There are three candidates running in the May 20 special election to fill the remaining term in the Ward 6 city council seat that was vacated by Julie Hoy when she was elected Mayor of Salem last year.
Mai Vang, Deanna Garcia, and Logan Lor all deserve credit for stepping up to the citizen activism plate and taking a swing at being elected to this time-consuming zero-pay volunteer position.
I believe Mai Vang is most deserving of Ward 6 votes, and I say this only partly because she is endorsed by Progressive Salem, which happens to be my political "tribe." She also appears to be the best qualified candidate.
Today the Statesman Journal had a good story by Whitney Wordworth about the Ward 6 city council race. It pointed out that usually in city council races the contest is between a progressive and a conservative, mirroring our national political scene.
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.
That explains the reference to "monied interests" pushing forward their candidate in the Progressive Salem endorsement above -- the business candidate being Deanna Garcia.
Here's the About Mai Vang statement on her campaign web site. She has a background that seems to make her a good fit for the ethnically diverse Ward 6 neighborhood that she hopes to represent on the Salem City Council.
Hi there!
I am a first generation Hmong-American. My parents were refugees of the Vietnam War and were resettled in Missoula, Montana in the early 1990s. I am the oldest of 6 kids. I grew up in a family oriented culture and lived in a multigeneration household. So I have always had one foot in the traditional expectations of my culture and one foot in the American culture, where anything is possible.
Hmong is my first language so I didn’t learn English until I went to school. And from that moment, I was given the role of translator for parents, grandparents, other family members.
Growing up, money was always tight, so I spent summers out in my parents’ garden growing and harvesting vegetables to then sell at my family’s booth at the Missoula Farmer’s Market. I spent many early Saturday mornings getting to know my local community.
During these times, my community also showed up and helped us in every way they could. They helped my family and me build a strong foundation to stand on and make the U.S. feel like home. This is something that I carry with me wherever I go– to give back and help build my community stronger so everyone can feel like they’re home.
I came to Oregon to attend Willamette University College of Law (go Bearcats!). I have always been interested in politics, especially in local government because it was where I could see the impact on my everyday life, my neighbors, and my city.
My husband and I were attracted to Ward 6 by all the new housing development. We found a beautiful place that was in our rent budget. One of the best things we discovered about Ward 6 was that we were right in the middle of everything! Just a few minutes’ drive to Fred Meyer and all the restaurants and shops on Lancaster but also just a few minutes to downtown Salem. I can proudly say I can navigate around Salem without getting lost about 95% of the time!
With all the great things about Ward 6, I also noticed some things that concerned me—particularly pedestrian safety and traffic. So I went to my neighborhood association to voice my concerns and seek solutions. It was here where I got to know my neighbors and learned that they also shared the same concerns I did. They also brought other concerns to my attention and I have been active ever since.
Right now Ward 6 doesn’t have someone to listen to their concerns and, most importantly, show up for them. I am committed to doing that. That’s why I’m running to represent Ward 6.
As of yesterday 47% of Deanna Garcia's campaign contributions came from the Oregon Realtors PAC. They are clearly trying to buy another seat on the Salem City Council. They already have two Realtors on the Council (Gwyn, Matthews) and they were the biggest contributor (over $80,000) to Julie Hoy so they basically own her seat as well. If they are successful in electing Garcia, that will make four. This has to stop. Salem voters need to wise up and not allow Realtors to take over the Salem City Council.
Posted by: Jim Scheppke | April 29, 2025 at 07:20 AM