Salem Political Snark

Statesman Journal is source of a lie a SJ editorial railed against. So sweet!

This is SO beautiful for a snarky blogger such as moi: discovering that the source of a Big Political Lie railed against in several Statesman Journal stories came from... (drum roll, please)

A story in the freaking Statesman Journal itself!

This fills me with so much pleasure, because there's nothing I enjoy more -- well, actually this isn't true, but let's pretend it is -- than criticizing our town's pitiful excuse for a community newspaper. So if you sense joy oozing from the words you're reading, you're correct!

If you followed goings-on in the recent race for Salem Mayor between Chuck Bennett and Carole Smith closely, you probably noticed a frenzy in the Statesman Journal about a "mysterious mailer" sent out a few days before the election.

A May 13 newspaper story said (I've boldfaced a crucial part):

An unsigned campaign flier criticizing a Salem mayoral candidate has appeared in Salem residents mailboxes, and its anonymity is within state election laws.

The red, white and blue flier is worded as if candidate Chuck Bennett wrote it himself, yet includes a list of "accomplishments" phrased unflatteringly. Nowhere on the flier does it say who paid for or sent it.

...Bennett said the flier is full of lies. For example, it says he's a member of Creekside Golf Course, but Bennett says he doesn't even know how to golf.

When asked whether her campaign or supporters sent the flier, mayoral candidate Carole Smith said she had "no comment on that."

Molly Woon, communications director for the secretary of state, said there is nothing illegal about the flier, including its anonymity. Satire is protected free speech.

So, as I noted in Chuck Bennett complains about legal, truthful satirical mailer about him, "I'm not sure why this deserved a story in the Statesman Journal, given that the mailer is (1) completely legal, and (2) truthful. I'm basing my truthful claim on what I've seen of the mailer -- a photo shared by a Facebook friend yesterday."

But in the first Statesman Journal story, Bennett was complaining about something on the other side of the mailer, which I later learned said (again, crucial part in boldface):

HERE IS HOW I HAVE HELPED THE COMMUNITY IN THE RECENT PAST:

I made the motion and voted to give a Chamber developer a $3 million tax abatement and a $749,999 grant.

I serve on the Water/Sewer Rate Committee, and I am a member of Creekside Golf Club (owned by the same Chamber member), so I can coach them on what to say to get their water bill lowered.

I made the motion and voted to approve the lowest Streetlight fees for the Chamber’s largest businesses and the highest pro-rated fee for homeowners.

Did you know your home’s Storm Water fee includes run-off from the city owned street in front of your property?

So far the Chamber, Chamber PACs, and Chamber members have donated $20,000 to my campaign. This has paid for 60% of my campaign costs.

I am endorsed and financed by the Salem Chamber of Commerce so they will be a high priority when I am Mayor.

Well, gosh, I wonder where the idea that Chuck Bennett is a member of the Creekside Golf Club came from? Could it have been a front page story in the April 16, 2016 print edition of the Statesman Journal? Why, sure. 

So the lie Chuck Bennett complained about in a Statesman Journal story regarding the mailer came from the very same Statesman Journal. 

What's perplexing to me is that Statesman Journal staff knew that the online version of the April 16 Creekside Golf Club story was corrected the next day, omitting the mention of Bennett being a club member. And Statesman Journal "Content Coach" Don Currie (that's the sort of job titles they have these days) told me that a correction in the print paper also appeared on April 17.

But I didn't notice the correction. Nor, I'm sure, did most other readers. Thus it is completely understandable why whoever wrote the satirical anonymous mailer would say that Chuck Bennett was a Creekside Golf Club member. 

Here's another perplexing thought that came to me: Chuck Bennett seemingly would have read the April 16 Creekside Golf Club story, since as a city councilor he was quoted in it. It makes sense that Bennett would have been the one who told the Statesman Journal that he wasn't actually a member of the club.

Yet the Statesman Journal and Bennett both condemned the supposed lies and "scurrilous statements in the mailer" even though newspaper staff definitely knew that the paper itself was the source of the only lie that I can detect in the mailer: that Bennett was a Creekside Golf Club member. Bennett likely also knew this.

A few days ago I sent Chuck Bennett and three Statesman Journal staff (Dick Hughes, Michael Davis, and Tracy Loew) an email asking them to comment on what I'd call MailerGate if I wanted to be dramatic, which I do, so I will call it that.

Bennett didn't respond. As noted above, Don Currie did respond on behalf of the Statesman Journal. 

Bottom line: so far as I can tell, nothing in the mailer was untruthful, aside from the mention that Bennett was a member of the Creekside Golf Club. And whoever composed the mailer had good reason to believe this was the truth, because a Statesman Journal story said so.

In my view, the Carole Smith for Mayor campaign definitely should get an apology from the Statesman Journal, and perhaps also one from Chuck Bennett.

Yeah, the election is done and gone. Bennett won. 

But MailerGate cast some underserved aspersions on the Carole Smith for Mayor campaign. I'm pleased to set the record straight on the Creekside Golf Club aspect of the controversy.

Progressive candidates win Salem City Council races. The Oligarchy weeps.

"The oligarchy is dead," a friend said to me tonight at Shotski's Woodfired Pizza as we applauded Sally Cook's decisive Ward 7 victory over current City Councilor Warren Bednarz -- who was endorsed by the Salem Chamber of Commerce and other special interests. 

The Marion County Democrats put on a Primary Election Night party. Even though the races for Salem Mayor and four City Council seats are nominally non-partisan, everyone knew that the battle for the contested seats was between the Progressives and the Establishment, a.k.a. the Oligarchy.

With most of the votes in, it looks like the Oligarchy lost 3-1. 

Chuck Bennett, the Chamber of Commerce's pick for Mayor, beat progressive Carole Smith. But each of the City Council candidates backed by Progressive Salem came away winners: Cara Kaser beat Jan Kailuweit in Ward 1; Matt Ausec is beating Tiffany Partridge in Ward 5; Sally Cook beat Warren Bednarz in Ward 7.

I'm really happy that three out of the four creative, innovative, forward-looking candidates appear to have won. Here's Cara Kaser celebrating her victory. She's going to be a hugely better representative of the citizens in Ward 1, which includes Salem's downtown, than Chuck Bennett.

Bennett, who vastly outspent his opponent owing to his support from special interest PACs (political action committees), faces an interesting two year term as Mayor. 

He got the Chamber of Commerce endorsement because he repeated the "jobs, jobs, jobs" mantra that the Salem Oligarchy likes.

And he favors the unneeded billion dollar Third Bridge that promises to enrich developers and construction companies while taking big bucks out of the pockets of ordinary citizens (get ready for a $1.50 toll each way on the current bridges and new bridge if Bennett gets his way; plus a property tax and gas tax also will be levied to pay for this boondoggle). 

