Meet the Ward 6 candidates that will shape the future of Salem City Council

Yahoo

26-04-2025

A key seat on Salem City Council will be decided by voters on May 20.
Mai Vang, Logan Lor and Deanna Garcia are competing to represent Ward 6 in northeast Salem.
Salem has been without a Ward 6 councilor since January when former Councilor Julie Hoy was sworn in as mayor.
The mayor and Salem City Council are nonpartisan, unpaid positions but typically fall between "progressive candidates" and "business candidates," with the latter tending to draw large donations from developers and political action committees.
For the past nine years, the council has shifted more progressive. The election of Hoy and other business-backed candidates reversed that trend.
The Ward 6 seat could also influence how the council ultimately decides key issues like the budget and hiring a new city manager.
The city is currently facing a $13.8 million shortfall and could see major cuts to staffing and services if voters don't pass the five-year levy in the May election that would fund Salem Public Library, parks and Center 50+.
According to the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, 51.4 full-time equivalent positions would be cut if the levy doesn't pass, including 20 employees at Salem Public Library, 15 at parks and recreation, two people at Center 50+ and one person supporting the Community Services Department.
Per city charter rules, a special election was called to serve out the remainder of Hoy's term, which was set to expire at the end of 2026.
Typically, council candidates need 50% plus one vote to avoid a runoff in an election. For races to finish an unexpired term, such as Hoy's, the candidate with the most votes wins outright.
The winning candidate will be sworn in after Marion County certifies the results, which should occur before June 16.
The East Lancaster Neighborhood Association and the North East Salem Community Association will host a candidate forum from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 29 at the Jory Apartments community room, 909 Park Ave. NE.
The Statesman Journal met with each candidate to discuss their background and how they would plan to address key city issues.
Garcia said she's been advocating for northeast Salem for more than two decades.
She remembers receiving a Distinguished Service Award from the city in 2007 for her involvement. She received the award with a baby on her hip and holding her kindergartner's hand.
Representation matters on city council, she said.
As a Latina Indigenous woman, she brings a viewpoint she says represents Ward 6, which is predominantly Hispanic.
As a mother, she's fought for better parks and safer neighborhoods.
Garcia is an operations and policy analyst for the Oregon Department of Transportation and chair of the North Lancaster Neighborhood Association.
She's watched as services and livability in Ward 6 have failed to keep pace with population growth.
When cuts are made, they have a disparate impact on northeast Salem, she added.
She said she wants to be the voice for families worried about the safety of their neighborhoods, kids having to play on old park equipment and residents concerned about the budget.
"I want to be the person that listens and takes action and finds resolution without just making it about complaints or grievances," Garcia said.
She said the budget deficit is a top issue for the city, adding that cost-saving measures like cutting overnight travel and use of consultants are smart moves but should have been done years ago.
Garcia said the city will be tasked with hard decisions for the budget.
"Nobody's going to be happy with the final outcome, and I just hope that all of the cuts ... are done in a way that's equitable and fair, and no one particular part of the community is going to hurt more than the other," she said.
In a response to a Salem Area Chamber of Commerce candidate questionnaire, Garcia said as a resident, she had mixed feelings about the levy because she opposes taxes that do not personally give her a return on her investment. She said she utilizes parks but does not use the other amenities regularly.
Despite this, she said she plans to support the levy because she feels across-the-board cuts would have a serious adverse impact on the community.
Public safety, including police, fire, emergency response and the 911 call center, also topped Garcia's list of key issues.
She was involved in Salem's Community Violence Reduction Initiative to address the increase in gun violence in the city, especially in the northeast neighborhoods. She participated in the community-wide group and in regular Peace Walks.
Garcia said she wants to build back trust in public safety and help residents and businesses feel like law enforcement will respond to their calls for help.
She also said she wants to partner with government and nonprofit agencies to address the increase in homelessness.
Garcia said she prides herself on being a good listener and resource to people in her community.
Joining city council will help her take that to the next level.
"I overcame a lot of adversity to get to where I'm at today," she said. "Despite all of the struggles and hardships that I encountered in my adolescence, I still chose to put down permanent roots here in this community and raise my family, because northeast Salem means a lot to me."
Garcia is endorsed by the Salem Professional Firefighters union, Mayor Hoy, former Councilor Jose Gonzalez, Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell, Salem Police Employees' Union and the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce.
As of April 24, her campaign reported raising $13,552, according to Oregon Secretary of State finance records.
Her biggest donations include $5,000 from the Oregon Realtors Political Action Committee, $2,500 from Bark Boys business owner Bill Riecke and a $2,500 in-kind donation from Marion Polk First Political Action Committee.
More information on Garcia's campaign is available at GarciaforNE.com.
When Vang moved to her home in Ward 6 near Hoover Elementary and North Salem High School, she took her concerns about pedestrian and traffic safety to the North East Salem Community Association to find solutions.
Vang is a family law attorney in Salem who graduated from Willamette University College of Law and has decided to use her problem-solving skills to better her neighborhood.
She said she was able to get to know her neighbors and learn about their concerns. She's remained active in the neighborhood ever since.
Law school brought Vang, a first-generation Hmong-American whose parents were refugees from the Vietnam War, to Salem in 2018.
