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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2021)
VOLUME 42, NO. 13 JANUARY 15, 2021 SECTION A A $1.00 Ore. leaders respond to Capitol chaos fter a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, response from Oregon’s elected offi cials was swift and sometimes controversial. The events in Washington, D.C., prompted evacuation of the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify the electoral college votes making Joseph R. Biden the 46th president of the United States. Several mem- bers of the Senate and more than 100 representatives con- tested the results of the elec- tion based on unproven claims of election fraud in numerous states. Because of the rapid way the topics morphed from the riot itself to who was respon- sible and talk of impeaching President Donald Trump, the discussion, too, runs the gamut. Locally, Rep. Bill Post (R-Keizer) lit a fi re on Face- book when he wrote, “I am very aware that many of the ‘protestors’ in DC were in fact ANTIFA infi ltrators. Let me be clear whether you are a Trump supporter or ANTIFA infi ltrator, this behavior is un- acceptable. Period.” Responses to the comment accused Post of spreading in- formation he knew to be false. There is no proof as yet anti- fa, a loose network of people willing to resist fascism and meet violence with violence, was present anywhere in the attack on the Capitol. Post later tried to walk back the statement. “No antifa was NOT in this. It was Qanon people. There are literally hundreds of stories about this,” Post wrote By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes and provided a link. On the nation- al level, Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Canby) ignited a different type of fi restorm when he likened a new effort to im- peach Trump to a “lynching” on a cau- cus conference call Friday, Jan. 8. The difference between impeachment and lynching is that im- peachment is the act File Photos Clockwise, from upper left: Rep. Bill Post, Rep. Kurt Schrader, Sen. Ron Wyden. Sen. Jeff Merkley, of holding an elect- ed offi cial account- able and lynching involves the killing of someone, typi- cally a black man, without any sort of legal proceeding. Schrader also walked back the comment later on Twitter. “I recognize the horrible historical context of these words and have ‘BUCKLE UP’ Homes in Keizer white hot, extremely limited By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes As of Friday, Jan. 15, there will be a total of eight homes for sale in Keizer. That number is up by two from Mon- day. “For decades we've watched our California neigh- bors deal with these kinds of housing markets: expensive prices, low invento- ry, homes sold with no inspection, no closing costs, and sometimes not even a physical walk-through. We, in little Keizer and Salem, are now them. Buckle up,” said Amy McLeod, principal bro- ker for The McLeod Group Network. Multiple offers in the fi rst days on the market and homes going for more than the asking price are “ I listed a home in December and had nine offers in the fi rst two days. It went for $15,000 over the asking price…” Keizerites are hard-pressed to fi nd "For Sale" signs in their neighborhoods lately. The one pictured to at left is one of fewer than 10 in the city. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald — Bob Shackelford, HomeSmart Realty Group not uncommon, said Bob Shackelford, a realtor for HomeSmart. “I listed a home in De- cember and had nine offers in the fi rst two days. It went for $15,000 over the asking price and the buyer took it as is,” Shackelford said. A Keizer home is typically being scooped up within 13 days, but there’s another 45 days factored into processing loans and closing proceed- ings. Aside from residential real estate, McLeod said there was a dearth of inventory across the board in Keizer: four pieces of bare land, two Please see HOT, Page A6 Caillier steps into Chamber’s top job the position,” said Caillier. In Keizer By ERIC A. HOWALD parlance, this is known as being “vol- Of the Keizertimes Mark Caillier once joked that be- untold” Danielle Bethell, the former direc- coming Keizer’s First Citizen was a gateway to additional service to the tor, resigned from the role to take on a new full-time job city and its resi- as a Marion Coun- dents. ty commissioner. The former city “ I came in to meet Bethell was elect- councilor, mem- with the board ... ed to the offi ce in ber of several city November. Cailli- committees, cur- then they were rent Rotary Club congratulating me.” er’s commitment is part-time. of Keizer member, Caillier is put- past Rotary presi- — Mark Caillier ting a focus on the dent and, of course, “interim” in inter- First Citizen is now the interim executive director of the im director. He was already drafting a schedule to search for a permanent Keizer Chamber of Commerce. “It was one of those things where replacement. “I think it’s a job that will have lo- I came in to meet with the board to get more information and then they cal and regional interest, but I think were congratulating me on accepting we might even have interest from Mark Caillier, a former Keizer city councilor and omnipresent Keizer volunteer, will lead the Keizer Chamber after the departure of Danielle Bethell. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald the multi-state area if we try,” Cailli- er said. He’s hoping to have the next director hired within six months, but the COVID-19 pandemic may create delays. In the meantime, members of the chamber and its board are still making plans for some of the regular annual events the Chamber sponsors, such as the annual First Citizen Banquet, which would normally take place this month, and KeizerFEST in May. Please see CHAMBER, Page A6 started to reach out to my col- leagues personal- ly to express that I understand the harm caused. I will work hard to rebuild trust and again, I humbly apologize,” Schrader wrote. As the conversation turned toward whether Trump was personally responsible for inciting the protestors that stormed the seat of the U.S. government, Schrader signaled support for a second round of impeachment proceedings. “This President is a clear and present danger to our country. While I have pushed other remedies for his criminal conduct, impeachment is the tool before us and warranted for his seditious acts. I will be voting yes on impeachment when brought to the House fl oor,” Schrader wrote. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Dem- ocrat, was one of the quick- est Oregon elected offi cials to respond to the crisis. Within two hours, Merkley held a video call with journalists and deemed the riot a “coup.” The day after the assault, Merkley was calling for Trump to be removed from power or face a second impeach- ment trial. He also noted the contrast in response by police when a group of mostly white people stormed the Capitol and other protests in which Black and Latinx fi gured more prominently. “When Portland took to the streets to demand racial justice for Black & Brown communities, Trump sent Joe Nathan begins Volcanoes Top 3 PAGE A10 Please see CHAOS, Page A6 Groundwork laid for council’s future eff orts By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Keizer City Council convened to talk about its goals for the long-term and immediate future at a work session Monday, Jan. 11. Community engagement on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), expanding the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), emergency preparedness and housing disparity were some of the topics discussed. DEI Taking the next steps on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion – after the recent adoption of a city values statement – was one of the fi rst issues discussed. Mayor Cathy Clark requested that councilors Roland Herrera, Elizabeth Smith and Laura Reid form a workgroup to plan for additional youth involvement, updating the city mission statement and planning for multicultural events once the pandemic is contained. Herrera said he’s gotten a handful of inquiries from Please see FUTURE, Page A7 Vaccine elibility expands PAGE A2 SKPS moves toward Feb. opening PAGE A3 Celt playwright blooms at WU PAGE A4