Yet Bennett will have to deal with four progressives on the nine-member Salem City Council: newly-elected Kaser, Ausec, and Cook, plus current councilor Tom Andersen. Also, I've heard progressives say that they think Bennett will show his liberal side once he becomes Mayor.

So Chuck Bennett is going to have to tread a delicate line between irritating the Chamber/Oligarchy types who supplied the big bucks to get him elected, and the Progressive types who obviously are on the upswing in Salem -- given the outcome of the three contested City Council races: wins for Kaser, Ausec, and Cook.

(As I write this at 10 pm on election night, Matt Ausec is only leading Tiffany Partridge by 94 votes, with one precinct in his ward not reporting; but since that precinct probably has about 250 votes total, it's unlikely that Partridge can beat him. Here's a photo of Ausec, on the left, outside Shotski's, listening to Progressive Salem leader Tina Calos and others discussing the first batch of election results that had him ahead.)

The defeat of Councilor Warren Bednarz by Sally Cook is especially satisfying for me and other progressives. And, I'd expect, especially disturbing for the Salem Oligarchy. Bednarz not only was an incumbent, he had the backing of the Chamber of Commerce and other special interests. 

And Bednarz didn't only lose. He was crushed.

With six of the seven precincts in Ward 7 reporting (see p. 22), Cook is leading 61% to 39%. This is a sign that progressives are on the march in Salem. People Power won over Money Power in this election, as it hopefully will in 2018 and beyond. 

I'll end with an observation about turnout. 

With 84% of the precincts reporting in the city-wide Mayor's race, it looks like the final voter participation rate will be around 43%. Bennett is winning over Smith 61% to 38%. Thus he is the choice of 61% of 43% or so of the registered voters, which means about 26% of potential voters are electing Bennett. 

The best way to reassure citizens that elections truly reflect the voice of the people is to have almost everybody vote. Voting rates vary widely in different parts of Salem. In North Salem's Ward 5, the Ausec-Patridge race, it looks like only about 30% of registered voters are going to cast a ballot. 

Sure, I'm happy that it looks like Progressive Salem candidate Ausec is going to win.

But I'd be even happier if he was elected by more than 16% or so of the registered voters in his ward (53% of 30%, or thereabouts). There's got to be a way to get people in the lower-income areas of Salem more engaged in local politics and elections. 

If the Chamber of Commerce really wanted to show that it is more than a special interest lobbying group, it would join forces with Progressive Salem and other civic organizations in an Everybody Counts in Salem movement -- an effort to bring people currently being left out of this town's political life into the citizen participation mainstream.

There was buzz among the liberals at tonight's Marion County Democrats election party when Dan Clem, CEO of the Salem Chamber of Commerce, showed up at Shotski's. Not at a table reserved for party participants (there was a $10 donation requested), but at a table elevated above the main floor.

Kind of fitting for a leading member of the Salem Oligarchy. But today's election reduced the power of the Oligarchy considerably, which is highly positive for ordinary people in this town.

Chuck Bennett complains about legal, truthful satirical mailer about him

Salem Mayor candidate Chuck Bennett is notoriously thin-skinned when it comes to criticism. He calls people who disagree with him "trolls," while his opponent, Carole Smith, says "Listen to your town nuts." 

I made a 40 second video that shows how differently Bennett and Smith talked about citizen participation in their Salem Weekly endorsement interviews. (The Salem Weekly editorial board ended up endorsing Smith.)

 

Now Bennett is complaining about an anonymous mailer that's been received by Salem voters. I'm not sure why this deserved a story in the Statesman Journal, given that the mailer is (1) completely legal, and (2) truthful. 

I'm basing my truthful claim on what I've seen of the mailer -- a photo shared by a Facebook friend yesterday. 


Everything here strikes me as true. Chuck Bennett may not want citizens to know how he's been acting as the Ward 1 City Councilor, but the mailer accurately reflects some of his "accomplishments." 

I'll add links and some comments, in red, that support these statements in the mailer.

I made the motion and voted to add a Streetlight Fee to your Water/Sewer bill.  
Yes, a letter to the editor in the Statesman Journal thanks Councilors Tom Andersen and Warren Bednarz for voting against the fee, so Bennett voted for it.

I voted to use $1.5 million from the Water/Sewer Fund to pay for parking meters around the capitol mall instead of lowering your water bill.
Yes, Bennett made the motion and voted to do this in a Salem City Council Finance Committee meeting.

I know the funds for a bike/pedestrian trail from Salemtowne to Downtown have been sitting unspent for 8 years now.

Yes, and Bennett even is on the City Council committee that decides how those funds are to be spent.

I voted to adopt the No Parking Meters petition, signed by 9,000 citizens, so the City and I could undermine it.
Yes, this is what happened. Bennett spoke falsely when he said that the City Council HAD to adopt the petition, rather than let citizens vote on it.

I over-ruled the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Neighborhood Association and voted to demolish Howard Hall.
Yes, Bennett indeed did this. 

I voted to stop Salem citizens from using the City Hall Atrium for public events, only city staff can use it now.
Yes, the City Council said the Atrium is no longer considered a "public square," so it can't be used for gatherings, demonstrations, protests, or such.

I support the removal of more healthy trees for large development projects.
Yes, there are numerous examples of this. In the link I shared a post about trees being needlessly killed for the excessively large Salem Hospital parking lot that Bennett supported.

 

I'm not a fan of anonymous political attack ads. But I'm also a fan of truthfulness. The mailer Bennett dislikes speaks the truth about him. I've demonstrated that.

 

Apparently the other side of the mailer says something about Bennett being a member of the Creekside Golf Club. 

Bennett said the flier is full of lies. For example, it says he's a member of Creekside Golf Course, but Bennett says he doesn't even know how to golf.

OK, but the part of the mailer shown in the photo above says nothing about this. It just makes seven accurate statements about what Bennett has done as Ward 1 city councilor. Yet Chuck Bennett says the flier "is full of lies." 

So what are these, Councilor Bennett, aside from the apparent mention that you're a member of the Creekside Golf Club? As far as I can tell, this mailer otherwise speaks the truth about your record. 

Mayor candidate Chuck Bennett is saying stuff that isn't true

With the May 17 election for Salem Mayor and four City Council seats coming up in about ten days -- VOTE! It's so easy with vote by mail -- the campaigning is hot and heavy. 

Well, with Mayor candidate Chuck Bennett let's make that hot, heavy, and seemingly untruthful. I've gotten reports that Bennett has been saying things that are factually challenged (a polite way of putting it). Like...

(1) Telling people that the 2008 Streets and Bridges bonds will be paid off soon. Reportedly Bennett said this in an attempt to put a positive spin on an $80 million or so bond measure for a new police facility that is expected to be on the November 2016 ballot. 