She worked as an intern for Councilor Vanessa Nordyke and was a law clerk for then-representative and now state Sen. Khanh Pham, D-Portland.
She, her husband and cat, Luck, opted to stay in Salem after graduation.
Vang grew up in Missoula, Montana, and said her community made her family feel welcome and helped them thrive. She wants to continue that legacy by giving back to her community.
"Right now, Ward 6 doesn't have someone to listen to their concerns and, most importantly, show up for them," she said.
She said she wants to be the one to show up for Ward 6 by tackling key issues like the city budget, affordable housing, safety and livability, and economic development.
Vang said she supports a variety of options for addressing the budget deficit, like a livability levy, interagency collaboration and finding other sources of revenue.
She said passing the levy will be critical for keeping parks, the library and Center 50+ available for residents.
Vang said for years, some in the community have insisted the budget is a priority or efficiency problem, but that notion was dispelled by recent findings from the City Efficiency Committee. It found that Salem "is doing more with significantly fewer resources than cities of similar size" as it faces a $13.8 million budget shortfall.
Vang said leaders need to work together to find real long- and short-term solutions.
She said affordable housing is a critical issue citywide.
"Rent budget and what comes out on a monthly basis is at the top of my mind," Vang said. "A lot of people who live in Ward 6 are renters, too, and I think that perspective sometimes doesn't get vocalized enough when we're talking about affordable housing and making that accessible."
Safety, livability and supporting economic development also topped Vang's list of priorities.
Vang is endorsed by Councilors Nordyke, Linda Nishioka and Micki Varney, former Councilors Trevor Phillips and Virginia Stapleton, former Mayor Chris Hoy, U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem, Rep. Tom Andersen, D-Salem, UFCW Local 555, Marion County Democrats and grassroots environmental group 350 Salem.
She said her endorsements prove she can work collaboratively with other councilors.
Vang said her experience at the neighborhood, city and state level mean she can hit the ground running on Day 1.
"Everybody in Salem has a different idea about how the city should be run, and what's a priority, what's not a priority," Vang said.
The skills she's learned as an attorney to mediate, listen to both sides and find solutions will be critical, she added.
"I think being able to work as a team is really important, and that's what our next city councilor for Ward 6 needs to be able to do," Vang said.
As of April 24, Vang's campaign had raised $18,767, according to Oregon Secretary of State finance records.
Her biggest donations include $3,000 from Frank Taussig, $2,000 from Doua Vang and $1,000 from Kathy Graham.
More information on Vang's campaign is available at electmaivang.com.
As a resident of northeast Salem for almost 40 years, Lor said he has seen striking disparities in Ward 6.
"What I'm talking about is the systemic social and economic segregation in this area," he said. "We need to change the policies at City Hall, because what the systemic social-economic disparity has done is create the northeast into a poverty area in Salem."
Wealthier people now move to south and West Salem, he said.
"I see it as a system that needs to be changed, that needs to be checked," Lor added.
Lor has worked as an Oregon Department of Corrections officer for 27 years. He first came to Salem with his family in 1986 as refugees of the Vietnam War.
Lor learned English, worked with his family in berry fields as a child, graduated from North Salem High School and raised four children with his wife.
He has been a board member at Faith Christian Fellowship Church for 15 years.
He was previously the president of Lo-Pha Society (Hmong community) for five years, on the board of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon for two years, and a member for two years on the Salem Human Rights & Relations Advisory Commission.
He first ran unsuccessfully for Ward 6 in 2014. Lor said he decided to seek office because he feels the city is not listening to residents about issues facing northeast Salem.
He cited issues of homeless camps getting pushed into poorer parts of the city and families no longer want to visit big parks like McKay Park because of crime and drug use.
Lor said he wants to bring his perspective as a blue-collar worker and father to council.
He said the top issues facing the city are jobs, livability and collaboration.
He wants to see high-paying, quality jobs, mentor programs for youth, investment in streets and sidewalks and the city to address homelessness.
He said he conditionally supports the livability levy if it is designed with equity, accountability and clear public benefit in mind.
Lor is endorsed by the Association of Oregon Corrections Employees.
In the weeks before the election, Marion County Democrats criticized Lor for his "anti-LGBTQ social media posts" and said he was ineligible for consideration for their endorsement.
In the Facebook post, Lor said gay rights were not equivalent to civil rights.
"How you choose to live your life and present yourself is solely your own personal preference and decision," he said in the post. "It is NOT a God given right."
Marion County Democrats Chair Paige Barton said when she informed Lor he was ineligible for consideration because his values conflicted with the equity values of the party, he replied that he was a Christian.
"We believe Mr. Lor is unfit to serve the City of Salem not only for his homophobic, divisive positions, but also for his inability to separate his spiritual and public personas," Barton said.
Barton said Lor accused the political group of being prejudiced against him for his religion.
"We can only conclude that Lor lacks accountability necessary for leadership and seems to believe he can recreate his position now that he is running for office," Barton said.
Lor said he stands by his statement that gay rights are not the same as civil rights and insisted he is not homophobic.
Lor had no reported financial activity for donations to his campaign on the Oregon Secretary of State's website. He said he was not drawing big donors but had gotten a donation from his union as a corrections officer.
More information on Lor's campaign is online at lorforsalem.com.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at [e-mail], call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Who is running for Ward 6 Salem City Council? Meet the candidates