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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2019)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 34 SECTION A MAY 24, 2019 $1.00 THIS IS IMPORTANT Keizer is deciding how to grow. You should be part of the conversation. Lady Celts pull off a nail-biter PAGE B8 KEIZERTIMES/Andrew Jackson You might have established your home in Keizer because no other place would do. You might have arrived in the city because circumstances led you here. You might even view Keizer as a way- point in bigger plans or dreams. Whatever brought you to Keizer – and regardless of how long you are planning to stay – you should be part of the conversation about how Keizer will grow. There will be many opportunities to make your voice heard over the com- ing months and years, but a big one is slated for Wednesday, May 29, and Keiz- er residents shouldn’t let it pass them by. Beginning at 6 p.m., at the Keizer Civic Center, the city’s planning de- partment will host the fi nal public input Doing nothing may sound like an meeting related to housing needs in the appealing option, but ask just about city. The heart of the issue is this: Keiz- anyone paying rent in city limits how long they’ll er is out of last under room to grow. OUR OPINION: the current The city can- It’s not sexy or scandalous, conditions not expand the – more than city’s bound- but it may be the most 50 percent of aries without important conversation renters and a lengthy and a quarter of costly process Keizer will have since h o m e ow n e r s that involves declaring its independence are paying more courting the almost 40 years ago. than a third of regional part- their income ners and state offi cials. The other option is increasing in monthly rent. Nearly every family the number of households within the making less than $35,000 annually in Keizer is rent-burdened in this way, current boundary. Bethell unseats Lee on school board of the vote to 46 percent. By ERIC A. HOWALD Marty Heyen, director for Of the Keizertimes Danielle Bethell’s bid to Zone 2, fended off challenger oust long-serving Salem-Keiz- Raul Marquez. Heyen led in er School Board director the unoffi cial results with 52 Chuck Lee appeared to have percent of the vote to Mar- paid off according to unoffi cial quez’s 45 percent. Diane Watson results with all pre- retained her seat cincts accounted for on the Chemeketa in the election Tues- Community College day, May 21. Board of Directors in Bethell was lead- Zone 6. Watson faced ing with 52 percent a challenge from Art of the vote to Chuck Witkowski. Watson Lee’s 45 percent in won with 43 percent Zone 6. Bethell, who D. Bethell of the vote to Wit- is also executive di- kowski’s 34 percent, rector of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, will but more than 22 percent of serve a four-year term begin- returned ballots didn’t have a ning in July. Lee has served on selection in this race. Three Keizer Fire District the board since 2007. In Zone 4, Satya Chandri- board members – Chet Patter- giri and David Salinas vied for son, Greg Ego and Betty Hart the seat being vacated by Jim – ran unopposed to retain their Green. Chandrigiri, who ran seats at the table. Only slightly more than 19 on a largely single-issue plat- form of suicide prevention, was percent of registered voters re- leading Salinas with 51 percent turned ballots in the election. and it includes elderly residents facing rising costs in manufactured home communities throughout the city as well as young residents trying to make a good start. There are things the city can do to reclaim some space within the existing limits such as reducing parking require- ments and lot sizes, allowing for tiny homes and doing what it can to encour- age housing developers to meet needs in “the missing middle.” The missing middle, in terms of the current market, means more townho- mes, triplexes, duplexes, quadplexes and Please see GROW, Page A3 PAGE A5 KeizerFest was here KEIZERTIMES/Hunter C. Bomar Kendra Jackson and her pal Sally make their way down River Road North as part of the Mayor’s Pet Parade Saturday, May 18. For more photos from all of KeizerFEST, check out our four-page coverage starting on Page B1. City, Rotary nearing accord on room rental Submitted Eighteen McNary High School seniors received $200 each in scholarship money from the Latino Action Committee. Latino scholars honored BY MATT RAWLINGS Of the Keizertimes The second annual Latino Graduation Scholarship Celebration took place on Thurs- day, May 9 at Keizer City Hall with 18 students from McNary High School receiving scholar- ship recognition. The recipients were: Ivan Alarcon, Rafa- el Garcia Andrade, Francisco Ivan Rios Ber- nal, Jesus Lopez Bravo, Jose Luis Bravo Bravo, Javanie U. Bravo Bravo, Miguel Bravo, Osiris Alvarez Carlos, Yoelin Sanchez Chavira, Yobani Espinoza Diaz, Lorena Arellano Franco, Arace- ly Plata Gonzalez, Tania Ceja Marquez, Keith Cardoza Nolasco, Eduardo Guadalupe Gomez Walking, riding and rolling at Kennedy Rodriguez, Karen Lozoya Salas, Jose Zamudio and Ugo Chavez. Each student received $200 in scholarship money from the Latino Action Committee (LAC); a group founded by Keizer City Coun- cilor Roland Herrera, Rev. Jose Dominguez and other Latino leaders from Keizer. While $200 is by no means an astronomical amount, the LAC is happy with what the con- tribution represents and that there are people and businesses in the Keizer community that are willing to step up and making a difference for Latino students. “Many years ago, I received a scholarship Please see SCHOLARS, Page A3 By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Rotary Club of Keizer and city offi cials appear to be nearing a deal for continued use of a room inside the Keizer Civic Center to host the club’s weekly meetings. The Keizer City Council addressed the dispute at a meeting Monday, May 20. The council voted unanimously to approve a version of Rotary’s preferred agreement, but negotiations are continuing. In a letter sent to the council earlier this month, Rotary President AJ Nash and Rotary Foundation President Marc Adams took the city to task for demanding $10,000 a year for continued use of civic center spaces. “We do not believe we are properly using the funds entrusted to us by paying rent to the city for improvements … which now primarily benefi t other government agencies,” the letter stated. As an alternative, Rotary was willing to pledge $10,000 a year toward projects directly benefi tting the city and 700 verifi able hours of community service. In addition to the letter, Adams had since submitted an accounting of the fi nancial donations since 2006. The fi gure was more than half-a- million dollars and covered projects ranging from park and school improvements to Keizer Police Department efforts and support of other local and international non- profi ts. A memo prepared by City Attorney Shannon Johnson stated the Rotary proposal to use the rooms without di- rect payment could be seen as preferential treatment of Ro- tary over other non-profi ts PAGE A6 Track team comes up short PAGE B8 Please see ROTARY, Page A3 No need to travel all the way across town. Our Keizer location has now been expanded into a FULL SERVICE CLINIC. to better serve the Keizer community Change is coming at MHS ® We’re here for you — now closer to home. 5825 Shoreview Ln, Keizer • 503-540-6471 1600 State St, Salem • 503-540-6300
