Posted in2022 election Chris Hoy City Council

Vote for these progressive candidates in the May election

I like progress. That's why I'm a progressive. And why I'm recommending that you vote for these candidates in the May election that likely will determine who becomes the next Salem mayor and wins the even-numbered Salem City Council seats. (If a candidate gets 50% of the vote, plus one more vote, they win outright in the May election, which is a primary for partisan Democrat/Republican races, but usually is the deciding election in local nonpartisan races.) For more detail, here's a recommendation I saw today from a progressive group that includes some additional races. They leave out the Ward…
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Posted in2022 election City Council

Three reasons to vote for Medlock rather than Gwyn in the Ward 4 council race

If you live in Salem's Ward 4 and are thinking of voting for Deanna Gwyn, I urge you to think again. Her opponent, Dynee Medlock, is a much better choice to represent you on the City Council. A couple of Salem Reporter stories by Rachel Alexander provide the reasons. Here's three of them, based on a written Q&A where Medlock and Gwyn answered questions sent to them by Salem Reporter staff, and a devastating story, "Salem council candidate Deanna Gwyn has rarely voted, records show." (1) Voting records. Gwyn has voted just twice in the past decade, not voting in…
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Posted in2022 election Chane Griggs

Chane and James Griggs’ campaign contributions, 2008-2022

Today someone sent me a spreadsheet that, they said, was pulled from Oregon's campaign contribution database, ORESTAR. It showed the contributions to 28 candidates by Chane Griggs and James Griggs between 2008 and 2022. The amounts ranged from $100 to $2,000, aside from a $5,000 contribution by James to Chane's campaign. Chane Griggs Since Chane Griggs is running for Salem Mayor against Chris Hoy, the accompanying email pointed out that while the Mayor's office is non-partisan, most of those receiving money from the Griggs were Republicans or conservatives. That's true. But most of the donations, 25 of the 28, were…
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Posted in2022 election Marion County politics

Marion County District Attorney candidates offer clear choice in City Club debate

I'm healed! Thanks to the current Marion County District Attorney, Paige Clarkson, and her challenger in the May election, Spencer Todd, I've recovered from the (mild) trauma of watching the previous Salem City Club debate via Zoom between the candidates for Salem Mayor, Chris Hoy and Chane Griggs, where Hoy and Griggs agreed on almost everything and were kind and gentle toward each other. Morally uplifting, perhaps, but boring.  In contrast, Clarkson and Todd disagreed on almost everything and were pleasingly snarky toward each other. Partly that was because being attorneys, they're used to arguing with their fellow lawyers. But…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

I’m uncertain about who to vote for in the Democratic Governor primary

I'm usually quite opinionated when it comes to politics. But this morning my wife asked me who I favored in the upcoming May Democratic primary for Oregon Governor.  I said, "I don't know. Tina Kotek and Tobias Read are the favorites. I'm not sure which is best." A KGW story, updated as of April 12, shows 16 candidates in the Democratic primary. Wikipedia has 15 candidates, lacking Michael David. This is the Wikipedia list. Again, Tina Kotek and Tobias Read seem to be the only viable candidates. Both are experienced in Oregon politics, have a decent amount of campaign funds, and…
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Posted in2022 election

Other CD6 Dem candidates furious at Carrick Flynn getting $1 million from House Majority PAC

A tweet this afternoon by an Oregon Democratic consultant, Kari Chisholm, clued me in to an controversial action by the House Super PAC backed by Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C. Below is the Joint Statement from the six Democratic candidates that I copied from the tweet above. It is indeed highly disturbing that the House Majority PAC would back a particular candidate in the Democratic primary for an newly created House seat, especially since Carrick Flynn isn't lacking for campaign funds, given how many mailings my wife and I have gotten from him. An Oregon Capital Chronicle story about this…
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Posted in2022 election City Council