If the Streets and Bridges bonds are about to be paid off, then maybe Salem voters would be more likely to approve a property tax increase for a Police Facility Bond. 

Problem is, Bennett's opponent, Carole Smith, sent me this information:

Chuck Bennett told the Grant Neighborhood Association last night that the 2008 Roads & Bridges bond will be paid off soon (before the Police Station bond is sold).  

Here is what the City Recorder said:

The Streets and Bridges general obligation debt was issued in three series; 2009, 2012, and 2013.  The 2012 debt issuance has the longest repayment term and will mature June 2026.  Information regarding each series can be found in the FY 2015-16 Adopted Budget in the Debt Service Summary - General Obligation Debt section (printed page number 209, or scrolling page number 310) at:

http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/Budget/Budget%20Books/FY%202015-16%20Adopted%20Budget%20Book%201.pdf 

So, the first and third bonds sales will be repaid in 2024 and the rest repaid in 2026. That doesn’t feel “soon” to me!   Also, the Fire Bond will be repaid in 2022.   

Interesting information!

Sure is. I dutifully looked at printed page 209 of the document linked above. Here's what I found:

Yes, there is still a lot of money left to pay on the three Streets and Bridges bonds: about $68 million. So what the City Recorder said about the payoff dates appears correct.

Which makes Chuck Bennett wrong.

I'll send Bennett a link to this post so he can comment on this. Given that Bennett is touting his nine years on the City Council, so "I know what I'm doing," it's surprising that he would be so mistaken about when the Streets and Bridges bonds would be paid off.

(2) Telling people that City officials never wanted a 75,000 square foot new police facility.  This is untrue. I've followed this issue closely for several years. I've read all the reports regarding a new police facility, including stories in the Statesman Journal. 

Such as this October 2013 SJ story on the Salem Community Vision web site, which says:

Taxpayers soon will hear the city's pitch for a seismic upgrade and redesign of the Vern Miller Civic Center, headquarters for Salem's city government and police department. The estimated cost: $70 million.

...One of the biggest changes: Police headquarters would be in a new three-story, 75,000- square-foot space at the civic center.

...City officials maintain that plenty of public outreach has been done over the years. The city had a yearlong collaboration with the University of Oregon's Sustainable City Initiative in 2010-11, where architecture students worked with a local architect to determine the city's space needs.

Mayor Peterson, City Manager Norris, and Police Chief Moore promoted the 75,000 square foot police facility plan at many community meetings. So I don't get how Chuck Bennett could claim that a police facility of this size never was considered adequate by City officials.

Methinks Councilor Bennett is trying to rewrite history in an attempt to justify the current 150,000 square foot "supersized" police facility that, naturally, will cost taxpayers much more than the original 75,000 square foot proposal.

(3) Telling people that the City of Salem's contract with Salem Downtown Partnership was terminated because of poor performance. I can understand why Chuck Bennett would try to spin the Salem Downtown Partnership story this way. 

But it's pretty clear that Bennett's tale isn't what really happened, which I described in considerable detail in "City of Salem took over Salem Downtown Partnership for lousy reasons." Here's how that 2014 post started off:

A few days ago I talked with someone in-the-know about how the Salem (Oregon) City Manager, Linda Norris, ended up controlling on her own $215,000 in Economic Improvement District funds paid by downtown businesses.

It was a lengthy conversation. This person asked to talk with me because he/she was so disturbed about how the EID was handled, and liked my blog-reporting on other downtown issues.

I was on the phone with this person for about 90 minutes. I learned a lot about how the City of Salem ended up cancelling the contract Salem Downtown Partnership had to administer the Economic Improvement District (EID) money. 

The headline, so to speak, is this:

Norris and other City of Salem staff set up Salem Downtown Partnership to fail. Instead of working cooperatively and collaboratively with this duly-selected organization that represented downtown businesses, the City undermined its efforts in various ways.

Now, admittedly this is the opinion of only one person. But this person was in a position to be very well informed about what happened during the period Salem Downtown Partnership (SDP) had the EID contract.

And, no, this person wasn't either of the key businesspeople who got SDP up and running -- Carole Smith and Eric Kittleson. He or she prefers to remain anonymous.

Chuck Bennett made the crucial City Council motion that allowed the City Manager, Linda Norris, to take over the money that supported Salem's downtown organization -- making her the unelected/unchosen (by downtown businesses) Empress of Downtown.

Here's what I learned from another knowledgeable person:

Our City Councilor, Chuck Bennett, made a motion at council to change one word in the City EID [Economic Improvement District] ordinance.  This changed "The City shall contract with an independent organization to manage the EID funds” to “The City may contract”  That simple little word allowed the City Manager to take control of all our EID funds.  It had nothing to do with Parking Tax funds - but the city took those also.

 

The EID collects $220,000 per year. The Parking Tax collected $435,000 this year and used to dedicate $85,000 to $100,000 of that each year to the downtown.

 

I think some Oregon EID’s are administered by the city - but that is clearly stated when the property owners are asked to vote in the EID.  What our city did was tell the property owners the EID would be administered by the Salem Downtown Partnership then after one year, they terminated the organization and took all our money.  That felt like a “bait and switch”.

In May 2014, disgruntled downtown property owners voted the Economic Improvement District out of existence, as I described in "Who killed Salem's First Wednesday? Clueless city officials."

Salem's downtown has a lot of untapped potential. A big reason why downtown continues to struggle is the cluelessness of City officials who have undermined promotional efforts in our town's Historic District core.

The first thing to know is this: in 2013 City Manager Linda Norris and her City Council cronies dissolved the Salem Downtown Partnership organization that had been responsible for First Wednesday, using Economic Improvement District (EID) funds supplied by downtown businesses.

...Not surprisingly, downtown businesses weren't happy with the City Manager waltzing in, imperiously taking over the duly-appointed downtown organization and the EID funds contributed by those businesses, then doing a horrible job promoting downtown.

in May 2014 the business owners voted the EID out of existence in a show of no confidence for City Manager Norris and her secretive band of hand-picked advisory committee members (astoundingly, Norris served as the one-person "board of directors" for the fake downtown organization she set up after usurping the EID funds).

So Chuck Bennett, the Ward 1 city councilor who represents downtown, was instrumental in killing three positive forces: the Salem Downtown Partnership, the Economic Improvement District, and First Wednesday -- the promotion that now is a shadow of its former self, since the EID funds are no more. 

Chuck Bennett gets lots of love (and money) from homebuilder PACs

Love may be ineffable when it comes to personal relationships. But love is quantifiable when we're talking about political campaign contributions.  

Individuals and organizations give the most money to candidates they love the most.

