Salem City Council election 2024: Who is in, who is out, who is undecided?

Every two years, half of the Salem City Council seats and the mayoral spot are up for reelection. This year already is set to be competitive with a sitting city councilor running against the current mayor.

Here is what we know so far about the 2024 race.

The race to become Salem's next mayor

The primary race is shaping up to be a Hoy versus Hoy showdown.

Ward 6 Councilor Julie Hoy announced her decision on Tuesday to run against current Mayor Chris Hoy. Both Hoys live in Ward 6 but are not related.

In her announcement, Julie Hoy said Salem is facing a crisis of hope and trust and needed leaders who could "do better for everyone."

"I want to change that," she said. "As your next mayor, I will show up. I will show up for small businesses and hear what they are struggling with. I will show up and listen to our service providers as they work to serve our community, and I will show up for law enforcement to help make sure they have everything they need to keep our city safe."

Julie Hoy, who owns Geppetto's Italian Restaurant with her husband, was elected as Ward 6 councilor, the position previously held by Chris Hoy before he was elected mayor, in 2022. Julie Hoy has been critical of the city's response to homelessness, the payroll tax and the budget plan.

Chris Hoy faced a well-funded opponent in the 2022 mayoral race but ultimately won with race with a comfortable margin.

Chris Hoy, a retired undersheriff with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, previously served five years on the City Council and was appointed to serve as a state representative until the end of 2022. When appointed to the state Legislature, he said he did not intend to seek reelection for that position.

He told the Statesman Journal that he wanted to continue to work on the homelessness response, bringing more affordable housing to the city and enriching downtown.

"I just really want to build on those things and keep that work going," Hoy said.

He said he is proud of working to bring commercial air service to Salem, more housing downtown and unprecedented services to house the growing homeless population. Going forward, he wants to use his previous experience working on the budget committee to help address the revenue issue facing Salem.

The mayor is an unpaid, volunteer position and has a two-year term.

A third candidate, Mike Lee, also filed for the mayoral position. Lee, who did not respond to inquiries about his campaign, did not list any current occupation or government experience on his filing form. He listed an address tied to the Union Gospel Mission of Salem Men's Mission.

Ward 1 incumbent faces challenger

First elected to the Salem City Council in 2020, Virginia Stapleton is seeking reelection to represent the city ward representing downtown, a portion of West Salem and north-central neighborhoods.

During her time on the council, Stapleton has bolstered efforts to make the city safer for pedestrians and cyclists, add micro shelters to transition people out of homelessness and pass an infrastructure bond to improve streets, parks and sidewalks.

Salem political newcomer Celine Coleman filed to run for Ward 1 in November. According to her LinkedIn page and filing form, Coleman works as an epidemiologist for Linn County Public Health. She previously worked for a public health agency in Arizona before moving to Salem in 2022 and listed experience with grant allocations as a United Way Committee member and being elected to her homeowners association.

"I was inspired to run due to disproportionate representation throughout the political sphere in Salem, particularly due to how diverse Salem is as a city," Coleman said. "Salem has been a great community to live in. I want to represent all residents in Salem to improve the sense of community."

She said she wants to focus on taking a proactive approach to homelessness with inclusive affordable housing and working to retain and attract local businesses.

Departing councilor opens up race in Ward 3

Current Councilor Trevor Phillips recently announced his decision to not seek reelection. His departure opens up the race in the southeast Salem ward.

Phillips said his full-time job as an emergency room doctor at Salem Health, one of the busiest hospitals on the West Coast, is becoming increasingly demanding.

"It is just wrong that city councilors are expected to do 20 to 30 hours of work per week through council meetings, preparation, committee meetings, special small-group staff meetings with no formal compensation whatsoever," he said. "At a minimum, councilors should receive some type of stipend. Not many community members can afford to spend 20-30 hours a week without any form of compensation."

Phillips said he is proud of the work he did on the council and grateful to those who serve. He formally endorsed Nathan Soltz, whom he served with on the Morningside Neighborhood Association.

Soltz, a current law student at Lewis & Clark Law School, chief of staff for the Oregon Legislative Assembly and board secretary for the Morningside Neighborhood Association, said he wants to focus on livability issues such as housing, development and safety if elected to council by creating strong relationships within the community and at the federal and state level.

He said he also wants to provide a voice to historically underrepresented and marginalized communities.

"I am the first in my family to earn a four-year degree, and as a proud LGBTQ, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish individual, particularly one who did not come from a wealthy family, I know that folks with my background do not feel they have the same capability to run for public office, much less win or serve," Soltz said. "But my strong belief in the importance of public service is unwavering, and I am dedicated to the success of our community."

He set to run against Shane Matthews, a realtor and member of the Citizen Review Board for the Oregon Department of Justice. Matthews said he is proud of growing up and raising his family in Salem, but the city is in a rough spot.

"Violent crime is at an all-time high, drug use is rampant, city spending is ineffective, housing is unaffordable for most, and local businesses are leaving our community at an alarming rate," he said. "I'm focused on finding and implementing effective solutions for these problems and working to build back trust between our City Council and the citizens."

Although Salem Police have noted a recent increase in violent crime, the violent crime rate remains lower than the rate reported in the early 2000s, according to FBI crime data.

Ward 5 councilor undecided

Councilor Jose Gonzalez, who represents the city's most northern ward, remains undecided on whether he will seek reelection.

"My plan was to only serve for one term but the ongoing city budget discussions concern me," Gonzalez said. "I want to ensure the voices of our residents are at the table, they get overlooked too quickly."

Gonzalez, a principal broker and president of Tu Casa Real Estate and co-founder of La Familia Cider, was elected in 2020.

He pointed to several accomplishments during his time on city council, including approving funding for police body cameras, ensuring multi-family zoning was evenly spread throughout Salem, raising the alarm on trying to pass the payroll tax without voter approval and helping launch commercial air service.

As of Dec. 1, only one candidate has filed for the Ward 5 race: Hamadi Jackson, a northeast Salem resident.

Jackson listed prior government experience as the chair of Salem's Human Rights Commission, and his LinkedIn page lists a current job as a Community Health Outreach Worker with Central City Concern.

Jackson said he wants to see a holistic approach to approaching challenges in the community such as homelessness, supporting small businesses and enhancing education to foster "a resilient and thriving community we can be proud of," pointing to strategies like streamlining regulations for small businesses, addressing mental health and addiction for homelessness and increasing access to early learning, higher education and mentorships for education.

"I believe we can create a positive ripple effect, fostering economic prosperity, social inclusivity, and educational advancement," Jackson said.

Incumbent runs again in Ward 7

Councilor Vanessa Nordyke remains the only candidate to have filed to represent Salem's southwestern ward.

Nordyke was appointed to the City Council in 2019 following Sally Cook's resignation due to a loss in her family. She was elected to the position the following year.

A longtime Salem resident and former assistant attorney general with the Oregon Department of Justice, Nordyke now serves as the executive director of CASA of Marion County,  a nonprofit organization that advocates for abused and neglected children in foster care.

"I'm proud to serve the neighborhood that raised me," she said. "I listened to the people I serve, and I will continue to do so."

If reelected, Nordyke said she planned to continue work to increase affordable housing, increase services and shelter for persons in crisis, support Salem's businesses and economic development, increase pedestrian and cyclist safety and support community partners in vulnerable communities.

What's next?

​Candidates have until March 12 to file to run for mayor or city council. Most races are decided in the primary election, as long as the winning candidate gets 50% plus one of the votes. The 2024 primary election will be held on May 21.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem City Council election 2024: A look at primary candidates