Posted inMicki Varney Progressive Salem

I fashion a fruit creation for Progressive Salem potluck

I'm a terrible cook. My best dishes are either microwaved frozen dinners or take-out food. Left to my own cooking devices, I rely heavily on tofu and brown rice. Not even slow-cooked brown rice. Three-minute microwaved frozen packaged brown rice from Trader Joe's. So when I needed to bring something to the Progressive Salem potluck at Woodmansee Park today, my first (and also last) thought was to buy some organic fruit. I settled on strawberries and blackberries. This morning I labored for a whole five minutes or so, rinsing the fruit, slicing the tops off of the strawberries, and then…
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Posted inCity Council City of Salem Progressive Salem

Salem Progressive Agenda survey results are an appealing vision

It's easy to get disheartened about the current state of our nation. So much disharmony, discord, and dissatisfaction with how things are going,  So my spirits were boosted when I saw the results of a Salem Progressive Agenda survey of 103 citizens -- all progressives, not surprisingly, me being one of them. Here's the first question. Now, likely some people in Salem will look at this and other questions (more accurately, statements) on the survey and think, "Yikes! I sure hope this doesn't happen!" I could be wrong -- an ever-present possibility -- but my optimism leads me to think…
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Posted in2020 election City Council Progressive Salem

Salem Reporter gets it right: this is a progressive town

It's wrong to think that Salem is a conservative backwater stuck between two cool progressive cities to our north and south, Portland and Eugene. Sure, for a long time some have termed our town So-Lame. But if that moniker ever was deserved, it sure doesn't describe Salem now, either from a cultural or a political perspective. As I noted on May 20 in a post-election post, "Progressives dominate in three of four Salem City Council races," progressives have made a great comeback in Salem. Back in 2015 there was just one progressive on the City Council. Starting in 2018, there have…
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Posted inChamber of Commerce City Council Progressive Salem

Honor Mike Swaim by making Salem more progressive

Mike Swaim was a much-admired former mayor of Salem who died on December 17 from a stroke that occurred during heart surgery.  Other people have praised Swaim for how he worked to improve Salem during his three mayoral terms in office from 1997 to 2002. Below I'm sharing a piece that Bill Smaldone wrote about Swaim that was posted on the Salem City Watch site.  And both the Salem Reporter and Statesman Journal had stories about Swaim. So since I don't have anything to add about Swaim's exemplary life, I want to talk about how we can honor him in the…
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Posted inProgressive Salem Salem-Keizer school district

School board election losses dismaying to progressives

About three weeks ago I was deeply upset when each of the Salem-Keizer school board candidates endorsed by Progressive Salem lost to conservative candidates. And not by a little. Marty Heyen defeated Raul Marquez 53% to 47%. Satya Chandragiri defeated David Salinas 52% to 48%. Danielle Bethell defeated Chuck Lee 54% to 46%. Sure, turnout was just 20% of registered voters. But it's hard for progressives like me to look upon the result of the May 21 Special District Election as anything but an ass-kicking by conservatives. I'm not sure why this happened. It's easier for me to come up…
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Posted inChamber of Commerce City Council National politics

If all politics is national now, what about local Salem politics?

Baby boomer that I am, I'm old enough to remember when what Yascha Mounk writes about in a New Yorker piece, "The Rise of McPolitics," was the lay of the political land in this country: For much of the twentieth century, the real power in American politics rested not with U.S. representatives or senators but with the governors, mayors, and assemblymen who controlled local purse strings. In many cases, men like Chafin got people elected to Congress in order to reward them for years of loyal service or to rid themselves of ambitious rivals, but national politics was of comparatively…
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Posted inJackie Leung Progressive Salem

Five takeaways from Jackie Leung’s Salem City Council victory

Like I said last Tuesday on election night, Jackie Leung's 53%-46% victory over Steve McCoid in the Ward 4 City Council race warms my progressive heart. Though I used the word "apparent" in that post, Leung has a 237 vote lead over McCoid, which is very unlikely to be erased even though some lingering votes may remain to be counted. There are lessons to be learned from political newcomer Leung's upset victory over an incumbent city councilor, especially when Micki Varney's 48%-52% loss to incumbent Councilor Jim Lewis in the Ward 8 race is considered.  So here's my five takeaways…
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Posted inCity Council Jackie Leung Progressive Salem

Jackie Leung’s apparent victory over Steve McCoid warms my progressive heart

It's election night. Time for me to say "I told you so!" to those progressives who either thought Jackie Leung couldn't best Steve McCoid in the Ward 4 Salem City Council race, or felt that that McCoid was an acceptable moderate, so endorsed him even though Leung was by far the better candidate. Have a look, Councilors Tom Andersen and Chris Hoy, both of whom endorsed McCoid. Have a look, board members of Progressive Salem, who ignored requests to support the more liberal candidate in the Ward 4 race.  Now, a 184 vote lead in Ward 4 likely will hold…
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Posted inCity Council Progressive Salem

Jackie Leung should get Progressive Salem support for her City Council campaign

I'm a proud member of Progressive Salem. It's great that the group has helped elect five progressives to the City Council, a majority. But here's some constructive criticism about how Progressive Salem decides who to endorse. So far, Progressive Salem is sitting on its hands when it comes to the Ward 4 race in south Salem. This seems ridiculous, since the two candidates are... Steve McCoid, the incumbent, who was narrowly elected in 2014 by about 200 votes. He defeated Scott Bassett, who was a Salem United candidate, which was a sort of precursor to Progressive Salem. McCoid leans conservative.…
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