Reid Sund (left) and Vanessa Nordyke (right) are running to represent Ward 7 in south Salem.
Salem Reporter wanted to know what issues were top of mind for this year’s crop of candidates for Salem City Council. We provided each candidate written questions intended to elicit their understanding of challenges the city faces and how they would overcome them. We will be publishing their responses ward by ward in the coming days.
To represent south Salem, Reid Sund is running against Vanessa Nordyke, who was appointed to the seat following the resignation of former councilor Sally Cook last fall.
The election is on May 19.
Name: Vanessa Nordyke
Age: 39
Home: Salem
Employer/position: senior assistant attorney general, Oregon Department of Justice
Years at current job: 11 years
List leadership positions you have held in any nonprofit or civic organizations in the past five years.
president, Oregon State Bar
member, American Bar Association Commission on the Future of Legal Education
member, Oregon State Bar Board of Governors
president, Willamette Valley American Inn of Court
board of directors, Salem Family YMCA
advisory council, KMUZ Community Radio
List any government service in the past five years, including boards/commissions and any leadership roles.
Salem City Council, Ward 7
senior assistant attorney general, Oregon Department of Justice
vice-chair, City of Salem Citizen Budget Committee
chair, City of Salem Social Services Advisory Board
What are the two defining issues facing Salem City Council right now?
COVID-19 and homelessness.
List the three steps you would take to address those issues.
COVID-19: (1) support the newly-formed mobile medical unit; (2) retain essential city services and resources for families impacted by COVID-19, such as not shutting off water service; (3) secure emergency funding from state and federal sources to ensure adequate PPE and testing supplies and support those financially impacted by the pandemic.
Homelessness: Now that our streets are clear, and now that a sit-lie ordinance is passed, the next three steps are: (1) create a navigation center (low-barrier shelter with case management services) for chronically homeless; (2) build tiny homes and other affordable housing to reduce and prevent homelessness (3) urge state and federal legislators to increase funding to meet the need for mental health and drug treatment services
How would those steps lead to a better life for Salem’s residents?
COVID-19: (1) the mobile medical unit minimizes contact between sick and healthy persons; (2) essential city services and resources means less people going bankrupt or losing their homes to the financial fallout from COVID-19; (3) emergency funding will help flatten the curve and minimize the financial fallout from the pandemic.
Homelessness: (1) a navigation center will provide something our chronically homeless have never had, a low-barrier shelter for those who have struggled to return to the workforce and resume a normal life (2) affordable housing prevents and reduces homelessness, particularly for the approximate 1500 homeless youth, for the working people who work one or more jobs, and the senior citizens who are at risk of losing their homes due to medical bills and other costs (3) many chronically homeless persons struggle with mental illness and/or drug use. There is a moral and economic cost to letting vulnerable people fall between the cracks. If vulnerable people do not receive treatment, taxpayers will ultimately pay for the cost of first responders, emergency medical care, garbage clean-up, and jail time for the same vulnerable persons over and over again. Our county, state, and federal partners need to step up and meet the need for mental health and drug treatment services now, or we will all pay the price for their inaction.
The Salem City Council is often described as being made up of progressives and conservatives. What should voters know about your general posture towards issues that would place you in either one of those bloc?
Voters should know that Republicans and Democrats have my yard sign in their yard. Voters should know that I attained leadership positions with bipartisan support. After spending time on the City of Salem Citizen Budget Committee along with my Ward 7 opponent, the Committee unanimously voted me in as the Vice-Chair. My Ward 7 opponent voted to make me vice-chair, as did several other Republicans. I have earned a diverse coalition of supporters—small business owners and working people, progressives and conservatives—who all fundamentally want the same thing: a city councilor who gets things done. I am a Democrat who believes in earning trust by listening and collaborating. I am used to serving on boards and governing bodies with diverse political views. After decades of serving my community, experience has shown me that leaders from all political stripes get more done when they get buy-in from stakeholders and build relationships with the people around them. Otherwise, the progress you make one year can be undone the next year.
What key change or improvement would you like to see Salem make in the next 20 years?
Affordable housing is key to preventing and reducing homelessness and, at the same time, affordable housing will cushion the economic fallout from COVID-19 and unlock opportunities for upward mobility for working people. Let me explain. Salem has over 12,000 people on wait lists for housing assistance. The unaffordability of housing has sweeping ramifications for our local economy.
We have about 1,200 homeless youth, couch-surfing, living in motels, and worse. No child should grow up homeless; it threatens their physical and mental health, and makes it difficult to succeed in school. If you invest in ending youth homelessness, you may save that person (and taxpayers) from a lifetime of homelessness.
