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Good afternoon!
Salem voters have a chance soon to pick who speaks for them at City Hall.
Four seats on the Salem City Council are on the May ballot. Four incumbents want to keep their unpaid jobs and four challengers want to nudge them out.
The mayor’s office is in play with what can be fairly assessed as a campaign of conservativevs. progressive views.
To help voters sort it out, Salem Reporter is hosting a Town Hall and you’re invited. FREE TICKETS
The event is tomorrow evening at the Elsinore Theatre in downtown Salem. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tuesday so you can meet the candidates ahead of the program.
The Town Hall starts at 6 p.m.
THE PROGRAM
First up, you will hear from the eight candidates for city council. They each will get five minutes to make their case for your vote.
Then, each candidate has two minutes to address a question they were provided last week. The questions are different for each ward. Here are the candidates and the questions they will answer for you live on stage:
Linda Nishioka and Manny Martinez – Ward 2: What do you propose to further address unsheltered homelessness in downtown Salem?
Deanna Gwyn and Dave Inbody – Ward 4: What do you propose to reduce city government barriers to housing development in south Salem?
Mai Vang and Betsy Vega – Ward 6: What action would you propose the city take to bring down rents for Salem families living at private properties?
Micki Varney and Chris Cummings – Ward 8: With public safety a top concern, what revenue increase or budget shift do you propose to maintain current staffing at the Salem Police Department?
Then, we move to Part 2 – the mayor’s race.
Julie Hoy, the incumbent, has said she doesn’t feel fairly treated by Salem Reporter. She is skipping the Town Hall to instead be out campaigning.
That means her challenger, Vanessa Nordyke, alone will face questions from a panel of our reporters. Nordyke, currently a city councilor, has not been given the questions ahead of time.
The event is free and tickets are available online.
ON THE AIR:
If you can’t get to the Elsinore tomorrow night, you can still sit in. Capital Community Media will broadcast the event on local Channel 21 and on YouTube. The Town Hall will be rebroadcast several times in the following days.
THEN, YOU CAN SPEAK UP
And for those who attend, we have an offer.
Salem Reporter is hosting a roundtable discussion over coffee on Thursday, April 2, at 10 a.m. at Ike Box in downtown Salem. Our reporters want to hear what surprised you about the presentations and if anything disappointed you. This is your chance to provide analysis.
Reporters Abbey McDonald and Joe Siess will write about what they hear at the roundtable.
We’re looking for 10 people to sit down for about an hour to share their views. Want to participate? Email Managing Editor Rachel Alexander ([email protected]) with your name, the ward or area of Salem you live in, and a brief sentence or two about why you want to attend.
This is an important election for Salem and our entire team at Salem Reporter hopes to see you there.
Les Zaitz, editor
Salem Reporter
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