So even though browsing through records of political campaign contributions isn't all that fun, tonight I kind of enjoyed exploring the love-fest between Salem Mayor candidate Chuck Bennett and several homebuilder PACs (Political Action Committees).

I also looked into Carole Smith's campaign finances, but this wasn't nearly as interesting. A brief discussion of Smith's contributions follows my report on Bennett's.

ORESTAR is where the Oregon Secretary of State makes campaign finance reports publicly available. At first it was a bit confusing to find my way around, but I soon got my bearings. As you'll see, tracing the linkages between contributions can be intriguing for political junkies like me.
 
Here's the Chuck Bennett for Mayor summary page. Bennett has gotten $34,090 in cash contributions. I then looked to see who the biggest contributors to his 2016 Mayoral campaign are. (click to enlarge the photos)

The Oregon Realtors Political Action Committee gave Bennett $5,000. That was topped only by the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, which gave Bennett $7,500. 

Hmmmm. I was surprised by the $7,500 contribution, because at first I naively thought that a group with "affordable housing" in its name was concerned with homelessness, low-income housing, and such.

And I wasn't aware that groups like this had $7,500 to throw at Mayor candidates -- especially Bennett, who isn't known as an avid advocate in this area. Thus my next step was to click on the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition name in the ORESTAR report.

I learned that the people associated with the committee share the address of the Homebuilders Association of Marion and Polk Counties.

In fact, the treasurer of the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, Mike Erdmann, is the CEO of the Marion/Polk Homebuilders Association.

So that cleared up the mystery of the Affordable Housing Coalition. It is the political arm of the Marion/Polk Homebuilders Association.

Given all the concern about homelessness and affordable housing these days, I suspect the homebuilders folks thought Affordable Housing Coalition would sound better than Pave the Planet and Enrich Already Rich Builders PAC. 

Looking through the records of the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, I noticed a big $14,525 contribution to the Coalition from a similarly-named group, Oregonians for Affordable Housing. Also, that the Affordable Housing Coalition had given $5,000 to Salem City Councilor Warren Bednarz' re-election campaign against challenger Sally Cook.

So my next question was, who the heck is Oregonians for Affordable Housing? The name sounded like a big-hearted liberal group dedicated to helping low-income people. Of course, the reality was way different.

 

Oregonians for Affordable Housing hangs out at an address next door to the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition.

Which turns out to be the address of the Oregon Home Builders Association. So all these cozy political action committee relationships got me making up lyrics to an updated sort of old Beatles song.

"I am Chuck Bennett, who am supported by the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, who am the Homebuilders Association of Marion and Polk Counties, who am supported by Oregonians for Affordable Housing, who am the Oregon Home Builders Association, and we are all one... in Political Action Committee'ness; also, we are the walrus."

Oh, but wait, I'm not quite done, because I'd noticed that the Mid-Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, a.k.a. the Homebuilders Association of Marion and Polk Counties, had given $7,500 to the Salem Chamber of Commerce's Build Jobs PAC in October 2015.

Naturally I had to click on over to the Build Jobs PAC to see what was happening there. This caught my eye: a $5,000 contribution from Mountain West Investment (the Tokarski company which is building the South Block Apartments on the old Boise Cascade property, a beneficiary of generous tax breaks from the City of Salem). 

On the same day the $5,000 Mountain West contribution came in, April 12, the Build Jobs PAC donated the same amount to the three candidates endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce: Chuck Bennett, Mayor ($3,000); Jan Kailuweit, Ward 1 City Councilor ($1,000); Warren Bednarz, Ward 7 City Councilor ($1,000).

So, yeah, Chuck Bennett is tied into a weird and wacky complicated campaign finance world of homebuilding political action committees who are supporting Chamber of Commerce candidates. There's more, of course -- such as another $5,000 Mountain West contribution to the Build Jobs PAC -- but my brain couldn't handle any more digging into ORESTAR reports.

Now... what about Carole Smith?

Well, her summary report was pretty boring. Smith has gotten just $3,649 in cash contributions. Mostly her campaign is being financed by $21,000 in loans -- all from herself, I believe. 

But she does have a fairly significant $1,000 contribution from an individual who lives in Salem. His name is the same as mine. Because, he's ME!

Damn, great investigative reporting, dude. I found my own campaign contribution.

Which I made because I know Carole Smith well, have worked with her on numerous citizen activism efforts to make Salem a better place, and feel that she would be a way better Mayor than Chuck Bennett.

Bennett, as I've shown in this post, is the Dearly Beloved of special interest groups like homebuilder associations. Chuck is an insider lobbyist who currently is the Ward 1 city councilor. During his nine years on the Salem City Council, he's obviously convinced the Chamber of Commerce PAC and other special interests that he'll look out for them as Mayor.

And that's a big reason why I don't think Bennett should be Mayor.

Chuck Bennett lobbied for a copper mine in the Opal Creek forest

Today, Chuck Bennett is running to be Mayor of Salem. About twenty years ago, he was a lobbyist for a company that wanted to mine copper, gold, and silver on 32 acres in what is now the Opal Creek Wilderness Area. 

click to enlarge

In 1991 Bennett was called the "public relations counsel" for Plexus, Inc., which referred to the mine as the Bornite Project (bornite is the name of the copper-rich ore discovered at the site).

Plexus and two other companies merged in 1993, becoming Kinross Gold. After that, newspaper stories about the Opal Creek mining project refer to Chuck Bennett as a "Kinross lobbyist." For example, a June 1995 Statesman Journal story says:
Download decision requires trust story

After the Department of Environmental Quality began reviewing permit applications for the project, officials discovered a long-forgotten rule that prohibits any additional industrial discharges in three river systems in the state, including the North Santiam. 

Environmental groups that originally supported the mine became opponents in the ensuing debate about whether the so-called three-basin rule should be changed while the Kinross proposal was pending.

Kinross has since turned to the legislature, pushing for passage of a bill that would allow the project to go forward, a move that has sparked anger among mine opponents.

"We could see it happen when we ran into the three-basin rule," Kinross lobbyist Chuck Bennett said. "We could see it unravel."

This is something voters should consider when deciding who to vote for in the May 17 Mayoral election. The Plexus/Kinross mine issue has been popping up in Facebook posts about Bennett's qualifications to be Mayor, which piqued my interest. (For example, see here.)

Someone gave me old newspaper clippings and other information about the proposed mine. So I'm sharing these materials to give citizens some additional insight into Bennett's background. 

I feel his lobbying for the mine is significant for several reasons:

(1) It went on for at least 4 years, 1991-95, and maybe longer; (2) Lobbyists have a choice about who they choose to work for, in this case a mining company whose project could threaten Salem's drinking water supply; (3) Bennett's efforts to gain approval for an environmentally destructive mine fit into the pattern of Bennett being complicit in the needless killing of the U.S. Bank trees in 2013, and Bennett wanting to press onward with an unneeded billion dollar Third Bridge across the Willamette River.

