Posts by Hines Brian

I found a lot to like in how the four Salem City Council races on the May 19 ballot turned out. Progressives won three of them, and narrowly lost the fourth, even though the conservative candidates had a lot more money to spend -- thanks to contributions from business related PACs (political action committees).  Stapleton, Phillips, Oakes-Miller, and Nordyke were the progressive candidates. The * indicates who won. So the four progressive candidates raised $70,231 as of May 22, while the four conservative candidates raised a whopping $158,350, well over twice as much.  Yet three of the conservatives lost. And…

If you're interested in how much is being contributed to City Council races here in Salem, you're going to love the reports that Jim Scheppke sent me -- which I've shared below in the form of screenshots.  A post-election story in the Statesman Journal said that Councilor Tom Andersen is looking into the possibility of limiting spending on the races, which points to the relevance of these reports. For five positions that pay absolutely nothing to have more than $200,000 for political campaigns is alarming, said Salem City Councilor Tom Andersen.  "I think that's way too much of an influence of big money," he…

Last night progressives were heartened by the results of four Salem City Council races -- even one in which the liberal candidate is narrowly behind. Spending on these races set a record, about $220,000, with most of the money coming from individuals and groups aligned with business interests. The Chamber of Commerce and builder/realtor PACs went all out to change the left-leaning political landscape of the City Council. And in the end, they ended up with at best, the same balance of power. As the image below that a friend sent me shows, the election started with a 6-3 progressive…

I've dusted off a blog post from May 2016. Changed the election day to what it is in 2020, May 19. Updated the names of the candidates. Otherwise, left it the same, because what I said back then on election day eve is what I also want to say today, with the election tomorrow. Thank you, candidates.  I offer a heartfelt Namas'cray to all of the Salem people running for Mayor and City Council seats in tomorrow's 2020 primary election. Thank you for being crazy enough to put in so much time, effort, and money seeking an office that pays…

Oregon Right to Life has a nasty habit of sending out last-minute mailers in local elections that have nothing to do with abortion. Here they go again, with the mailer below urging a vote for Brad Nanke in the Ward 3 election for a Salem City Council seat. Supporters of Nanke claim that he is a "non-partisan" member of the council. Not true. Nanke is deeply conservative. Oregon Right to Life says he is "an advocate for the unborn."  Since I'm not aware that abortion has ever been discussed at a Salem City Council meeting, it's pretty damn clear that…

Here's what came to mind after I read today's excellent Statesman Journal story by Whitney Woodworth, "City Council campaign spending breaks records, $200K in contributions." (1) We need local newspapers. I'm a frequent critic of the Statesman Journal. In-depth reporting on local issues has been lacking for a number of years. But Woodworth's story made me feel better about Salem's daily print newspaper. Temporarily, at least.  Sure, five days ago I'd written about this same subject. Being a part-time unpaid blogger, though, limits what I can do compared to a full-time professional journalist. It was great to see the quotes…

Jim Scheppke, ace financial analyst of contributions to Salem City Council races, sent me an update on spending in the 2020 campaigns. As you can read below, the headlines are: Four business PACs (political action committees) have contributed $66,468 to conservative candidates. That's 39% of the total campaign contributions for all candidates of $170,977. Reid Sund, who faces Vanessa Nordyke in the Ward 7 race, has gotten a record-breaking $63,422 in contributions, only 10% of which is from contributions of $100 or less. Nordyke has gotten 29% of her $22,605 in contributions of $100 or less. Here's part of what…

Now that its May, the nasty attack ads come out to play -- by people desperate to get conservative Salem City Council candidates elected in the May 19 primary (which usually results in an actual winner, if one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote). Case in point: this mailer from the "Jobs PAC" that contains several false statements about Trevor Phillips, who is shown in black and white to, I guess, distinguish him from the colorful Brad Nanke. Before I point out why this attack ad is so sleazy, let's do some digging into the Jobs PAC. Here's…

I've got my favorite City Council candidates. And I'm not shy about urging you to vote for them in the May 19, 2020 election. Today I made this online "lawn sign," leaving aside the fact there are no lawns in cyberspace. I also updated my Salem Can Do Better web page to reflect the newest thing people can do to improve our town: VOTE for Stapleton, Phillips, Oakes-Miller, and Nordyke. Check out the web page by clicking on the image below if you're not convinced, as I am, that these are the best candidates. On it I've got videos of each…

Reid Sund is running against Vanessa Nordyke for the Ward 7 Salem City Council seat. His campaign apparently has set a record for contributions to a city council candidate: $46,847. But there's a lot of room for debate about whether this record deserves applause or boos, since $18,000 has come from special interest PACs: $10,500 from the Oregon Association of Realtor's PAC and $7,500 from the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, which is the political arm of the Marion-Polk Homebuilder's Association. After all, PACs (Political Action Committees) carefully choose which politicians they support financially. In my opinion, it isn't so much…

Two conservative Salem City Council candidates in the upcoming May 19 election have decidedly crazy ideas about idling cars and climate change.  Reid Sund (Ward 7) and Jan Kailuweit (Ward 1) are claiming that building a 3rd Bridge across the Willamette would be a big contributor to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in Salem. Yes, they say, it is one of the best solutions we have in our “tool kit” for fighting climate change. In this regard they have a lot in common with Donald Trump. They make stuff up that has no basis in fact and then they repeat it…

A few days ago I wrote "Fascinating facts about contributions to Salem City Council candidates." The compilation of contributions that I shared had Citizens for a Livable Community as a major donor to each of the conservative candidates: Jan Kailuweit, Brad Nanke, Jose Gonzalez, and Reid Sund. That got me to wondering, "What the heck is Citizens for a Livable Community?" I'd never heard of the group before. So who are those citizens with such a concern for making our community livable? And why are they only contributing to conservative candidates? Well, the answers to those questions point to why Oregon has…

As we approach the May 19, 2020 Oregon primary election, where each of the four Salem City Council races likely will be decided (candidate with more than 50% wins outright), I'm pleased to present a detailed look at the campaign finances of those races as of yesterday, April 15. Salem City Council: Kaser, Andersen, Nanke, Leung, Mayor Bennett, Ausec, Hoy, Nordyke, Lewis The images below, which I converted from a spreadsheet, come from a fellow political junkie who compiled the information from campaign finance reports on the state ORESTAR system. There's a lot to digest in the images. Here's some…

Yes, the coronavirus crisis is consuming our attention. That's understandable. But don't forget something important.Next month, May, there's an election for four City Council seats. And it's clear to me who you should vote for.The candidates who will move Salem forward to a brighter future. I'll have more to say about them as the May 19 election nears.For now, keep these names in mind. Because they're the most progressive candidates.Which is what Salem sorely needs in this trying time. Progress.  Click on a name to visit the candidate's web site. Virginia Stapleton (Ward 1) Trevor Phillips (Ward 3) Hollie Oakes-Miller…