Affordable housing is critical for working people. Anyone who works full-time should have the dignity of a roof over their head. But affordable housing is in such short supply that many who work have no home to call their own. If 30% or more of your take-home pay goes to housing, it undermines your ability to feed your family, pay for childcare, save for retirement, handle emergency expenses, fund college plans for your kids, pay off student loans, start a business, or invest in vocational training to achieve upward mobility. It also means less discretionary income to support our local non-profits, businesses, restaurants, shops, and art scene.
Affordable housing is critical for seniors on fixed incomes. Anyone who has retired after a lifetime of work should have the dignity of a roof over their head. But seniors are among the fastest growing population of homeless. Sometimes, it just takes one unusually high medical bill or car repair to make someone homeless.
As city councilor, I voted to cut red tape to make it cheaper and easier to design and build affordable multifamily housing. I am working with United Way to bring tiny homes to low-income seniors. I am working with the YMCA to design and build affordable housing for homeless military veterans.
In 300 words, please provide an example or examples of a project or issue you were directly addressed in a leadership role. We are looking for examples of how your involvement resulted in specific action to resolve or improve a local issue.
As the youngest-ever elected president of the Oregon State Bar, Oregon became one of the first states in the nation to require mandatory mental health and substance abuse training for lawyers. Many professionals—medical providers, lawyers, first responders, and so on—can be traumatized by the things they see on the job, leading to mental health and substance abuse problems. When I read a nationwide study on the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse among lawyers, I spearheaded a statewide summit, attracting lawyers and judges from all over the state. I brought wellness to the forefront of the statewide legal community, discussing it with people in my travels around the state of Oregon, including Salem. It took courage to talk about it, because these topics are taboo. But I leaned in anyway, and people came out of the woodwork to support the summit, attend the mental health and substance abuse trainings, request mental health or substance abuse treatment services, and share stories of recovery. I became a mental health advocate, and have presented mental health trainings in Lincoln City, Medford, Tigard, Salem, Lake Oswego, and Eugene. In Salem, I co-presented two mental health/substance abuse trainings to over 100 people. My next training is in Salem in May.
In 300 words, please provide an example of a decision you made or action you took later proved to be unsuccessful or misguided. We are looking for an example of how you deal with failure or mistakes.
In December, I supported the creation of designated camping areas, to give our unsheltered somewhere to go instead of a downtown street. But when it became clear that there was not enough support on council for camping areas, I voted to fund about 140 shelter beds, without asking additional questions to confirm that the beds were available. After the vote, it became clear that the beds were not available. I asked for an emergency session of council to address the growing number of persons living on the streets, but too may were out of town for the winter holidays. Thankfully, we later voted to pass a sit-lie ordinance which, unlike past versions of the ordinance, addresses the need to increase access to shelter. We also voted to create designated camping areas during the pandemic. As a result, our downtown streets have been clear since about March 18.
In less than 100 words, describe why you want this office and how your candidacy would improve Salem.
I began volunteering in Salem when I was 13 years old, and I have had a stake in my community ever since. I am an agent of change, and I know that the best way to create real, lasting, and positive change, is to take a seat at the leadership table. I stand ready to lead after decades of community service and based on track record of working hard and getting results. My experience working on issues like public safety, homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, mentoring students, veterans, and working with vulnerable populations and historically marginalized communities sets me apart.
Name: Reid Sund
Age: 33
Home:
Employer/position: Salem Health/ Director of Finance
Years at current job: 4.5
List leadership positions you have held in any nonprofit or civic organizations in the past five years.
treasurer, Isaac’s Room 2017-2019
treasurer, Young-Life Mid-Valley South, 2019-current
List any government service in the past five years, including boards/commissions and any leadership roles.
City of Salem Citizen Budget Committee, 2018, 2019-current
What are the two defining issues facing Salem City Council right now?
1) Economic Impact of COVID-19
2) Homelessness
List the three steps you would take to address those issues.
1) I am the only candidate in the Ward 7 race that has been endorsed by the business community. I believe that the path towards economic recovery from COVID-19 and jobs for working families will need to be flexible and creative. We will need to grow more rapidly in the coming years to offset the economic slowdown we have experienced and to provide more jobs as our community grows. This will help our friends and neighbors that are on the brink of homelessness as well. Jobs provide a sustainable future for our community.
2) We need to reduce the financial burden on our resident’s pocketbooks wherever possible. The operating fee passed by city council last year was an unfortunate budget fix that should have gone to the voters. The residents of Salem have been generous to support our community when the case is made. I am proud to be the only candidate running for the Ward 7 seat that believes the fee should have gone to the voters.
3) We need to solidify the sidewalk ordinance for downtown and give our friends and neighbors on the street a real opportunity to seek help and services if they want. Salem has a wide array of services for our homeless, and continues to bring on new housing first solutions, and affordable housing options. I will support those efforts, but we need a balance so our whole community feels safe in our downtown and in our parks.