Fortunately, the Kinross mine never was built.

The materials I've reviewed don't tell the final story, but I'm pretty sure the legislature never passed a bill to allow the mine, nor was Kinross successful in appealing the state Environmental Quality Commission's rejection of the proposed mine. See:
Download water quality exemption rule story

As the story above says, Chuck Bennett and Kinross wanted the mine to be exempted from water quality rules regarding the Santiam River watershed, which is the main source of Salem's water. After the state Senate rejected a bill to do this in May 1995, Kinross Gold Corporation's hopes shifted to the House. A June 4, 1995 Statesman Journal story said:
Download Kinross forges ahead story

For Kinross, its efforts are being focused on the Republican-controlled House, which already rejected one bill that would have exempted the mine from strict water-quality rules.

Lobbyist Chuck Bennett is pitching the plan as an economic boost to a region hard hit by declining timber jobs.

"There will be 100 jobs created during the construction, and we are not talking about minimum-wage jobs" Bennett said. "This deposit is such an extraordinary project, that it will be mined someday."

Well, Bennett was wrong about that. Oregonians wisely decided it didn't make sense to allow a 32 acre mine to operate as an "industrial island" in the Opal Creek area that came under federal protection in October 1996. 

But the Kinross mining company hoped this would happen. Here's a letter Kinross submitted to the Congressional subcommittee that held hearings on the Opal Creek Forest Preserve bill. Part of it says:
Download Kinross Copper testimony

Kinross Copper Corporation is now in the process of permitting an underground copper mine in the Willamette National Forest, a process that began in 1990. If HR 3905 becomes law, the Bornite Project will be surrounded by the Opal Creek Forest Preserve.

Chuck Bennett was fine with this. Lots of other Salem residents weren't, like James Lehner, who had a letter to the editor in the June 7, 1995 Statesman Journal. Lehner said:
Download letter to editor about Kinross mine

With all the pros and cons about the Kinross mine in the valley of the Little North Santiam River, we who live downstream from the proposed project have justifiable concerns about the risks involved. After all, we use the water for play, irrigation and a drinking-water supply... We don't have to accept risks for an out-of-country mining concern to come into our area, remove the profits from mining, and leave us with some potentially catastrophic contamination lurking 50 miles upstream.

A geologist who specialized in water quality and geochemistry, Nicholas Coffey, submitted a letter to Governor Kitzhaber about the state legislation that would have allowed development of the Kinross mine. Coffey said:
Download Coffey letter about Kinross mine

The proposed mine would definitely cause irreparable harm to the watershed. The question that remains would be how severe the damage would be... Water quality in downstream communities including Lyons, Stayton and Salem would suffer.

Another story in the Statesman Journal, "State weighs effects of Kinross mine project," also discussed the risks of the Kinross mine.
Download Effects of Kinross mine story

But Chuck Bennett, current Mayor candidate, spent at least four years working to have the mine constructed.

Like I said, something to keep in mind when you decide between Bennett and his opponent, Carole Smith -- especially if you care about the environment. And love the beautiful Opal Creek area.

Mayor candidates Smith and Bennett duke it out before SJ editorial board

Well, regarding the title of this post, "duke it out" was more of my wish for what would happen when Carole Smith and Chuck Bennett met jointly with the Statesman Journal editorial board, seeking the newspaper's endorsement.

After watching half of the hour-long video of the session, I came away wanting more candidate-to-candidate interaction, rather than what actually happened -- Smith and Bennett separately answering questions posed by editorial page editor Dick Hughes.

As I noted in "Contrast between Smith and Bennett evident at Salem City Club Mayoral debate," there are major differences between the candidates. But this isn't as clear, or as obvious, when they're allowed to blur the lines between them through platitudes.

Bennett, for example, likes to talk about how great a town Salem is. Naturally Smith feels the same way. Why would anyone want to be Mayor of a town they detest?

(I'd find it refreshing, though, to have someone say, "I want to be Mayor of Salem because this town sucks, and I want to rid it of its suckishness.")

Here's the gist of what they said when Hughes asked that question: Why would you want to be Mayor? 

Bennett spoke about how he's been a member of a bunch of committees and task forces during his nine years as a city councilor. He said, "I know how the job is done. I'm excited about the possibilities of what can be done."

This fits with his insider persona. Bennett is a professional lobbyist (he prefers the term "advocate"). He's been endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce, some unions, and other establishment organizations.

Smith, though, jumped right into her main campaign theme: more public involvement. She said, "I'm concerned about the lack of citizen input... City staff often are rude to citizens... We need a culture of Yes at City Hall."

This fits with her outsider persona. Smith is a businesswoman who has been critical of City officials trying to foist policy decisions on the public with minimal citizen participation.

She's famous (or infamous, depending on one's point of view) for collecting 9,000 signatures on an initiative to stop downtown parking meters when this was the direction the City of Salem was heading toward.

I followed this issue closely back in 2013 and 2014. It came up several times in the editorial board session, once when the candidates were asked, "What's the biggest mistake you've made when it comes to civic engagement?"

Smith said that she underestimated the value of bike paths. At first she thought that bike paths were only for the "fearless" mostly male riders who zoom along on city streets. But now she realizes that bike paths are important to everybody in the community.

Getting in a dig at Bennett, Smith added that she favors the Salemtowne to Downtown multiuse trail in West Salem (Bennett's district). Bennett is on a City Council committee that oversees remaining funds in the 2008 Streets and Bridges bond which contains money to buy the right-of-way that would allow this path to be built with volunteer labor.

But Bennett hasn't done anything to move the multiuse trail project along, even though he claims to support better bicycle paths in Salem. Well, actions speak louder than words, which is why I gave him a WTF! for claiming to support the Marine Drive/Salemtowne to Downtown trail at a City Club debate with Smith.

Anyway, after Smith talked about her biggest civic engagement mistake, Bennett said that his was overestimating the value of discussing downtown parking. The reaction to paid onstreet parking downtown was so negative, Bennett said "I thought we could have a discussion, and I was mistaken."

Well, this also deserves a WTF! 

Chuck Bennett served on a downtown parking task force that held a bunch of meetings, yet never engaged downtown businesses or people who visit downtown in the question of whether parking meters should be installed.

Citizens could attend the task force meetings, but they weren't allowed to take part in the discussion. So Bennett didn't speak truly when he strongly implied to the Statesman Journal editorial board that he sought a discussion of downtown parking.

Actually, the task force Bennett served on recommended downtown parking meters on their own in 2013, then encountered a firestorm of opposition -- largely led by Carole Smith, who feared that this would lead to fewer people shopping and visiting downtown. 

