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 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 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 in2022 election Joe Biden National politics

Here’s my plan about how Biden can bounce back

Ten days ago I wrote about how bothered I am by how poorly Biden has been performing as president. Today I watched Meet the Press and saw that I'm not alone in being disappointed by Biden. But after sharing some of the bad news on Meet the Press, I'm gong to light a Biden candle instead of cursing the darkness of his dismal poll results at this point in his presidency. So scroll past the depressing (unless you're a Republican) photos I took of some survey results, and you'll find my prescription for how Biden can restore the mojo that…
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Posted in2022 election Jackie Leung Oregon politics

Brad Witt jumps into Salem’s HD 19 race, all the way from Clatskanie

Currently Brad Witt is a member of the Oregon House, representing HD 31 -- which consists of most of Columbia County and parts of Washington and Multnomah counties. But recently Witt formed a campaign committee to be elected in HD 19 -- which is in Salem. Here's a map of HD 19, which definitely doesn't include Clatskanie, where Witt says he lives. So how is it that Witt appears ready to challenge two Salem city councilors, Tom Andersen and Jackie Leung, in the May HD 19 Democratic primary? Currently he isn't shown as having filed for this race, but as…
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Posted in2022 election Oregon politics

Nicholas Kristof’s Governor run stumbles before it starts

When I heard that Nicholas Kristof, a former columnist for the New York Times, was running to be Oregon's Governor, I was enthused.  Wow, a non-politician who, unlike Trump, was intelligent, knowledgeable about the world, and obviously a sophisticated communicator. I started following Kristof on Twitter. I enjoyed his cogent well-written tweets, along with appealing photos of his family at their Yamhill County farm. But now I've soured on Kristof. Yesterday the Oregon Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan, ruled that Kristof didn't meet the residency requirement to run for Governor. The Oregon Capital Chronicle, a great news source, said in…
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Posted in2022 election Donald Trump National politics

Every Republican candidate should answer four questions

Our democracy is in grave danger. Not from an outside enemy. From within -- the Republican Party. This is a tweet shared on MSNBC today. MAGA, of course, is Trump's slogan: Make America Great Again. If only Republican leaders were behind the party's anti-democracy movement, there wouldn't be as much reason for concern. Or, panic. But two-thirds of Republicans wrongly believe Biden wasn't elected legitimately. Trump's Big Lie that the election was stolen from him has infected the minds of a clear majority of Republicans. This has made agreeing with the Big Lie a prerequisite for Republican candidates who want…
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Posted in2022 election Chris Hoy

Chris Hoy wants to be Salem’s mayor. Here’s how he became a city councilor.

Today KMUZ broke the news that Ward 6 city councilor Chris Hoy will run for Salem Mayor next year. His announcement is at the end of the 20-minute interview. Hoy joins two women who have already announced their candidacy: Chane Griggs, who appears to be to the right of Hoy politically, and Hollie Oakes-Miller, who definitely is to the left of Hoy politically.  So Hoy occupies a sort of Goldilocks sweet spot in the mayor's race. He'll be criticized by some as being too conservative and by others as being too liberal. Which isn't a bad place to be in,…
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Posted in2022 election Chamber of Commerce Chane Griggs

Mayor candidate Chane Griggs was a Third Bridge backer

A few days ago the Salem Reporter had a story about Chane Griggs, the second candidate to enter the May 2022 race to be Salem's mayor, since Chuck Bennett, the current mayor, isn't seeking re-election. Reading the story, I got an impression that Griggs is a classic Salem Chamber of Commerce candidate. After all, the Chamber doesn't want to have a progressive take over as mayor, given that Bennett is quite conservative, and progressives already have a 6-3 majority on the City Council. Excerpt: A prominent community leader is throwing her name in the race for Salem's soon-to-be vacant mayoral…
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Posted in2022 election Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce political action: “It’s quiet…too quiet”

Suddenly it hit me. The political part of my brain had been freaking out over national politics, as it always does.  Biden's approval rating sucks. Senate Democrats need to do away with the filibuster for voting rights legislation, but Sinema refuses to do this. The 2022 midterms look like a Dem disaster in the making. What's up with Kamala Harris' disappearing act, since I thought she'd run in 2024 rather than Biden. But then it dawned on me that locally, when it comes to political activities of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, as the saying goes, It's quiet...too quiet. …
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Posted in2022 election Chuck Bennett City Council

2022 Salem City Council and Mayor races get interesting

Even though we're still six months away from the May 2022 election that typically decides City Council and Mayor races (50 percent + 1 vote and you win outright, even though the election is a "primary"), things are already getting really interesting.  The Statesman Journal has a story that describes the current state of affairs: "Salem City Council set for a shake-up in 2022. Here's who's in and who's out so far." Tom Andersen, the Ward 2 city councilor, isn't running for re-election. He was the first progressive elected to the City Council and serves as the unofficial leader of…
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Posted in2022 election

Rep. Kurt Schrader not running for re-election in Salem’s district

The good news for Salem progressives is that Rep. Kurt Schrader won't be representing this area any more, which now is in the 6th congressional district, since Schrader often acts more like a Republican than a Democrat. The (possible) bad news for central Oregon progressives is that Schrader has decided to run in the 5th congressional district -- his current district -- which after redistricting includes Bend. Moderate is the charitable way to describe Schrader. A more accurate way is to call him an obstructionist, since he delights in standing in the way of President Biden's priorities, most recently delaying…
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