Ask these tough national questions of local conservative candidates

The saying used to be "All politics is local." Now the reverse is at least equally true: "All politics is national." Meaning, whereas there used to be lots of politicians who were conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans, those days are pretty much gone. Democratic politicians are almost all liberal. Republican politicians are almost all conservative. This poses a problem in nonpartisan races, such as for Salem Mayor and City Councilor.  Sure, nonpartisan has a lovely inclusive vibe to it. Let divisiveness rule in those nasty races where candidates have Democrat or Republican accompanying their name. Our local races can simply…
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Posted inNational politics

Parents don’t get to choose the version of American history they like best

Until I read a story by Jill Lepore in the March 21, 2022 issues of The New Yorker, "The Parent Trap: How school fights, from evolution to anti-racism, pit parents against the state," I failed to understand some key points about the current controversy over teaching American history in public schools. Quite a few conservative states are passing so-called parents-rights bills that allow parents more leeway than they've enjoyed before to complain about teaching regarding slavery, systemic racism, and such that goes against the grain of a view of American history that papers over these subjects in favor of a rosier…
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Posted in2022 election Chane Griggs Chris Hoy

Disappointing: Hoy versus Griggs in City Club debate

Since I like debates, and the Salem City Club called today's program a debate between the two candidates for Mayor, Chris Hoy and Chane Griggs, after I settled into my chair for the noon Zoom meeting, I was looking forward to some argumentative fireworks. Instead, what transpired was more like a sparkler that fizzled a bit now and then, but mostly just gave off some smoke without any real heat. Or to mix my metaphors, Griggs and Hoy acted like two fighters who were so concerned about not getting knocked out, they neglected to throw any genuine punches. Part of…
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Posted inCity Council Land use

Salem City Council reverses itself and approves Meyer Farm subdivision

Some Salem progressives are deeply irritated at fellow progressives on the City Council after Monday night's 4-3 approval of a revised Meyer Farm subdivision application , which followed a 5-2 denial of the application on February 28. The Friends of The Meyer Farm Facebook page has an image that sums up how opponents of the subdivision are feeling today. They're justified in feeling this way.  One reason is how City of Salem staff turned a subdivision denial into an approval by working with the applicant on a revised application, even though opponents figured that what staff should have been doing…
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Posted inNational politics

No reasonable person should be a Republican

Being a Republican used to be a respectable political position. My mother was an avid Republican. Until I went to college, I shared her conservatism. I grew up reading National Review. William F. Buckley was only one of numerous noted Republican intellectuals. Back then, Republicans believed in conserving the environment, which fit with their conservative principles. Now, in the Age of Trump, Republicans should rename themselves as the Know-Nothing Party. (Yeah, I know, that name was taken in the 1850's, but it's time to resurrect it.) There's so many examples of Republican craziness, I'm going to limit myself to two…
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Posted in2022 election City Council

Stacey Vieyra-Braendle is the progressive Ward 6 candidate

I guessed right. Twelve days ago I wrote a blog post, "Mayor and City Council candidates: a first look," where without knowing much about the two Ward 6 candidates for city council, I said: Ward 6. Julie Hoy and Stacey Vieyra-Braendle are the candidates seeking to fill Chris Hoy's seat. I could be completely wrong about this, but it seems strange that an unrelated Hoy just happens to hope to replace Chris Hoy.  This is the sort of thing Republicans would do. So I'll indulge my conspiracy theory mind and theorize that Julie Hoy leans conservative. I know nothing about…
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Posted inNational politics

Fear of WW III can’t stop us from battling Putin with all our might

Just before I started to write this blog post, I got a reminder that it's time to use CleanMyMac, a utility program I've been using without thinking where the creators come from.Now I know. This message popped up when I opened CleanMyMac. We stop selling our products to users from the Russian Federation and Belarus with this release. Ukraine is our home, and we want to protect it in every way we can.   Despite the war, CleanMyMac is stable, and our team is safe. We try to stay calm, focused, and optimistic for a peaceful future of independent Ukraine.…
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Posted in2022 election Marion County politics