Later, after Smith gathered the 9,000 signatures in opposition to the parking meter plan of Bennett, et. al., she and Bennett butted heads again over the City Council's decision to prevent the initiative from being voted on by Salem citizens. 

See my blog post, "Salem's downtown parking debate: a view from Carole Smith." I would have loved to see this issue vigorously debated by Smith and Bennett at the editorial board meeting,  but, alas, that didn't happen.

Another contrast between Smith and Bennett was evident in their responses to Dick Hughes' question about economic development.

Bennett said he wanted to create a welcoming environment for expanding existing businesses and bringing more businesses to Salem. He extolled the potential of the Mill Creek industrial park, even though there is a lot not to like about it -- as explained in a Salem Breakfast on Bikes post:

Despite $42 million in incentives, nearby Sanyo Solar just announced a second round of lay-offs. In May of 2013 they eliminated about 50 jobs, and this month they announced the elimination of about 50 more. From a high of about 200 employees, they now have about 85.

These office parks on the edges of cities require a lot of subsidy, and while they may enrich individual investors or developers, in totality, including municipal and other governmental subsidies and infrastructure, too often they cost more to service than they actually return to the community. In a memorable metaphor, they are like "dumping all [the] fertilizer on the weeds." (Via Happy City and Salon.)

Maybe we should focus instead on fertilizing our downtown and closer-in areas that already have infrastructure, meaningful adjacencies, and don't cost so much to maintain over their lifetime.

As with roads, so with industry and commercial real estate: Fix it first! It's that same old chestnut: Shouldn't we maintain and reinvest in what we already have instead of chasing after something new and shiny and expensive?

Smith spoke about economic development more along those lines. She said that Salem should polish up its image and bring in family-wage jobs (rather than, say, warehouse jobs in a freeway-adjacent distribution center). 

Smith added, "If we make this town the way citizens want it, it will be a great community for people to live in and employees [of new companies] would be happy living here. There would be no need for big tax incentives."

So basically Bennett favors a Jobs First economic development strategy, while Smith considers that putting Livability First will attract businesses and people.

Me, I'm with Smith.

It seems that these days "creative class" firms, entrepreneurs, and such want to locate in cities with a high livability factor -- Portland being one of them, along with Eugene. Tax incentives and shovel-ready industrial land are fine to have in Salem's economic development toolbox, but first a desirable business with family-wage jobs has to want to locate in this town. 

And that means making Salem attractive to managers and employees who ask the question, "Why should we live in Salem, instead of Portland, Eugene, or other more with-it places?"

True Story revealed of Carole Smith's feud with Mayor Anna Peterson

A lot of malicious political gossip gets spread around supposedly-friendly Salem. Here at Salem Political Snark, we're out to separate false accusations from true facts.

This time, the accusation is that Mayor candidate Carole Smith promoted divisive, unproductive conflict while on the Downtown Advisory Board.

Like Fox News likes to say -- and I'm barely capable of typing these words, given the source -- "We Report, You Decide."

Brent DeHart is a recent past president of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. Smith's opponent, Chuck Bennett, has been endorsed by the Chamber. Here's DeHart's letter to the editor that appeared in the Statesman Journal on April 10.

The part about Smith is in red. 

Letter: Bennett a worthy, effective choice for mayor

In our upcoming mayoral election, we have a choice. City Councilor Chuck Bennett has the experience, expertise and the collaborative attitude to keep Salemites engaged, and to move positive things forward.

Carole Smith’s civic attitude has resulted in divisiveness and unproductive conflict. Because of this, she was removed from the downtown advisory board by the City Council.

The choice should be quite easy for us, as the contrast is clear. Chuck Bennett has proved himself respectful, worthy and effective. I served with him on City Council, and even when our views conflicted, he worked to find a solution all parties could live with to get things done.

Brent DeHart
Salem

Hmmmm. What DeHart said regarding Smith's removal from the Downtown Advisory Board (DAB) didn't fit with other things I've heard about this.

So I asked Carole Smith to tell me what happened from her point of view. Here's what she sent me:

Here is the back story on why I was removed from DAB.

On June 14, 2011, I had an appointment to speak to the Mayor [Anna Peterson) on concerns I had, but before I could open my mouth in the meeting the Mayor was shaking with anger and started shaking her finger in my face and telling me I had to find a way to vote with the rest of the people on the Downtown Advisory Board (DAB) or she would get rid of me.  

This went on for 20 minutes and was very demeaning.  When I asked if I could tell her my side of the story, the Mayor answered, “No, I have heard enough." After 20 minutes I finally said, “Nothing is being accomplished here so I think I will leave."  The Mayor answered, “Yes, I think you should”. 

Afterward, I thought about the fact that a Mayor has no right to tell a citizen on an advisory board how to vote, and to actually threaten them with removal was shocking.  

I believe I have the right to vote for whatever I believe is best for my community. When I began to tell other people about this threat by the Mayor, I found others that had been treated the same way -  and they were mostly women, including the then city councilor Sheryl Thomas.    

I stayed on the Downtown Advisory Board for 1 1/2 years. Every meeting, the Mayor came and sat directly behind me.  Right before the City moved to create a Parking Task Force to implement parking meters in the downtown, I was removed from DAB and the City fired the Salem Downtown Partnership. 

Interesting timing, everyone who was against parking meters downtown was eliminated within 24 hours.

At meetings of the Downtown Advisory Board, I was respectful to always raise my hand before speaking and to make short comments and questions. Then I voted for what was best for my neighborhood. But what the Mayor was after is unanimous votes, not free thinkers and visionaries.

The Mayor claimed my questions and comments were divisive, and my explanations of how programs downtown worked in the past, or why policies were implemented, was met with “That’s the past, we do things differently now."  

I believe a Mayor does NOT have the right to tell citizens how to vote, and my resulting commitment to continuing to represent the citizens in my community was met with my removal from the Downtown Advisory Board.  

I believe my behavior is exactly what citizens need in a Mayor - someone who will stand up for them, to research all angles of the problem and find the best solutions, and not to be so insecure as to demand everyone vote unanimously.  

And Chuck Bennett voted along with the Mayor, the only no vote was from Sheryl Thomas. 

I am attaching the letter I wrote to City Council asking them not to remove me. Eric [Kittleson] was also in the room with me when the Mayor cut loose. You can ask him to verify what I have said.  I sent him a copy also.

     -- Carole

Below is the February 2013 letter to the City Council Carole refers to. It makes for interesting reading, especially compared with the following memo Mayor Peterson sent to the City Council asking for Smith's removal.

Download Carole's letter to council

Download Downtown Advisory Board membership

I favor Smith's version of her DAB dismissal, having observed Mayor Anna Peterson in action at numerous City Council meetings, and having heard similar stories about how Peterson dislikes people who disagree with the "party line" being promoted by herself and her right-wing City Council majority.

