Salem Reporter’s Sunday newsletter
Good morning!
The old political saw that every vote counts is certainly true in two races for Salem City Council.
About three dozen votes separate the candidates, and more ballots are yet to be counted from the May 19 primary election.
In northeast Salem, challenger Betsy Vega continues to hold a lead over incumbent Councilor Mai Vang. A new batch of results released Friday evening show Vega leading with 37 votes out of 2,706 counted so far.
The latest result: Vega 1,363 and Vang 1,326.
Across the bridge in West Salem, 35 votes separate incumbent Councilor Micki Varney from challenger Chris Cummings. That city ward is entirely in Polk County, and no new ballot counts have been released in the race since Thursday.
The latest result: Varney 3,348 and Cummings 3,313.
More ballots are left to be counted in each county. And under Oregon law, ballots that were postmarked by Election Day but delivered by mail up to a week later are legitimate and can be counted.
In the coming days, our team will track the results and report on how this election will impact the city. With a new mayor (Vanessa Nordyke) and at least one new councilor (Dave Inbody), the city’s politics will remain progressive.
And in all the election hubbub over contested races, a couple of candidates got little attention as they were alone on the ballot.
Eleanor Beatty won reelection as Salem municipal judge. She was elected in 2022 after working in private law since 2002.
And there will be a change in a key local office – Marion County district attorney.
Brendan Murphy, chief deputy district attorney, ran unopposed in the primary to succeed Paige Clarkson.
Murphy has worked in the prosecutor’s office since 2007. His term will start in January.
Clarkson retires after eight years as district attorney.
Kent Friel and Eddy Binford-Ross join Salem Reporter’s news team in July.
I was delighted in recent days to announce good news of our own at Salem Reporter.
We could finally share with you the two reporters coming aboard to form our new education team.
Eddy Binford-Ross, a Salem native, and Kent Friel made it through the national hiring gauntlet to end up in our newsroom. They were among 1,600 journalists competing for 78 jobs across the country supported by Report for America.
I have ambitions for this duo to deliver essential reporting on local schools and children.
We continue our fundraising campaign to raise the final $10,000 to support this work. Help us get over the top with your tax-deductible contribution to the Salem Reporter News Fund.
In election news…
*Door knocking beat dollars in the mayor’s race, political observers say. Julie Hoy, the incumbent, raised far more than Vanessa Nordyke but lost by several thousand votes.
*Read Julie Hoy’s post-election statement, in which she thanks the community for her experience as mayor.
*The moods were evident at the two main election night parties in Salem, captured by our photographers.
In other news…
*Salem police as of Saturday said they were still investigating the shooting in downtown Salem that put a 17-year-old in the hospital.
*Local high school bands did well in state competition recently, including bringing home the state title.
*Another Awesome 3000 is history after kids of all ages ran for medals. Maybe you’ll find someone you know in our photo gallery.
Finally….
Our team is taking a holiday break after a demanding week of election coverage. That means there will be no newsletters on Monday. We’ll be back on deck Tuesday. I hope you make good use of today’s great weather – rain’s on the way.
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]
–Les Zaitz, editor and owner
JOIN IN: Salem Reporter News Fund
Salem Reporter is preparing to ask tough questions about the education of 38,000 children in our local school system.
The $1 billion a year spent on Salem-Keizer schools each year is a mystery to many people. Where does that money go? What does it buy? What results is the community seeing?
That’s why we’re bringing on two nationally-recruited reporters in July.
This is a big deal for the community.
If you want to support this work, contribute now to the Salem Reporter News Fund.
The national nonprofit Report for America, is funding part of this reporting position. We’re asking readers like you to help fund this ambitious effort.
You can contribute in several ways:
• Donate securely online in just a few moments.
• Write a check (Salem Reporter, 494 State St., #410 Salem OR 97301 — note News Fund on your check).
• Make a Qualified Charitable Distribution through your IRA custodian (details are on the News Fund page).
When you contribute, you join other Salem readers making this reporting possible. Scores of your neighbors have already stepped forward to support deeper coverage of our schools.
Copyright © 2025 Salem Reporter. All rights reserved. |
Our mailing address is: 494 State St., #410 • Salem, Oregon 97301 |
You are receiving this email because you signed up through our website or participated in a promotion. |