Hello Salem! The city council met last week, 8 October, and again last night, 15 October. Both meetings were routine, and in fact, I delighted that the low-key agenda allowed me time to take advantage of a mid-week, (but nearly weekend) outing at my favorite Salem Speakeasy. There were mostly routine matters, but a couple of things arose that I think are worth spotlighting. Maybe just make an espresso though, the October recap is combined and very brief.
8 OCTOBER
Councilor Dibble objected to Tanya Shallop’s reappointment to the Parking and Traffic Commission (PTC), citing her lack of professional experience in traffic planning. Shallop is currently the chair of the PTC and has served for three years. The council voted to reappoint Shallop, with three voting against (Councilors Dibble, Dominguez, and Sargent). I thought this would open an opportunity to talk about two things: the traffic and parking commission and creating a strong board or committee.
First, the Traffic and Parking Commission has the following mission: To provide an efficient and reliable multimodal transportation system throughout the City of Salem including complete streets that accommodate all users – pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and drivers. Provide pleasant and secure parking services to residents, businesses and visitors, while maintaining courteous and helpful assistance to the general public. There has been a long-standing debate about how much authority the Commission should be given. At present, the Council is responsible for all parking and traffic matters, and the Commission serves in an advisory capacity. In fact, the Council meeting on the 15th was dominated by parking matters, most of which require two passages. Practically, this does not make sense. If you or a loved one needs a handicap parking space near your home, it is possible that you will not receive approval for it for months. The request has to be made in time to make it onto the next council agenda, brought to the floor, voted for approval, and then approved a second time at the next month’s meeting. I, personally, would love to see a more robust discussion about the balance of authority on traffic and parking matters, because I think on this matter, the city could be more efficient. Four members of the public, one Salem police officer, and a city council liaison make up the Commission.
Board composition. Fundamentally, boards are meant to advise or provide oversight. In my day job, I work in the nonprofit sector, and it could be argued that government should operate similarly to a nonprofit. After all, they are mission-driven, not profit-driven. Board composition can strengthen or impede the successes of advancing their mission. The most successful boards are diverse; bringing together a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Using the council as an example, which is itself a governing board, the current members have professional experience in engineering, real estate, construction, IT, housing and planning, and firefighting. However, they have access to experts and information across a range of topics, and their backgrounds serve to bring different perspectives to the issues at hand. When it comes to reappointment, the voters will look at their record in office, and council should do likewise when considering board reappointments. Is the board or council functioning as it should? Could it be improved? What is impeding progress - is it the remit, the authority, the composition, the representatives themselves?
The LWV would love to extend an invitation to all of you to consider being part of our Observer Corps. We are looking for volunteers to sit in on more of the regular board and committee meetings, so we can share more information about city government. In the meantime, we’ll try to spotlight the Boards and Committees that do a lot of the work behind-the-scenes here in Salem.
16 OCTOBER
The only thing I’d like to point out from yesterday’s meeting was a report received and filed: The Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s annual report. If you have time, it’s worth a read. It reviews the Trust’s financial position (balance of $6446) and advocacy efforts in Fiscal Year 2020.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch