If you live in Ward 8, which is most of West Salem, I hope you'll vote for Micki Varney in the May election. I've heard Varney speak several times, and it's obvious that she'll make a great Salem city councilor.
Here's a photo of Varney at a fundraiser for her campaign that I attended last night. I'm the gray-haired guy who has a blue jacket on the back of his seat.
A close-up from her web site reflects some of Varney's appealing attributes: openness, honesty, intelligence, good humor. She's a salmon biologist who wants to use her scientific approach to figure out what's best for her constituents in West Salem, and Salem in general.
This is so refreshing.
There's way too much political polarization at all levels of government. It was music to my ears to hear Varney talk about studying all sides of an issue, gathering solid data to inform policy-making, and listening to what people who live in Ward 8 want and need.
She comes across as wonderfully authentic.
Unlike many politicians, when Varney speaks I don't get the sense that she's trying to impress anybody, or trying to come across as someone who knows more than they really do. She expresses herself clearly and concisely, then pauses to hear what others think about what she said.
Here's her background, as summarized on her web site.
Micki Varney is a salmon biologist who wants to bring her sharp, analytical mind to finding smart solutions for Salem.
She has had experience as a city councilor in the town of Dayton, Washington, before she moved to Salem in 2010 to take a job with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In Salem she has been active in the local chapter of the American Association of University Women, serving a term as President. She also has been a leader in her union, SEIU Local 503, where she serves as the Chief Steward for ODFW.
In her job Micki currently assesses the performance of Oregon’s salmon hatcheries and recommends changes to save endangered wild salmon runs.
Micki is an avid angler and sportswoman. She loves West Salem and is dedicated to making it the best it can be for children, families, and seniors.
It's great that in a year when more women are running for office than ever before, Salem has a chance to elect a highly qualified woman to the City Council to join Cara Kaser and Sally Cook, who currently are the only women on the nine-member council.
Her positions sound right-on.
Give her Facebook page a "like" if you want to keep up with Micki Varney's campaign, which is being fueled by a large group of enthusiastic volunteers. She's running a genuine grass-roots effort with lots of of door-knocking and face-to-face contact.
Thanks Brian! We are so fortunate to have Micki Varney running for the Salem City Council. For all the reasons you note here, she is just a terrific candidate. The incumbent has held the seat for 3+ years and has accomplished nothing to improve the livability of West Salem. He was an early champion of tolling to build the 3rd Bridge. He's still in bed with the "Build it Now" Salem Bridge Solutions folks so I assume he still thinks tolling all of our bridges (one and new) is a good idea. Micki is not opposed to the 3rd Bridge someday when there is money to pay for it and we don't have to toll ourselves, but she has identified eight things we can do now to begin to relieve peak hour congestion. I hope voters in Ward 8 will support a candidate with the intelligence, energy and determination to make West Salem a better place to live.
Posted by: Jim Scheppke | March 02, 2018 at 05:14 PM