Salem Reporter is publishing profiles of both candidates running for mayor in 2026. Read Mayor Julie Hoy’s here. Mayoral candidate and Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke says she’ll prioritize ordinary people over the rich and powerful if elected on May 19.  As the senior member on the Salem City Council and a former senior assistant attorney general for the state, Nordyke wants voters to fire Salem Mayor Julie Hoy and give her a chance at the helm.  She has cast the upcoming race as a contest between moneyed interests and the rest of the community in a pivotal election that could chart the city’s course as Salem gains some hardfought financial stability and contends with concerns over homelessness, public safety and affordability.  “This is a race between people versus money. She’s (Julie Hoy) got the money,” Nordyke told Salem Reporter in an interview. “I’ve got the people on my side and I see that over and over again with how we handle council business.” The role of Salem’s mayor is an unpaid and nonpartisan position, and the top spot on the city council is only one of nine votes. Despite that, the mayor has significant influence over how the council approaches public policy. Nordyke is seeking the two-year term after representing her south Salem area, Ward 7, since 2019. She’s backed by Progressive Salem, which is supporting a slate of progressive candidates in city races. Election guide: Read more about the 2026 city election here and find your ward here. During her campaign for mayor, Nordyke has emerged as confident, outspoken, and always willing to accept invitations to appear publicly. She consistently maintains a social media presence, sharing her thoughts on local affairs and often livestreaming from community events or following council meetings.    Nordyke’s supporters see her as a driven, hardworking and no-nonsense person who is willing to work for the entire community, but with a focus on the city’s most vulnerable groups. Her recent support of an emergency declaration over federal immigration enforcement, coupled with a city-hosted “Know Your Rights” workshop and push for social services funding prompted Oregon’s farmworker union, PCUN, to endorse her. It’s the first time the group has taken a position in a city of Salem race. “While our historical focus has been on the state legislature, we got involved in this race because Salem needs leadership that understands the urgency of this moment,” Byron Kimball, a spokesman for PCUN, told Salem Reporter in an email. “For us, this mayoral race is about whether city leadership will respond to the needs of everyday people or be shaped by wealthy interests, fear-based politics, and positions out of step with the realities many of our families face.” Vanessa Nordyke  Age: 45 Education: Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, University of Oregon School of Law  Occupation: Director of CASA of Marion County  Prior governmental experience: Salem City Councilor, 2019 – present, Ward 7  Top five campaign donors: Frank Taussig, $8,000; Oregon AFSCME Council 75 (statewide government employee union), $2,500; AFSCME Local 2067 (city of Salem employee union), $2,500; Betty Taggart, $2,000; David Gildersleeve, $2,000. Total raised: $74,380 Total spent: $57,745 Cash on hand: $19,512.38Campaign finance data is from the Oregon Secretary of State as of Friday, May 1. Totals include 2025 and 2026 and are rounded to the nearest dollar. Her detractors view her as a politician too progressive for Salem with aspirations for higher office who is willing to change her views if it means getting ahead politically. “Right now she is doing a really good job appearing as a centrist. I just don’t know if she gets elected and feels empowered or emboldened, or if those people (progressives) are like ‘Hey, we helped you get elected, now we are going to come calling for what we want for the community,’ which in the past has wreaked havoc on Salem,” TJ Sullivan, a former city councilor and the president of the Salem Main Street Association, said. “I’m not going to say that Vanessa is a slouch in any regard, she is certainly a very formidable candidate, she just needs to be able to break free from some of those ultra, fringe voices that want to have a say in how things are going.”  Why she wants the job Nordyke said her childhood experience of being bullied for a hearing disability shaped her into a fighter. “There was nothing like that feeling of the short bus lurching its way over the speed bumps to get into Salem Heights Elementary School and feeling different. And not in a good way,” Nordyke said at Salem Reporter’s Town Hall on March 31.  She said she struggled feeling she belonged as a child.  “It took me a long time to find my way. And I got bullied and I got made fun of. And all of those things ended up turning me into a fighter. Because now, I get to be a voice for the voiceless. And that is something I have done for nearly 20 years,” Nordyke said.  Nordyke is a lawyer who previously worked at the Oregon Department of Justice for over 14 years, fighting to uphold the convictions of child molesters and rapists, among other cases. As of 2023, she runs CASA of Marion County, an organization dedicated to providing advocates for abused and neglected children in the foster care system.  Nordyke paints herself as a champion and cheerleader of her hometown who’s eager to show off the best of Salem. Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke addresses the crowd at the Salem People’s March rally at the Oregon State Capitol on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Over the course of Nordyke’s six years on council, she has struck a more populist tone, frequently speaking about the need for more affordable housing projects and pushing for a crisis response team that brings civilians, not police officers, to mental health incidents. The fire department launched a pilot crisis team this year in partnership with Marion County, which paid for a mental health professional.  When Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth came to Salem in 2024, Nordyke told Salem Reporter she immediately sat down with him. He came from San Diego Fire-Rescue Department which had a similar crisis team.  He wanted to see one like it in Salem, Nordyke said.  