The Salem Monthly 2008 City Election Forum on February 26 is an opportunity to hear what candidates for mayor and city council have to say about the issues as they articulate their visions for the future of Salem.

Join us now as Salem Monthly revisits some of the issues we've covered in the past and as we raise questions that need to be addressed by those who wish to lead us into Salem's future. These questions are the basis for and the very reason why we are sponsoring the forum. 

Environmental concerns

In October of 2006 Salem Monthly covered global warming and the City's response. We found that despite the aggressive policies adopted by the state and Governor Ted Kulongoski in addressing climate change, Salem remains the only major city in Oregon not to have passed the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement.

Instead Councilor Dan Clem brought forward a resolution in fall 2006 authorizing City staff to investigate and report back on steps the City can take to conserve energy, reduce waste and emissions and preserve local resources.

"The City will first figure out how it can reduce its carbon footprint and how much it will cost to do so. It made sense to target those items we could agree on and to move forward," Clem said.
While some steps have been taken to reduce Salem's carbon footprint, the question of what role the City can play in minimizing its impacts and to encourage more sustainable practices continues to evolve.

City council's goals for 2007 included implementing "an environmental action plan" and developing an "Environmental Management System."

Questions about Salem's stewardship of the environment remain and will be part of the the upcoming forum:

• What can city government do to address climate change and minimize its impact?
  
• How do we balance growth with preserving more of our green spaces?

Here are some questions that these issues raise:

• Will Salem choose to be a leader in the new sustainable economy or will we be left behind?
  
• What steps will the City take to ensure these new energy options will be utilized in the future?

Salem Monthly explored Salem's growth and development in August 2006 with a story that compared the governing styles of the Mayors of Salem and Eugene. We have continued to investigate and report on our city's growing pains.
We've learned that Salem's growth has sparked debates peppered with catch-phrases like "smart growth" and "urban sprawl." Most people welcome continued growth but some  fear the impact unchecked growth could have on our quality of life.

A couple of weeks ago, the Marion County Planning Commission voted 6-2 in favor of an amendment to weaken the Urban Growth Management Framework.   
Retired lawyer Robert Cannon is running for the Ward 7 council seat currently held by Brent DeHart in part because he feels Salem is unprepared for a rapid increase in growth.

"Salem Hospital is expanding and they say they will be adding 150 new doctors in the next few years. State government is expanding. The Salem/Keizer School District is the fastest growing school district in the state," Cannon said.

Cannon is concerned that Salem's infrastructure, from fire and police services to sewer and water resources will be unable to meet the demands of a rapidly growing city.

Here are some of the questions that this issue raises for us:

* Is the City trying to strike a balance between rapid growth and responsible development?
 * What must Salem do to prepare for the growth expected in the next few years?

When Salem Monthly covered sidewalk repairs in November, critics such as South Central Association of Neighbors Chairperson Claudia Howells said she didn't agree with the approach taken by the City.

After years of neglect, the City has compromised by handing the responsibility for repairs to property owners, but the City will foot the bill for sidewalks 15 years and older. Some areas of the city still have no sidewalks at all.

Residents in some areas of the city have resisted new development projects. The proposed PacTrust shopping center on Kuebler Boulevard would bring more retail services to South Salem. But residents have expressed fears about traffic congestion and the impact on their neighborhood.

Northgate Neighborhood Association chair and candidate for the Ward 5 city council seat Diana Dickey said she is running because she is interested in responsible growth.

"Ward 5 has a lot of development. I want to make sure development isn't out of control. It should not be infringing on areas that should be left alone."

This begs the following questions:

• How can we ensure that there are adequate resources to sustain further development?
  
• How much development are we willing to subsidize?

Recently a new advisory board, Go Downtown!, was created to market and promote downtown. Salem Monthly found that there have been complaints regarding the process by which members of the board were selected. A slate of 13 candidates was drawn up and downtown stake-holders were asked to vote "yes" or "no" to all 13 at once.

Approximately 700 ballots went out but only 22 percent of them were returned.

"I didn't like the way it was set up to vote all or none. We need different voices," Kip Henery of Cooke's Stationary told Salem Monthly shortly after the vote was taken.

An Economic Improvement District was created to fund Go Downtown! and would provide revenue by taxing downtown property owners.

So we're curious:

* How can city government foster more open communication and promote an inclusive planning process for downtown?

Parking downtown became more complicated this year with the implementation of two-hour limits for on-street parking and Salem Monthly has been following these developments closely. City officials adopted this policy believing that it would help ease downtown congestion, motivate more visitors to leave their cars in the parking structures, and ultimately increase accessibility to the businesses operating downtown.

In light of these changes, we're wondering (and aren't afraid to ask):

• Have the parking time-limits helped?
  
• Have they hurt?
  
• Is this the first step toward paid on-street parking?

With changes in the forecast, we want to know:

• What will be the priorities as efforts to revitalize downtown continue?
  
•  How can downtown balance the needs of residents and businesses effectively?