I will work with community partners AND the business community to bring a navigation center to Salem. This is in motion and it is a much needed service to connect our most vulnerable that are looking for help with the resources they need.
How would those steps lead to a better life for Salem’s residents?
My vision for Salem is that we would continue to grow our own identity in Oregon as an awesome place to live, work and play. I believe we can all get behind that vision. My plan takes into consideration all stakeholders, and at the core we should treat everyone with respect and dignity. If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it is that our community is strong and supportive. The city council is a policy-making body, so our focus should be on adopting public policy that is balanced, and common sense. Common sense policy will help our thriving residents to continue to thrive and help those struggling to find their ground and be successful. I believe in Salem.
The Salem City Council is often described as being made up of progressives and conservatives. What should voters know about your general posture towards issues that would place you in either one of those bloc?
The Salem City Council positions are non-partisan, and at a time like this, we need to come together across ideological boundaries to do what is best for our community – from the small businesses to working families. Generally, I believe that voters should approve new city taxes, and city council should work within their budget and means. I believe that we need to find long-term solutions to our homeless crisis that practice tough love for those who need it. Many residents of our community are struggling financially due to COVID-19, and they are tightening up budgets to get by. Our city leaders should be expected to do the same and adapt and find a balance to promote the livelihood of our community. These positions, in my mind, don’t fall neatly in the easy conservative/progressive dichotomy.
What key change or improvement would you like to see Salem make in the next 20 years?
We need to get back to the table with state and federal partners on the Salem River Crossing. This has gone on far too long without real progress. The City Council voted to kill the 3rd bridge after 90% of the public email input was in favor of the project advancing. This major issue for our community and our region needs financial minds and common sense leaders like myself to get it to the finish line. I promise Salem that when I am elected, this will be one of my top priorities. We have studied, and we have invested millions, it’s time to move forward.
In 300 words, please provide an example or examples of a project or issue you were directly addressed in a leadership role. We are looking for examples of how your involvement resulted in specific action to resolve or improve a local issue.
My role at Salem Health as the director of finance has been one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life. We are the largest private employer in our community, and we are a valuable community benefit. I am so proud to be a leader in the organization which employs over 4,500.
One of the more rewarding projects in recent past that I helped lead was the bond funding for our new patient tower that is currently under construction. This project is such an incredible community asset as we prepare for the growth in Salem and especially the aging population. My role in the project has always been to ensure that we have had accurate data and analysis to support this project. Ultimately my colleagues and I worked with our financial advisors to develop a smart and economically favorable plan of finance which will help Salem Health invest valuable resources in providing care to our community, and that is what is most important. Ultimately we went to New York in the fall and told our “story” to investors. It was exciting to be a leader on a project that is ultimately planning for the future of Salem.
Planning for the new tower project is just one example of how my leadership role at Salem health has equipped me to be a city councilor for Salem. I will focus on long-term planning and leadership just like I do every day at Salem Health.
Another great example of a project I was a part of leading was the purchase of the Ike Box from the YMCA while I was serving on the Isaac’s Room board. The story behind the process was beautiful for everyone involved and definitely for Salem. As many know, the Ike Box was going to be demolished as the YMCA building project commenced. That was how the story was supposed to be written, but our community came together and pivoted. I was the treasurer for the organization when the story was unfolding, and alongside the leadership of our board and Mark and Tiffany Bulgin I was proud to see the partners on that block come together with a common sense solution.
In 300 words, please provide an example of a decision you made or action you took later proved to be unsuccessful or misguided. We are looking for an example of how you deal with failure or mistakes.
Being a leader of leaders is not easy. With anything in life, I continue to learn and develop my skillset and leadership traits as I progress through my career. I value and respect everyone I work with, but I have learned that it is so important to adapt to different personalities as I lead. This has been an area I continue to focus on in my career.
I have learned from mistakes made in leadership coaching and adapted my communication and process along the way. I believe that good leadership comes from a servant heart, and when I have not demonstrated that mindset I have found myself asking for forgiveness. We are human, but as a leader I am held to a higher standard and I take that very seriously. I believe our city needs representation on council from real people with leadership experience like myself, because I have been humbled as a leader, and I am ready to bring servant leadership to Salem.
In less than 100 words, describe why you want this office and how your candidacy would improve Salem.
I am a firm believer in investing in Salem, for our community and for our residents. I believe that Salem is awesome and I want our public policy to encourage Salem to continue to be awesome. I am the right fit for city council because I bring a balance of financial expertise, a young family perspective, and conservative approach which is lacking in our current council. Salem deserves a voice that will see problems as opportunities, make those problems visible with clear metrics for improvement, and check/adjust as necessary to ensure we are agile enough to continue to adapt and ultimately solve those problems. This leadership style has been cemented in me during my tenure at Salem Health and I believe Salem needs that lens to face the challenges ahead.