Mark Wigg has ideas to help the homeless

Mark Wigg is a Salem community activist who is running for the Marion County Board of Commissioners seat currently held by Colm Willis. Mark Wigg Since Wigg is unopposed in the Democratic primary, and Willis is unopposed in the Republican primary, they'll face off in the November 2022 general election. I wholeheartedly support Wigg. Currently all three of the Marion County Commissioners are conservative Republicans. Wigg would bring fresh ideas and some political balance to the board. Here's an essay Wigg sent me about the homeless crisis. He's absolutely correct that what's being tried now isn't working very well.  From…
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Posted in2022 election Chane Griggs Chris Hoy

Hollie Oakes-Miller suspends her campaign for Mayor of Salem

This afternoon I got an email from Hollie Oakes-Miller. Family, Friends, and Comrades,I am sad to announce that we are suspending the campaign for Mayor of Salem and I will be taking some time to rest, reflect, and refocus. I am deeply grateful for all of your support through this campaign!! Thank you!  ~Hollie   I'm not sure if "suspending" means Oakes-Miller is withdrawing from the Mayor race, or if she's just taking a break from campaigning. UPDATE: Just got this message from someone who's usually knowledgeable about local political happenings. "Just FYI, I have it on good authority that Hollie came…
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Posted in2022 election City Council

Mayor and City Council candidates: a first look

This is going to be an unusual year for local politics. For the first time since I've been following political goings-on in our city, there's no incumbents running for Mayor or half of the City Council seats -- the even-numbered ones, Wards 2, 4, 6, 8. What's obvious is that control of the City Council is at stake. Currently progressives have a 6-3 majority. Well, actually 6-2, since Jim Lewis, the conservative Ward 8 councilor, has resigned and a temporary replacement hasn't been appointed yet.  The five seats being voted on in the May primary (which determines who wins outright…
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Posted inJoe Biden National politics

Bring on higher gas prices, since it punishes Putin

Nobody likes to pay more for gasoline. But we all should be pleased to do this when it keeps American money out of the hands of the Russian thug, Vladimir Putin, who is bombing residential areas in Ukraine mercilessly. Today President Biden announced that the United States won't be importing Russian oil, which accounts for 3% of our oil supply.  Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine about two weeks ago, gas prices have risen considerably. I recall that the Shell station in south Salem where I usually fill up was charging about $3.95 a gallon pre-invasion. When I drove by today…
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Posted inJoe Biden National politics

With Ukraine, I’m becoming a progressive war hawk

It's sort of a weird feeling for me, wishing the United States would get more involved in a war after being opposed to the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan (I supported the initial push to get Bin Laden, but not the twenty years in Afghanistan afterward). However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed a warmonger button in my psyche.  It's been infuriating to watch Putin's army bomb residential areas in Ukraine that have no military significance. I feel for the million or so Ukrainians who have fled their country after the Russian aggression. My heart aches to watch the…
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Posted inCity Council City of Salem Land use

Meyer Farm subdivision rejected by City Council, but city staff are trying to keep it alive.

Ah, the games City of Salem staff like to play, even when they seem illegal, or at least, decidedly improper.  Last Monday night the City Council voted 5-2 to reject an application to build a 139 single-family lot subdivision on the beautiful property in south Salem known as the Meyer Farm. I wrote about this last October in "Thirty-acre Meyer Farm property in south Salem may be developed." Neighbors, along with others concerned about the proposed development, formed a Facebook group, Friends of The Meyer Farm. I've followed their persistent, thoughtful, energetic efforts, finding them impressive. Fighting a subdivision is…
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Posted inNational politics

We are all Ukrainians. Except for Putin admirers.

Four words really says it all. But being a wordy guy, naturally I want to say more about how proud I am of how Ukraine is bravely fighting against Putin and his Russian military. Many times a day I check my Twitter feed to see how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is going. I follow The Kyiv Independent, @KyivIndependent. This screenshot of their most recent tweets shows how gripping real-time coverage of the invasion is. The stories of heroism and sacrifice coming out of Ukraine are wonderfully inspiring. They spur me to exhibit more courage in my own hugely easier…
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