Chris Hoy, Salem city councilor, appointed to replace Brian Clem in state Legislature

Chris Hoy was appointed Wednesday to represent House District 21, which includes large portions of south and east Salem, in the state Legislature.

Hoy, a Democrat and Salem city councilor, will serve out the term of long-time state legislator Brian Clem, who announced his resignation in October. The term runs through the end of 2022.

Hoy said he will remain in his position on the Salem City Council through the end of his current term, which also runs through 2022.

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He was appointed in a 2-1 vote by the Marion County commissioners. Nancy MacMorris-Adix received one vote from commissioner Danielle Bethell. Kasia Quillinan and Virginia Stapleton were the other candidates for appointment. The commissioners, all of whom are Republicans, were required to choose a Democrat to replace Clem.

“I’ve always wanted to do something in the Legislature, I think this is a great opportunity, and knowing that I’ll have the chance to do that for a year but still be able to focus on my city issues, it’s a good thing,” Hoy said.

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Hoy said he doesn’t live in the redrawn House District 21 and won’t run for re-election in the position.

Hoy’s term on the Salem City Council runs through 2022, and he hasn’t given an indication of whether he will run for that office again or seek another office. Mayor Chuck Bennett has announced he won't seek another term.

“I haven’t made any announcements yet," Hoy said.

Hoy is a retired deputy with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. He was elected to the Salem City Council in a special election in 2017.

Clem first won election to the house in 2006. One of the longest-serving members of the House, he announced Oct. 29 that he was resigning from the Legislature to care for his mother.

Hoy won’t have long to prepare.

The state Legislature has been called into a special session on Dec. 13 to deal with the state’s emergency rental assistance program. Among the matters facing the body are deciding if renters should receive further reprieve from eviction while waiting for the state to process their applications and if more funds should be allocated to the program.

“The good news is this isn’t a new issue for me because I’ve been working on homelessness and these related issues for a long time on the city’s behalf," Hoy said. "I actually had happened on my calendar to have a meeting today with (Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency executive director) Jimmy Jones. I said, ‘Hey, in the off chance I get this appointment, what do I need to know for Monday?'

“That’s what I’m doing to prepare, and I’ve read some things about that issue and I’ve talked to another legislator about it.”

Evicting renters: Oregon Legislature to meet in emergency session as renters face evictions

MacMorris-Adix, a former Salem-Keizer school board member, and Quillinan, a former Salem city councilor, said they wouldn't run for election in the district.

Stapleton is also a current Salem city councilor.

Hoy says he has breakfast with the county commissioners each month, and the commissioners said they believe his specific knowledge of issues Marion County is facing, such as wildfire recovery, will be beneficial to the county.

"Because I have a relationship with Chris already, we have a relationship, I’m going to cast my vote for Chris," Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said. "And I will say this, I want to say this because this day is always hard, but what makes it even harder is I’ve known and served and respected Representative Brian Clem for many years.

"He helped us in a tremendous way with the fire recovery and efforts that went through the legislature. His shoes will not be easy to fill. Chris, I know that that’s not something you will try to do in the next year that you’ll be serving there, but I want to congratulate you to your appointment to House District 21."

Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler.

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This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem councilman Chris Hoy to replace Brian Clem in Oregon Legislature