Residents of Salem and Keizer -
Today is November 6 and we are at an inflection point for our nation. We, the undersigned, believe and choose the following, and we hope that others will join us.
We believe Salem and Keizer are home to people who want the best for their families, their neighbors, and their community. We choose to see one another as community members with whom we can rise together.
We believe that everyone deserves to feel a sense of belonging. We choose to build belonging through our everyday actions: seeing one another as fellow community members and treating everyone with dignity and respect in all our interactions.
We believe that understanding requires relationships and dialogue. We choose to share our stories and welcome others’ stories into our lives. Through that sharing, we will all have a more complete understanding of our community.
We believe that our language has the power to create a sense of belonging for others. We choose to speak in ways that affirm our community and choose not to use language that demeans or devalues others.
Yes, the United States of America’s future is shaped by elections. But it is also shaped by our everyday choices. In choosing to live in Salem and Keizer, we choose belonging over division. We choose hope over despair.
We choose our community.
Faith Leaders
Rob Bashioum, Pastor, Salem Alliance Church
Rev. Dr. Greg Bolt, Salem First Presbyterian Church
Jerry Braza, Unified Buddhist Church
Josè Luis Dominguez, La Luz Del Valle Sam Dompier, Church at the Park
Josh Erickson, Church at the Park
Rev. Brandon L. Filbert, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church
Rabbi Eli Herb, Temple Beth Sholom
Rev. Mat Hollen, St. Thomas Church
Glen Hossler, Oak Park Church of God, Pastor Emeritus Abbey and Matt Ingalls, Oak Park Church of God
Pastor Jon Lemmond, Trinity Covenant Church
Rev. Robin Lunn, First Congregational Church UCC Salem
DJ Vincent, Church At The Park
Rev. Kelly Wadsworth, PhD, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Elected Officials
State Representative Tom Andersen, Oregon House of Representatives, House District 19
Dr. Irvin M, Brown, Salem City Councilor-Elect
Kevin Cameron, Marion County Commissioner
Cathy Clark, Mayor, City of Keizer
State Representative Paul L. Evans, Oregon House of Representatives
Sheriff Mark Garton, Polk County Sheriff's Office
Jose Gonzalez, Salem City Councilor
Ken Hector, Chemeketa Community College Board of Education Chair
Chris Hoy, Mayor, City of Salem
Julie Hoy, Salem City Councilor, Ward 6 & Mayor Elect
Nick Hunter, Marion County Sheriff
Kevin L. Mannix, Oregon State House of Representatives, House District 21
Linda Nishioka, Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke, Salem City Councilor Senator Deb Patterson, Oregon State Senate
Cynthia Richardson, Salem-Keizer Public Schools Board of Education Chair
Virginia Stapleton, Salem City Councilor Shaney Starr, MS, Keizer City Council President
Community Leaders
Patrice Altenhofen, Family Building Blocks Jerry Ambris, Mid-Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity
Jaime Arredondo, Capaces Leadership Institute
Linda Bednarz, Salem Leadership Foundation Board
Sue Bloom, Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion & Polk Counties
Collin Box, Capital FC
Tim Buckley, Community Business and Education Leaders (CBEL)
Mark Bulgin, Isaac’s Room
Tiffany Bulgin, Isaac’s Room
Isaiah Burrell, Salem Leadership Foundation
Andrea Castañeda, Superintendent, Salem-Keizer Public Schools
Satya Chandragiri MD, Co-Chair Braver Angels of Salem
Paige E. Clarkson, Marion County District Attorney
Olga Cobb, Salem-Keizer Public Schools Andrew Copeland, Chief of Police, Keizer Police Department
Kyle Dickinson, Salem Leadership Foundation
Aaron Felton, Polk County District Attorney
Ormond Fredericks, Oregon Department of Human Services Ganta, INDUS
Robert L. Garcia, West Salem Rotary
Rick Gaupo, Marion Polk Food Share Christine Karch Gilman, Compassionate Listening Project
Tim Gilman, Vote Common Good
Luke Glaze, Salem For Refugees
Cathy Grimes, Rotary Club of Salem
Lisa Harnisch, Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub
Levi Herrera-Lopez, Mano a Mano Family Center
Dwayne Hilty, Salem Leadership Foundation
Tom Hoffert, Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
Andrew Holbert, Courtney Place Veterans Housing
Dr. Jessica Howard, President, Chemeketa Community College
Yadira Juarez, Salem Keizer Coalition for Equality
Burt Kanner, Co-Chair Braver Angels of Salem
Josh Kay, Kay LLC.
Lillian Kay, Kay LLC.
Alison Kelley, Liberty House
Alvin Klausen, Courtney Place Veterans Housing
Jackie Leung, Micronesian Islander Community
Reyna Lopez, PCUN
Nancy MacMorris-Adix, Family Building Blocks Board of Directors
Nancy Marshall, Marshall HR Consulting David Matz, Oregon Department of Human Services
Barry Nelson, Capital Financial Planners Salam A Noor, Mountain West Center for Community Excellence
Jesse Peters, President, Western Oregon University
Bryce Petersen, Community First Solutions
Greggery Peterson, BE-BLAC Foundation Matthew Reynolds, Salem Leadership Foundation Board
Tim Sinatra, The Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties
Sam Skillern, Salem Leadership Foundation
Stephen E. Thorsett, President, Willamette University
Larry Tokarski, Mountain West Investment Corporation
Michael von Haenel, Braver Angels of Salem
Raymond D. White, Raymond D. White, LLC
Dr. Marilyn A. Williams, YouLead Oregon Trevor Womack, Salem Chief of Police Bob Zielinski, Scenic Valley Farms
Note: Julie Hoy is a signer of this community letter, not the original author. It's published publicly on this website for ease of access for the community.
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