Nordyke said Gerboth listened when she stressed the importance of adding a mental health professional to the crisis team.   “I don’t know whether that tipped the scales or not, but I do know that I advocated this has to be mental health and not just street medicine,” Nordyke said.  Gerboth declined to discuss his conversations with Nordyke, saying he didn’t want to wade into election matters. She said she’s been consistent in her approach that the city’s budget challenges are the result of state tax law and the city’s obligation to pay into the state pension system, not overspending. She joined other councilors in asking voters to approve a tax levy last year to avoid deep cuts, and campaigned for it. Nordyke acknowledged at the Town Hall that Salem could need to increase taxes in order to pay its bills in the future.  “As of right now, we are in the black. But we are already looking at our forecasting down the road. And so, in the coming years, the city council is going to need to have an important conversation,” Nordyke said. “A public conversation, no backroom dealing, with members of the public, about how we fund city services.”  Dan Atchison, Salem city attorney, administers the oath of office to Vanessa Nordyke, Ward 7 city councilor, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 (LAURA TESLER/ For Salem Reporter) She said the levy is simply “a five-year audition” for voters to assess whether they believe their tax dollars have been well spent.  Nordyke said she alone wouldn’t be making the critical decisions that lie ahead like whether to ask voters to approve the levy a second time.  “My interest would be working with our budget committee. The mayor is not a queen and I don’t feel that any single person should be making that decision,” Nordyke said in an interview.  Some other levers she said could help the city shore up more revenue include the closing of two urban renewal areas, which would free up money currently earmarked for specific projects to fund general city services. Money from paid parking downtown and the shifting of the city’s ambulance system in-house over the summer also give the city more financial wiggle room.  She said those things all “shave down the margins,” and along with cutting vacant job positions, are good ways to help close the city’s long-term budgetary deficit.  Like other Salem leaders, Nordyke supports having the state of Oregon contribute to Salem’s public safety costs because of the large share of tax-exempt state property within city limits. City leaders have pursued that idea for years without success. “Positive relationships are always a way to increase your odds of making that change. I cannot guarantee that me being mayor means suddenly the state is going to cover its fair share,” Nordyke said. “What I can pledge is to leverage my relationships that I’ve built over the last several years to do my utmost to make it happen.” Nordyke pledged to support more affordable housing development, including using city funds to spur projects. “The cheaper the apartment the more they are going to need in terms of financial support in order for the project to pencil out,” Nordyke said. “There are decision points every step of the way. Do you spend a little bit of money on five different projects and make all of them a little bit affordable, or do you spend all of your money on one project and make those units dirt cheap, like $500 a unit?”  She said she would lean on the data and the technical support of city staff to answer those very questions before offering any tax breaks to developers in exchange for affordable housing.  “I don’t just stick my finger up in the air and guess, ‘Well gee, that feels affordable to me,’ that’s not how I operate,” Nordyke said.  A progressive approach Nordyke says progressive policies have offered practical approaches to both homelessness and public safety, top concerns for voters who have indicated in surveys the city is headed in the wrong direction. She pointed out that it was a majority progressive council that instituted the city’s camping ban in 2020. She also said the current council has consistently supported public safety.  “This is not a ‘defund the police’ council. It never has been and it never will be,” Nordyke said.  Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke discusses the findings on gun violence in Salem during a Salem City Council work session held at the Salem Public Library on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) She said progressives tend to balance compassion and accountability when it comes to homelessness, and said her approach is about listening to “what the boots on the ground are telling us.” She also pointed out her recent support for expansion to the Salem Police Department’s Homeless Services Team.  “I think there is a difference between using the police as a first resort and as a last resort,” Nordyke said, pointing out that officers with the Homeless Services Team only make arrests when necessary.  “Enforcement is part of the tool kit, but I agree wholeheartedly with our police chief, you cannot police your way out of homelessness. That seems to imply that that is the only way to deal with homelessness, and I’ve never said that was the case,” Nordyke said.  She said she and Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack see eye to eye that jailing the homeless is a “cost prohibitive and ridiculous” way to deal with the problem.  “I think some folks haven’t done their homework,” she said of those who view law enforcement as a primary remedy.  Former Mayor Chris Hoy said Nordyke as mayor would likely mean a continuation of Salem’s success in the past few years addressing homelessness which included opening the city’s Navigation Center and other housing programs. He is the chair of Progressive Salem, which is backing Nordyke, but spoke to Salem Reporter in his personal capacity.  “She was involved in creating those shelter opportunities, those new housing opportunities, and she wants to continue that work, and we need her to continue that work,” Hoy said.  Nordyke has regularly appeared at local protests against the Trump administration. Vanessa Nordyke listens to a citizen’s testimony before the city council. