On the Issues

First and foremost, Nathan believes that one thing underscores addressing all of the issues facing Salem: collaboration.

He is committed to a renewed approach to how we work – one that actively involves our constituents and community partners. As a city councilor, Nathan will prioritize building relationships with partners at all levels – federal, state, regional and local. With his work and active involvement in our community, Nathan has established meaningful relationships with leaders and colleagues at all these levels, in both public and private sectors. He knows what it takes to foster meaningful working relationships with others and negotiate challenges together. We cannot overcome the challenges facing our city alone, and that will also mean working with those who see things differently. Nathan has never shied away from having conversations and working with those whom I know have different perspectives; in fact, he values it, and believes that respectful disagreements are some of the most important conversations to have. He always puts a high value on collegiality. It’s time that our city takes a renewed approach to how we govern – one that actively involves the voices of our constituents and community partners – and Nathan is committed to seeing that happen.

Our Budget Crisis

Salem is at a historically challenging time with its budget. With approximately a $19 million budget deficit, we cannot cut our way out of this, and trying to will only make things even more difficult for the folks who are already affected the most by cuts to services. Efficiency in government is critical, but our budget shortfall goes much deeper than that. There is a structural problem with supporting municipal funding in Oregon. In Salem specifically, we have a unique burden: untaxed state property. There is approximately $2 billion in state property in the City of Salem for which the state does not pay any property taxes to the City. That adds up to about $7 million per year in uncollected taxes - a not-insignificant portion of our deficit. Here is a great example of an inherent need for collaboration: we need to be working with our state partners to fix this massive problem. Previous bills to provide Salem a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) have stalled. With nearly a decade of legislative experience, including in the state’s budget-writing process, Nathan knows what it takes to successfully fight for this effort.

The City of Salem also has a Revenue Task Force made up of 28 residents representing diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. When the city council charters a task force, committee, commission, or anything else, it is important to respect and trust the hard work that they’ve been doing. Nathan looks forward to seeing their recommendations, and whether it’s on this specific effort or any other revenue tool, he believes strongly in methods that do not burden folks who are already struggling the most to make ends meet.

Helping our Unhoused Neighbors

Homelessness is at the top of everyone’s mind - and for good reason. In a civilized society, it is painful to see a neighbor not be able to go to sleep at night after eating a warm meal, with a roof over their head, in a safe bed. Salem now has a housing-first model, which is both statistically and compassionately the best way to address homelessness. With this model, we focus on getting folks off the streets and into shelter and housing. From there, we provide them with the services they need to address the challenges that contributed to their situation. It is critical that we do not roll back these efforts, which we are just setting up. This also means making sure that we are supporting the development of middle housing, making sure that we are setting ourselves up for long-term success, so that as we are helping get folks back on their feet, there are housing options available for them in this city. The investments we make in housing now will pay dividends long-term, and it’s important that we take a holistic approach with a long-term view to addressing homelessness. Yes, this is what is best economically, but it is also the right thing to do for our community members who are struggling.

Bolstering Behavioral Health Services

First and foremost, Nathan believes that everybody should be treated with respect and dignity. Looking at behavioral health services from that angle, Nathan supports the work that the city has done to help get folks connected with support. Particularly among those who are housing insecure, after getting them in a safe place to stay, making sure we have the services to support their progress to lead fulfilling, independent lives is a critical next step. Many of the dollars that are available for behavioral health services flow through the county, though currently, much of the services are actually being provided by the city on our own dime. As a city councilor, Nathan will be steadfast in working to secure those dollars so the city can continue and increase its services to our neighbors who need them.

Supporting Public Safety

Our firefighters and police officers do challenging jobs to keep our community safe. They need to have the resources to do that job to the best of their abilities. This also means making sure that the city has adequate services to address crisis situations that are better handled by other professionals. Nathan supports a CAHOOTS-type model in Salem. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, so it is critical to have other tools to best respond to every situation. When one of our residents is having a mental health crisis, the situation is often not best handled by a uniformed police officer, but rather would be best handled by a trained mental health professional, who can help the person in the moment and also get them to a location where they can receive the services they need. Not only is this the right thing to do for the individual, but it also helps keep our police and fire emergency responders focused on the work we need them doing, and it would use our city’s strained budget more efficiently.

Keeping our Library Open

Libraries are at the heart of any community. For Nathan, closing down the library is not an option. But we still have a budget crisis to contend with. While pursuing holistically sustainable sources of revenue, and working with state partners to fix Oregon’s broken tax system, we need to find funding now to protect our library. Nathan supports a special library district, which would need voter approval, to ensure that our library has an independent source of revenue to sustain and grow its operations. He would also support a levy fee specifically for the library. In any case, as long as library funding comes from the city’s general fund, it needs to be considered as much an essential service as things like firefighters, police, and homeless services.

Maintaining Parks and Natural Spaces

Two of the greatest things that make Salem such a special place to live are our parks and natural spaces. Salem has 90 parks and in Ward 3, we have wonderful built-up parks where the whole family can enjoy recreation like Morningside and Woodmansee Parks, and also quiet open areas like Braden Lane Natural Area or, Nathan’s favorite, Hilfiker Park. With only one park ranger, it is hard to keep these areas in great shape, and we really rely on our community members to help do that. We cannot forget that parks are an integral part of our community, and we need to prioritize their maintenance. Not doing so now will exponentially both increase costs and decrease usability long-term.

In Ward 3, there are also great natural spaces that aren’t under the purview of the city’s parks department - spaces like the Meyer Farm and Jackson property. While recognizing the need for development, we must also be very thoughtful about maintaining this special aspect of Salem and preserve open spaces for future residents. We can and must hold both values: we need development, but we also need to preserve nature. These values should not be in conflict, it just requires a thoughtful approach and meaningful community feedback. And when that feedback is loud and clear from the community, City Council needs to listen, and if its hands are tied by state regulations or other issues, that is not the time to give up, it’s the time to double down on our efforts to find solutions.

Fixing Roads and Smart Infrastructure

Bad roads are more than just an inconvenience - they are an economic burden. Especially as roads historically are less well-maintained in lower-income areas, that means that folks in those areas are also going to be the most affected by vehicle repair costs. Infrastructure projects are some of the best job-producing projects that a public body can do. They also pay for themselves and then some in the long run. And as Salem grows, its transportation system and infrastructure need to grow with it. That means using the newest and most efficient planning practices available to us, and not kicking the can down the road to make improvements, or by the time we start the work, it will already be outdated. We also need to make safe sidewalks and bike lanes standard throughout the city. Especially in Ward 3, there are many wide roads with high speed limits that don’t have safe options for pedestrians and cyclists, and with his experience in the Morningside Neighborhood Association, Nathan is already addressing these concerns and advocating for meaningful improvements.

While public transportation and Cherriots are outside the purview of the City, this is another example of the need for strong relationships and collaboration with our partners. Particularly in Ward 3, which is the city’s largest ward and also has many “public transportation deserts” where taking the bus is not a feasible option, there needs to be strong communication between the ward’s councilor and Cherriots to ensure that its needs and concerns are being addressed. When folks have an issue with public transportation, they might not know exactly where to go, but their first stop will likely be the city council. It is the responsibility of their councilor to ensure that they are their advocate.