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Transportation & Safe Streets
Ward 6 needs a councilor who is responsive and ensures our voices are heard. A councilor who will fight to see that Northeast Salem is getting a fair share of improvements. I’m dedicated to being that fighter. My work for you has only just begun.
In the year since elected, I have been delivering on my promises:
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I implemented Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) lights on Lancaster. LPIs are when the walk signal comes on, pedestrians get a few extra seconds to step into the crosswalk before turning vehicles receive their green light. This simple timing adjustment makes pedestrians more visible to drivers and significantly reduces conflicts, especially for older adults and people with mobility challenges. We already use LPIs successfully in downtown Salem, and studies consistently show they save lives.
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I identified and collaborated with Salem-Keizer School District to address pedestrian safety by our schools, particularly on Auburn and Greencrest.
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I am actively listening to you, staying up-to-date on what constituent concerns are, particularly about traffic safety. I’ve met with residents on Greencrest, D St., Anita, and from all around Ward 6.I am actively listening to you, staying up-to-date on what constituent concerns are, particularly about traffic safety. I’ve met with residents on Greencrest, D St., Anita, and from all around Ward 6.
Right now, the City of Salem is undergoing a transportation system plan update. While many improvements have been made throughout our city, few of them are within Ward 6. But Ward 6 actually has the highest need for improvements, including:
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Pedestrian crossing enhancements, like median islands, flashing beacons, and improved lighting;
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Sidewalk infill projects to close gaps in pedestrian connectivity;
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Increased traffic calming measures, like speed humps and realigned intersections.
Ward 6 experiences higher traffic collisions than other areas of Salem, along with significant pedestrian dangers. With busy corridors running through Ward 6, like exiting high-speed traffic from I-5 onto Market Street and Lancaster Drive as a major thoroughfare, Ward 6 needs a councilor focused on these improvements.
As an updated Transportation System Plan is drafted and new projects are identified, Ward 6 needs an experienced councilor who recognizes the importance of our community’s transportation issues and who will fight for Northeast Salem to get its fair share.
Public Safety
911 response time remains an issue in Ward 6. While the City and Fire Chief have made improvements that improve call time, like bringing our ambulance service in-house and supporting multi-agency cooperation agreements, WVCC handles dispatch for 32 public safety agencies, with 80 staff.
I support fully funding and staffing the Salem Fire Department and the Willamette Valley Communications Center.
The unfortunate reality is that Northeast Salem experiences the most gun violence in our city. The Community Violence Reduction Initiative began a critical conversation in our community—that conversation needs to continue. The City of Salem still has a critical role to play in community-based work that reduces crime and violence.
My constituents continue to share with me that certain issues, quality of life issues including barking dogs, loud music, public camping, and non-criminal disputes, like evictions or neighbor conflicts do not always have SPD response.
We can prevent tragedies before they strike and be proactive with a holistic, community-based public safety approach. We must implement and provide the necessary resources for community policing models to intervene in quality-of-life public safety issues and reduce serious crime in Ward 6.
Preventing Homelessness
Most of Salem's unsheltered residents aren't coming from somewhere else. They're our neighbors who got priced out, hit a rough patch at work, or came up short on rent one too many times. It’s not a secret families are just one bad accident away from being unsheltered – me included. That's why we need to focus on keeping people housed in the first place.
Real tenant protections mean giving renters a fair shot when landlords try to hike up rent or push them out without cause. It means making sure working families have time to catch up when an injury or layoff puts them behind, instead of finding themselves on the street 30 days later.
Prevention is more cost-effective overall and more humane than letting our neighbors lose their homes as our city looks to expand shelter space. I am serious about addressing homelessness in Salem. We start by protecting the people who are one bad month away from losing their housing.