggestion that Stahley wasn’t telling the truth in his resignation letter.
Judging by community comments we’ve been hearing, people are concerned about what happened – and whether it was all appropriate. From the start, Salem Reporter has sought contact with every member of the council. As of Friday, only two of the councilors – Varney and Shane Matthews – responded at all to our questions.
Our team will continue pressing for information about all of this so you and the rest of the community can have the most complete account of what actually happened at City Hall.
Almost lost in the hubbub was the city council’s to take one more step towards asking voters for money. Reporter Abbey McDonald detailed how the council is leaning toward a levy to help pay for parks, library services and Center 50+ operations.
Chemeketa Community College, too, has decided to head to voters with a request for money. Managing Editor Rachel Alexander explains the plan for an estimated $140 million in construction projects.
On the public safety front, grand jurors cleared two Salem police officers in the fatal shooting of a burglary suspect and a Salem man was charged in a bizarre case involving a failed effort to dispose of a murder victim. Reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian also reports on a 27-year-old man accused of shouting racist comments at a Hispanic family.
Ardeshir also has the news about the family of cyclist Marganne Allen suing over her death in 2023. This is the latest development in the long-running saga of a DEA agent’s role in her death.
We also published a monthly roundup of news from Salem neighborhood associations. You’ll learn, for instance, that the Northgate Neighborhood Association has concerns about toxic waste in the area.
And not all was gloom and doom in Salem.
Reporter Alan Cohen reports on Rotary Club Salem’s latest round of grants and another on how a local nonprofit is making life better for families with relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Let me leave you with a couple of photo essays that should leave you with a smile. Photographer Laura Tesler got some wonderful shots at the annual Night to Shine, a very special prom in Salem.
And what’s not to like about cute puppies? Laura skipped the real Super Bowl to catch Salem’s version of Puppy Bowl.
PS: ARE YOU A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE?
News came Friday that layoffs were hitting just about every federal agencies. Workers are probation were let go by the Trump administration. And an estimated 75,000 federal workers across the country took the president’s buyout offer.
Getting details isn’t easy, especially for local offices of federal agencies. If you work for a federal agency or used to, we’d appreciate hearing from you. We want to get a handle on how many people are leaving Salem jobs – and what the impact is. We understand the sensitivity, so we can treat contacts confidentially. Please help us report. Reach out to Managing Editor Rachel Alexander at 503-575-1241 or email at [email protected].
I’m always delighted to hear from readers. Send me your ideas, your questions, even your concerns or complaints. My direct email: [email protected].
– Les Zaitz, co-founder and editor, Salem Reporter
PS: Are you a federal employee?
News came Friday that layoffs were hitting just about every federal agencies. Workers are probation were let go by the Trump administration. And an estimated 75,000 federal workers across the country took the president’s buyout offer.
Getting details isn’t easy, especially for local offices of federal agencies. If you work for a federal agency or used to, we’d appreciate hearing from you. We want to get a handle on how many people are leaving Salem jobs – and what the impact is. We understand the sensitivity, so we can treat contacts confidentially. Please help us report. Reach out to Managing Editor Rachel Alexander at 503-575-1241 or email at [email protected].
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