Mayor Candidates Truly Merit More Policy Clarity

Do these candidates have what it takes to avoid the turbulent wreckage of rapidly sinking city revenues?

How much does the capitol city have in common with a sinking ship? It would be nice if residents of Salem never had to face that question.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Among many others I attended the Salem City Club mayoral debate last Friday at which Bill Church of The Statesman did a great job moderating and injecting a welcome dose of humor.

Both Anna Peterson and Chuck Bennett were congenial, each with their own styles. They each presented their list of credentials from past jobs and volunteer undertakings.

But that hardly suffices. It leaves countless questions... unanswered. We do not fathom quite how or where to... follow those dots!

We voters need to hear of proposed solutions, not abstractions. The old-fashioned technique of merely showing a concern for various issues does not go far enough.

At the core is showing us evidence of innovation and problem solving. Just saying that "I will work on that" is hardly very convincing. We are left without real clues on paradigm shifts in future policy.

The crucial primary comes up this May. Does that imply a Mayday message or a significant sea change of course amid the turbulent wreckage of city revenues rapidly sinking?

In this era of greater transparency, we the public deserve more than tidbits. We're all ears!

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Salem-News.com Community Writer Barry Lee Coyne brings to our readers stories from his combined career of journalism and gerontology, and explains that these paths shaped his values. This writer-therapist often views the world as the masks of comedy and tragedy placed upon the scales of justice. For him, optimism inevitably wins. "Lyrical Lee" has traveled to 30 nations aboard and was once a press intern at the UN. His first published article was in The NY Daily News in '59, dealing with the need for integrity in public office.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: notcoy@netzero.net