A City Council consists of a Mayor (who chairs the Council) and Councilors. City Councils are the policy-making body for a city. They supervise city departments, set policy, and develop budgets. Candidates must be qualified electors under the state constitution and must have resided in the city for at least 1 year before the General Election.Term: 4 years. The Mayor is elected citywide, but the City Councilors are elected by ward (district). The position is nonpartisan.The League of Women Voters conducted interviews with both candidates in this race. The recordings may be found here: Shane Matthews: youtube.com/watch?v=lajGZTkNKdUNathan Soltz: youtube.com/watch?v=XAkmVkggi7Y
Campaign Phone (public)
503-400-5851
Town Where You Live
Salem
Your Experience/Qualifications
Citizen Review Board, Oregon Justice Department. Small Business Owner.
County
Marion
Term
4 Years
Term Expires
12/31/2028
I don’t want to give the impression that no new revenue is needed. I just believe that we don’t know how much is needed because we are bleeding everywhere and until we get that bleeding under control, we don’t have a clear picture of our true budget shortfalls.
FY23 spent over $20M toward the housing first homeless effort. The results don’t warrant that amount of money. Houselessness is rarely caused by the actual need for a home. It is regularly caused by Addiction, Mental Illness, or Trauma. Focusing on housing is treating a symptom instead of the cause.
Progress in our homeless and drug issues will be reflected financially in other areas of the budget (fire, police, parks, etc.)
EFFICIENT SPENDING – We want to know where OUR money is going and that it is being used effectively. We need to rethink the way money is being spent and pivot or adjust programs that aren’t showing the outcomes citizens demand.
CRIME – Big and Small, Crime is on the rise. Prioritizing and supporting public safety is a must. Our community is becoming numb to having mail stolen, open drug dealing, and trespassing. We can’t let this be our new normal.
HOMELESS – The current houseless effort is not working. We need to focus more on a persons primary reason for Homelessness, as opposed to just providing them with a bed. Accountability is the key. Expectations that shelter occupants be working to progress is the only way to make real impact.
Salem has started to become unlivable financially.
City population is increasing and housing production is not keeping pace. Qualified professionals can’t afford to buy a home in the community they serve.
Moving forward we need to prioritize local job creation with livable wages that ensure a person doesn't need to be in low income housing. The solution of creating a mass influx of low income housing really just prolongs the idea that workers should make less than a livable wage.
We should be more strategic to increase the volume of middle housing and in turn reduce the cost of housing for multiple income levels.
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