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter) Mike Slagle, chair of Marion County Republicans, said he thinks Nordyke is “out of touch” and too progressive.  “She wants to create more of the ‘homeless industrial complex’ is what I call it,” Slagle said in an interview. “She wants to enable more of that and get more money for those types of things to enable these people to continue to be homeless, not help the problem.” Nordyke said she thinks the city needs to collaborate more with Marion and Polk county leaders, particularly on addressing homelessness. “They are our residents. My residents, their residents. These are our people,” Nordyke said. “We all receive taxpayer dollars from the same group of people…what is “our” plan for collaboration? I have not seen a conversation like that.”  Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said collaboration between the city and county has improved under Julie Hoy’s leadership.  He said prior conversations with Nordyke about collaborating on a mental health crisis unit for Salem became contentious when they had diverging priorities. Reaching out to Nordyke led to some progress in their professional relationship, but he said Nordyke is someone who “pushes people’s buttons.” “At the end of a meeting when we are together…at the end, she just brought up all of these negatives,” Cameron said. “So there are some things that are going to be interesting if she is elected. And I will do everything in my power to reach out to her and will continue to work together as I have over the years with her.”  Nordyke said she did not recall there being any tension between her and colleagues on the Marion County Board of Commissioners. She agreed she has been critical of the county over the years because they don’t do enough to address homelessness.  “To me, if you receive property tax dollars in this county, then you should be a part of the solution,” Nordyke said. “They receive property tax dollars just like the city of Salem does…and so I expect everyone to do their part. And the county is uniquely suited to do so because they are also the public health authority.” Ethics and transparency Nordyke offers two primary reasons why voters should back her over Hoy: ethics, and support for the poor. Nordyke said the current council was “dragged into” and “has been stained by ethics violations” largely because of the mayor’s conduct.   Nordyke, along with the mayor and four of her colleagues, was implicated in a months-long investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission which found the group broke state law by having a series of individual conversations with Hoy to discuss former Salem City Manager Keith Stahley’s employment outside of public view. Nordyke, unlike the mayor, accepted wrongdoing and received a letter of education in the winter. Mayor Julie Hoy looks at Vanessa Nordyke as she speaks during the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter) Nordyke said she did not intend to break the law and that the mayor told Nordyke their conversation about Stahley would remain confidential.  Earlier this year, Nordyke along with her colleagues voted unanimously to support legislation that would have watered down the very law that ensnared her and her colleagues in the ethics case.  That bill, House Bill 4177, has since been vetoed by Gov. Tina Kotek after pressure from journalists and government transparency advocates. Despite her support for that bill, Nordyke maintains she’s committed to transparency. She said the way the law is currently doesn’t adequately focus on a public servant’s intent to break public meetings law. She said in her case, it is clear she never intended to break the rules. “That is why I felt that I was dragged into this ethics violation because I had no intention of talking to a majority,” Nordyke said. “I had no intention of talking to anyone before Keith Stahley resigned. After my conversation with Julie (Hoy) that was supposed to be it.”  She has contrasted herself with the mayor on the matter of the city’s obligations to provide services beyond public safety.  “We do provide social services and have for a long long time. The services at our library. Our library is a gift to our community. It’s available to one and all, it’s a third space,” Nordyke said. “This notion that the city doesn’t provide social services or that we need to get back to core services ignores the fact that people have been raised on going to that library and to our parks and our senior center. Center 50+ has been around for a long time. There are a lot of low-income seniors who depend on Center 50+.”  She said contrary to Hoy’s stance, the city of Salem has involved itself in social services in more than one way.  “When I hear someone saying we need to go back to basics or do core services I worry,” Nordyke said. “What does that mean for all of those people who have been able to stay alive because of the food boxes from Marion Polk Food Share or because of the Salem Housing Authority? We house like 9,000 people.”  From left, Councilors Vanessa Nordyke, Linda Nishioka and Deanna Gwyn at the Nov. 7, 2023 South Salem Town Hall (ABBEY MCDONALD/Salem Reporter) Former Salem City Councilor Jose Gonzalez praised Hoy’s leadership as mayor but said Nordyke would also make a strong leader should she win in May. “They are wanting the same thing. The biggest difference is how we get there,” Gonzalez said. “I think one of the challenges that Vanessa is going to encounter is, and she knows this, is how to actually deliver that to Salem’s poor.” When asked to contrast herself as a politician with her opponent, she had choice words for the mayor.  “Now, you want to talk about disservice to your constituents?” Nordyke said. “Refusing to engage in public debates, taking money hand over fist from developers, and willingly violating the city charter. Now, that is a disservice. Dragging us all into an ethics violation. Lying. If you want to talk about disservice, there is no comparison. None.” Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected].  SIGN UP: “Thank you for your fair, thorough, and fearless reporting.” Subscribing to Salem Reporter helps sustain in-depth, local reporting that Salem depends on. Invest in your community’s news. Subscribe today. 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