Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett puts on a face mask made by a neighbor on Thursday, April 9. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
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The corridors of government power are not immune to the changes reshaping life in Salem.
Public leaders are like the rest of us, adjusting their jobs to fit changing circumstances.
At Salem Reporter, we got curious about what that looks like. If elected officials can’t meet with constituents face-to-face, if they can’t attend community functions, if they can’t host meetings, how are they doing the people’s business?
To find out, we approached some community leaders. We suggested that a photographer “shadow” them for a few hours. This is, after all, an historic time in Salem and the country. Never before has the country had to conduct business as it does today.
Mayor Chuck Bennett was the among the first to agree to give us a peek. Photographer Amanda Loman spent hours with the mayor last week. We published the results of her work on Sunday on our website. You can see the photo presentation HERE.
Christy Perry, the superintendent of the Salem-Keizer School District, is next. Other leaders at all level of government are in line over the coming days and weeks.
The decision to pursue this project is driven by the recognition that what’s happening in Salem is remarkable. You know that. No life has gone unchanged.
When you live something moment to moment, it can be hard to step back and see the broader view. So, we want to give readers an account of what’s happening at the moment – but also create a record for history. In 25 or 50 years, scenes that now have almost become routine – drive-in church services, for instance – will likely be fascinating to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren and historians.
I’d welcome your suggestions on government leaders – or executives of any institution – that you’d be interested in having us shadow. And if you are one of those leaders, don’t be bashful. Let us know you’re willing to let us come into your official lives to chronicle this extraordinary time.
Meantime, our reporters and photographers continue to chase down stories about life in the city during a pandemic. We’re keen to continue balancing the necessarily grave news of the pandemic with insights into how Salem residents and businesses and organizations are finding good or serving needs. Do you have someone you think we should key in on? Let us know. We can’t get to them all, but we can never get to them if we don’t know about them.
And finally, we are determined to keep a close eye on the Salem economy. The day-to-day news is easy to come by from the flow of announcements from government agencies and business organizations. We’re interested, though, in how employers are adapting to survive, in how the area is planning to come out of this. Salem Reporter on Monday morning, for instance, reported (story HERE) on how the folks at Santiam Brewing adapted on the fly.
With the flush of federal money soon expected to hit personal and business bank accounts, we’ll track how that surges through the Salem area and to what effect. If you’re business has made hard choices or significant changes, let us know so we can perhaps share your story.
Through this all, our reporters and photographers are determined to capture an honest view of life in Salem these days. The photo galleries we added in the past week are popular, as we suspected they would be.
Every day, we want to be sure we’re meeting Salem’s needs for credible, timely information. You can help. Suggest story ideas. Keep asking questions (you’ve posed some darn good ones). Tell us which the people in the community you want to know more about.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, you can raise them directly with me at [email protected]. Thank you for reading Salem Reporter and thank you for your time with me for this commentary.
Les Zaitz, editor and CEO
Salem Reporter
