Good morning…..
Tuesday is Election Day and thousands of Salem voters have yet to cast their ballots.
A lot is at stake even if there isn’t the hype of a presidential election.
Topping the list is the city of Salem’s tax levy.
Another impactful decision is who will serve on the Salem-Keizer School Board. Once again, two political camps have emerged. They are running as a slate, and how schools are run in coming years turns on who wins those seats.
Only one Salem City Council seat is at stake. Three are seeking to fill the gap left when Julie Hoy moved on to become mayor.
Perhaps the most quiet spot on the ballot belongs to Chemeketa Community College. The school is asking for money to keep pushing on career-based teaching. The other races have largely overshadowed this measure, though it’s attracting broad support.
The drama, such as it is, comes to a close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Ballots have to be in by then or at least postmarked that day.
Salem Reporter’s team is geared up to tell who won and who lost.
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander has tasked reporters to cover the results thoroughly as soon as county clerks post results.
Rachel and her team also will do the reporting to help you understand the results. We’re share more than numbers. We’ll answer: What do they mean for Salem?
This effort caps weeks of reporting on the candidates and the issues.
That includes the story by reporter Joe Siess about a late political move in the city council race. One of the candidates suspects the sudden support for him is disguised support for another.
Reporting on City Hall:
•Reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian takes an enterprising look at recent money settlements by the city to end lawsuits. He explains the cost for the city.
•Neighborhood associations share news about tree plantings, a new walking path and more in our monthly roundup.
•Salem city councilors will get an update from the Salem Police Department on license plate readers.
•City budget volunteers assumed there will be no tax levy. They designed a city budget for the next year that cuts services.
Reporting on public safety:
•A judge is sending a man to prison for more than two decades for a crash in Salem that killed two people.
•Abuse of a 5-year-old in West Salem results in a prison sentence.
Reporting on the community:
•Liberty House sounds the alarm for what federal budget cuts means for an agency tending to abused children.
•The annual Crystal Apples will be awarded to school workers later this month. Rachel Alexander profiles a school library staffer nominated for the award.
•A top business leader in the country comes to Salem, assessing tariffs and their harm in a speech to the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce.
Obituary:
Don’t miss this delightfully-written obituary about Frances Eriksen.
This was submitted through our easy-to-use obituary service.
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Have thoughts about our reporting? A story we should do? A person we should profile? Or do you have questions about how we do our work? You’re welcome to send me an email – I read every one of them. Email: [email protected].
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