Come party with us this Sunday from 1-3pm! Bring a pal, some food to share, and a spare chair if you have one, though picnic tables are available. Drinks, dishes, and cutlery are provided. There’ll be a pinata to whack as a cathartic way to kick off fundraising for next year’s four councilor seat races plus the mayor. Recharge and mingle with friends new and old, taste dishes from every ward, and hear some brief updates. To beat the heat, we will be in a shady pavilion surrounded by trees with plenty of cool drinks. If you’ve never been to Woodmansee Park before, please note it is on the right as you enter the park from Sunnyside Road SE.
The event takes place downtown from noon to 5pm on Saturday June 7th. We’ll be handing out balloon art made by PS member Meda! Here are the short shifts we are looking to fill: Set up at noon to 2:30pm Breakdown at 5pm
Come join in the fun!! If you are available for these shifts, or really any other increment of time, please send a message to marissa.theve [at] gmail.com. It would be awesomesauce to have a hearty crew spreading a welcoming progressive message as allies in the community! Now more than ever it’s important to stand up and affirm that queer folx belong in Salem and to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community here.
Progressive Salem’s focus in this election was to elect progressive candidate Mai Vang to fill conservative Mayor Julie Hoy’s vacated Ward 6 seat on the City Council. It appears that we were successful at doing so. Unofficial results show Vang with 45% of the vote, main competitor Deanna Garcia with 38%, and distant third Logan Lor with 17%. Since this is a special election, there will be no run-off in November, meaning that Vang will become Salem’s Ward 6 councilor.
This is an important win for Progressive Salem as we solidify a 6-3 progressive majority on the Council.
Progressive Salem assisted Vang in a variety of ways: sending out three targeted mailings in Ward 6, helping her with canvassing and phoning, offering campaign advice and providing input into her Voters’ Pamphlet statement. Both of her campaign managers are Progressive Salem members.
Progressive Salem was happy to celebrate Mai’s winning campaign by co-hosting a watch party with the Marion County Democrats at their downtown headquarters on election night. We welcomed Mai’s parents and sister, all the way from their home in Missoula, Montana. What a proud moment for them!
Other Races We Care About:
Almost all the other ballot races went Progressive Salem’s way:
The Salem Livability Levy passed 56% to 44%.
The Chemeketa Community College bond measure passed 52% to 48%.
Three of the four progressives running for Salem-Keizer School Board won their races: Lisa Harnish, Mel Fuller and Karina Guzman Ortiz.
What’s Next for Progressive Salem?
Progressive Salem will now turn its attention to a number of concerns that were temporarily shelved during the campaign. These include:
Expanding our membership
Improving our membership’s facility with social media
Fleshing out our finance/funding committee
Developing a stronger community within Progressive Salem
Offering political education presentations
Other efforts aimed at making our organization stronger and more able to meet future challenges.
The members of the Board and of Progressive Salem’s four committees look forward to working with you to promote a progressive agenda in Salem as we prepare for next year’s election challenges.
Your voice matters! Join our GOTV blitz before polls close Tuesday at 8 PM!
Hit the streets with our energetic team and connect with neighbors face-to-face! We’ve got routes of all sizes ready for you to make a real difference in this crucial election.
Rather stay cozy? No problem! Grab your phone and join our virtual phone bank from your living room! We’ll be calling Ward 6 neighbors together – quick training sessions Sunday and Monday night will get you ready to roll.
Time is running out! Get all the details and sign up here:
Mai Vang’s race for City Council is a perfect example of the struggle between someone who genuinely wants to serve her community and someone who is financed by Big Money – similar to the struggle we’re watching play out at the national level.
There are a lot of folks on Progressive Salem’s mailing list who donated at one time but have not renewed their memberships for this year. If this is you, please consider doing so now. Go to the DONATE page on our website and renew your $25 annual membership.
And if you already have renewed your Progressive Salem membership, please consider getting involved and/or making an additional donation. Think of it as an act of resistance!
Time is running out! Get all the details and sign up 
