Council president wanted to sue mayor over city manager resignation, records show
Good evening, Salem.
When City Manager Keith Stahley abruptly resigned six weeks ago, it set off confusion and rumors in City Hall and across Salem.
City officials first said Stahley resigned at the city council's request, despite no public council decision or discussion of the matter. Several conflicting statements over the next week left more questions.
Now, Salem Reporter has a fuller look of the backchannel discussions that led to Stahley being pushed out. Our journalists reviewed dozens of text messages and emails obtained through a public records request to the city. We sought these documents the week Stahley resigned to provide the public transparency on how such a major decision was made out of public view.
In his account below, reporter Joe Siess shows heated discussions among councilors, confusion over why Stahley was leaving and discord between Mayor Julie Hoy and Council President Linda Nishioka.
The mayor continues to maintain her silence on her role in Stahley's ouster.
Here's some of today's news. Catch all of our reports anytime on our website.
Public records obtained by Salem Reporter pull back the curtain on events transpiring in the immediate aftermath of former Salem City Manager Keith Stahely’s abrupt resignation on Sunday, Feb. 9.…
A Salem man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the Salem Tesla dealership in January was charged with two counts of attempted arson in federal court last week.
Surviving teenagers told police that Christopher Atkinson, 33, was smoking marijuana and drinking with them before a crash outside Stayton that killed a McNary High School junior.
Salem city councilors voted unanimously Monday to ratify an employment agreement with acting City Manager Krishna Namburi and buy a northeast Salem lot with federal grant money.
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