Yes, Carole Smith can be opinionated. And she pushes hard for what she believes is best for Salem. I see nothing wrong with this, and a lot right. 

Better decisions are made when all voices are heard.

Over and over, I see a premature consensus being advocated at City Council meetings, which are chaired by Mayor Peterson. Those with an alternative point of view, whether citizens or city councilors, too often are ignored, marginalized, shunned. 

Something to keep in mind when voting in the May 17 election. Chuck Bennett is a long-time city councilor who is Mayor Peterson's chosen replacement. Carole Smith is an outsider with fresh ideas. 

I've reported. You decide. 

Chuck Bennett's WTF! moments at City Club Mayoral debate

When I watch politicians debate, almost always I experience some WTF! moments where that's bullshit flashes into my mind. 

Last Friday's Salem City Club debate between the Mayoral candidates in the May 17 election, Carole Smith and Chuck Bennett, was no exception. 

(My first non-WTF debate post was "Contrast between Smith and Bennett evident at Salem City Club Mayoral debate.")  

There were two subjects Bennett talked about that elicited a WTF! reaction from me: (1) a proposed multi-use bike path in West Salem, Salemtowne to Downtown, and (2) making the Library and City Hall earthquake-safe.

Nothing Smith said seemed worthy of a WTF!

And this isn't because I resonate much more closely with Smith's political point of view, than with Bennett's. I just didn't hear any factual misstatements come out of Smith's mouth -- which is my definition of that's bullshit. 

We're all going to have different political opinions. But we should do our best to agree on the relevant facts those opinions should be based on. So here's where I found Bennett lacking, fact-wise.

(1) On his support for a Marine Drive Bike Trail, a.k.a. Salemtowne to Downtown. 

Chuck Bennett said that he'd like to see this trail built. Well, he's one of three City Council members on a bond committee which oversees funds remaining from the 2008 Streets and Bridges Bond, which included money to purchase the right-of-way for Marine Drive NW.

Mark Wigg, a local alternative transportation activist, has been pushing for the Marine Drive Bike Trail. (See "Why people will LOVE to use a multi-use path in West Salem.")

So far Wigg has been unable to get support from Bennett for buying the Marine Drive right-of-way, as was called for in the Streets and Bridges Bond. Volunteers would build the Bike Trail if the City of Salem acquires the right-of-way.

Mark Wigg attended the City Club debate. After it was over, I talked with him.

Wigg confirmed to me that yes, the City has the bond fund money to buy the right-of way; yes, Bennett is on the committee that oversees how that money is spent; and yes, Bennett hasn't done anything to move the Marine Drive Bike Trail forward.

So if Chuck Bennett really wants a Salemtowne to Downtown multi-use path, he hasn't shown any actual commitment to this, just empty words. That's why I give him a WTF! on his statement that he'd like to see the path built.

Regarding why the Marine Drive Bike Trail is stuck in limbo, my suspicion is that the Billion Dollar Third Bridge Dream is the reason. I talked about this in "Why the unbuilt Third Bridge Boondoggle is hurting Salem."

(2) On his statement that there is no cost estimate to make the Library and City Hall earthquake-safe. 

Bike paths are important. Saving lives when the Really Big One earthquake hits is really important.

Public officials shouldn't talk crap when it comes to keeping people safe at the Library and City Hall when, not if, the next Cascadia subduction zone earthquake strikes the northwest with what will be the worst natural disaster in the history of North America. 

One reason planning for a new Salem police facility was undertaken is because City Hall almost certainly will collapse in a large earthquake. So back in 2013 City officials proposed building a new police facility (currently the Police Department is on the ground floor of City Hall), and making the Civic Center earthquake-safe.  

At the City Club debate, Chuck Bennett said these are separate issues -- the police facility and seismic upgrades.

Well, actually they aren't, because if it is important to save the lives of Police Department staff by getting them into an earthquake-safe building, it sure seems equally important to save the lives of everybody at City Hall and the Library when a mega-earthquake hits.

Bennett also said that there is no cost estimate for seismic upgrades to City Hall and the Library, apparently in an attempt to justify leaving them out of a police facility/seismic upgrades Public Safety Bond that could be presented to voters in November 2016.

(This was the original plan of City officials until the size and cost of the police facility doubled.)

Bennett added, rather confusingly, that a cost estimate for seismic upgrades does exist, but he dismissed the validity of the estimate by saying it was done by some guy from out-0f-town who just walked through the buildings (not an exact quote; I'm going by my scribbled notes).

Well, on behalf of Salem Community Vision, I wrote the group's position paper on a new police facility and seismic upgrades to the Civic Center buildings. In doing background research for the position paper, some Googling turned up two reports prepared by consultants hired by the City of Salem.

These certainly were a heck of a lot more extensive than Bennett's remarks to the City Club audience implied. Take a look:

In 2014, the Portland office of BergerABAM, a large engineering consulting firm, produced a 17-page report with extensive appendices, "Evaluation Report: Salem Central Public Library." In 2011, BMGP Engineers (a Salem company, not an out-of-town firm) produced a 20-page report, also with appendices, "City of Salem Civic Center Seismic Evaluation of City Hall East, West, and South Wings."

Here's how I briefly described the reports in the Salem Community Vision position paper:

In the original City of Salem 75,000 square foot police facility proposal, seismic upgrades to City Hall were included.

A 2011 estimate by engineering consultants put the cost at about $5,250,000 (including “soft” costs). In 2014 the cost of making seismic upgrades to the Library, Auditorium, and parking structure was calculated: about $10,000,000, assuming the same 70% figure for costs other than actual construction (design, contingencies,etc.).

So Chuck Bennett spoke falsely.

There are indeed well-researched cost estimates for making essential seismic upgrades to City Hall and the Library (including Loucks Auditorium and the Library parking structure). In addition, a recent City of Salem staff report about police facility planning progress said:

At the February 29, 2016 public hearing, Council discussed whether potential savings from the Police Facility project could be used to fund some seismic strengthening of the buildings on the Civic Center campus.

The revised cost estimates for the Police Facility project show a contingency of 9% on the project or $5.44 million. It is unlikely that the project will be completed with adequate savings to make a measurable impact on the seismic strengthening need of Civic Center buildings, which is currently estimated at approximately $26.6 million (in 2016 dollars).

Sure sounds like a cost estimate to me: $26.6 million.

If Bennett opposes making the Civic Center earthquake-safe, he should simply say so. Then voters can take this into account when deciding whether to vote for him or Carole Smith to be Salem's next Mayor.

(Parents of children who visit the Library's StoryTime should really take this into account.)

But please, Councilor Bennett, don't say stuff that isn't true. There are indeed solid cost estimates for making seismic upgrades to City Hall and the Library. Salem Community Vision has also pointed this out in a Facebook post that criticizes Bennett on this issue. 

It starts out with:

WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING FOR MAYOR YOU SHOULD RECALL CITY HALL & LIBRARY SEISMIC RETROFIT ENGINEERING REPORTS AND COST ESTIMATES

The Councilor for Ward 1 [Chuck Bennett] is running for Mayor, but obviously does not pay attention, or do his homework.

Chuck Bennett's shameful role in U.S. Bank tree killings

Chuck Bennett is running for Mayor of Salem. I'm sharing an email about Bennett that voters should read before they choose between him and Carole Smith, the other candidate for Mayor. 

The email shows that Chuck Bennett was complicit in a shameful moment -- the needless killing in 2013 of the five large, beautiful, healthy Japanese Zelkova trees on downtown's State Street. At the time, as now, Bennett represented Ward 1, which includes the Historic District.

Yet Bennett not only did nothing to save the U.S. Bank trees from being cut down for no good reason, he actively participated in an unethical backroom deal between Peter Fernandez, the City of Salem Public Works Director, and Ryan Allbritton, the U.S. Bank president.

The whole story is in my tell-all 2014 report, "Outrage: Salem's U.S. Bank tree killings."

Download Outrage - Salem's U.S. Bank tree killings

Subtitle: The true story of how City officials and the bank president cut down five large, healthy, beautiful downtown trees for no good reason, and misled citizens about why they did it.

Remember the U.S. Bank trees? If you've lived in Salem for more than a few years, almost certainly you do. They were striking. The public records documents I paid $726.61 for included letters from out-of-state people pleading that the trees be saved, because they loved to see them when they came to Salem.

This was my favorite tree. The one closest to Commercial Street. I felt really close to that tree. This is how I ended the "Outrage" report.

On a personal note… I took this photo of the beautiful Japanese Zelkova at the corner of Commercial and State Streets after telling the tree, “I promise that I will do everything I can to save your life.”

I kept that promise. Yet the tree still was killed. I’m deeply sorry for that. Call me crazy — I’ve been called worse — but I felt a strong connection with that tree. I still do. It was a friend of mine. I know this, because I’ve got tears in my eyes as I write these final words, and I don’t cry very often. Usually just when someone or something I love touches me.
         
        — Brian Hines

Memorial for a dead U.S. Bank tree

So, yeah, the needless destruction of the U.S. Bank trees was personal to me. I still feel sick every time I walk or drive by that part of State Street and see the small spindly replacement trees. Downtown Salem was much diminished when the mature Japanese Zelkovas were turned into stumps.

Partly because of Chuck Bennett. This is why I decided he deserved the "honor" of being the subject of the first Salem Political Snark post. What he did in 2013 should matter to voters in 2016. 

Below is a February 18, 2013 email sent by U.S. Bank president Allbritton to Public Works Director Fernandez.

Keep in mind that (1) Fernandez' order to cut down the trees was issued three weeks later on March 12, 2013; (2) the Shade Tree Advisory Committee which, at that time, made expert recommendations to Fernandez about street tree removals, had already said twice that the five U.S. Bank trees should be pruned, not removed, and (3) Fernandez tells Allbritton in his reply that supposedly he has "not yet made a final decision."

Download Allbritton email to Fernandez highlighted

click to enlarge

I've highlighted the most outrageous parts of Ryan Allbritton's email to Peter Fernandez. 

Lobbying behind the scenes. I spoke with several City Council members. Sure, we know this goes on at all levels of government. But City staff, such as Urban Forester Jan Staszewski, were telling me and others who were trying to save the Japanese Zelkovas that a decision to remove street trees was akin to approving an electrical permit: cut and dried, all aboveboard, nothing to see here.

Well, I've never heard of City Council members lobbying public officials to approve an electrical permit.

U.S. Bank made its formal pitch to the Shade Tree Advisory Committee to have the trees removed. Twice the committee said "prune, don't remove." After all, the trees weren't causing any problems that couldn't be fixed by pruning/trimming.

But the email I got from my public records request shows that City Council members -- including Warren Bednarz, who is running for re-election this year against Sally Cook -- had jumped into the tree removal process to lobby Fernandez to approve the bank's removal request. This should tick off the people who played by the rules and testified before the Shade Tree Advisory Commitee, figuring (correctly) this was how the City's tree ordinance said the process should go.

Bennett was even sneakier in his lobbying to have the trees removed. Chuck Bennett is a professional lobbyist. So this could explain why he told Allbritton that he didn't want to email Public Works Director Fernandez and City Manager Norris about his support for having the U.S. Bank trees removed. Paper trail!

(Of course, if Bennett had been really smart, he also would have told Allbritton not to write in an email about Bennett's desire to personally speak with Fernandez and Norris.)

Lots of people who lived and worked in Ward 1, the downtown area, were hugely upset that the trees might be killed. But instead of trying to save them, Bennett supported their removal, even indicating to bank president Allbritton that their removal was a "done deal." 

Wow. No wonder citizens lose faith in City government.

As noted above, they play by the rules. They go to hearings of committees that are supposed to help decide street tree removal decisions. They present expert testimony. They expect that what they say will be seriously considered by public officials. 

Yet Bennett tells Allbritton that three weeks before Fernandez has made a final decision about the trees, their removal is a "done deal." Sadly, Bennett was right. Bennett knew that behind the scenes, outside of public view, City officials had already decided that the trees were dead and gone.

Bennett and other city councilors knew about the backroom deal. Read my "Outrage" report to learn the details of the unethical deal Fernandez and Allbritton made to have the State Street trees removed three years before U.S. Bank applied for a permit to have them cut down. 

Allbritton speaks of this deal, saying he made sure to let Bennett and other city councilors "know of the agreement our company verbally made with city staff three years ago." Verbally. So no paper trail. Not the way things are supposed to work at the Salem City Hall.

(But I bet this kind of crap happens a lot, especially in the Public Works Department.)

Amazingly, neither City Councilor Nanke, nor Clem, nor Clausen, nor Bednarz, nor Bennett had any misgivings about City staff (a.k.a. Peter Fernandez) making a backroom deal to have the U.S. Bank trees removed three freaking years before the bank went through the formal application process for this to happen.

By New Jersey standards, this sort of sleaze would be viewed as business-as-usual, just the way things are done. Here in Oregon, though, hopefully we have higher standards. 

Picketers protesting removal of U.S. Bank trees

Voters have to decide how they feel about Chuck Bennett working to have the U.S. Bank trees cut down from behind the scenes, while many of his Ward 1 constituents were trying hard to save the trees through what they thought was a fair, open public process.

Salem Political Snark just tells it like it is. Salem citizens can take it from there.