FEBRUARY 19, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
Bethell endures eventful first seven
weeks as Marion County commis sioner
neighbors. It’s exciting for me
and I am learning a lot from
both of them.”
In a nutshell, county
commissioners are responsible
for county administration,
management
and
policy,
serving
both
executive
and legislative duties —
they
approve
budgets,
oversee spending and hire
county employees. County
commissioners also appropriate
funds for all county activities
and enforce civil and criminal
resolutions not in ordinance
with state law.
“We are policy makers and
decision makers, but we are
also developers and we have
the ability to work on projects
ourselves,” Bethell said.
One of Bethell’s main
responsibilities in the early
weeks of her tenure was
communicating with local
health departments about
COVID-19 vaccinations and
fi guring out how vaccinations
could be properly distributed
to older adults, local educators
and fi rst responders.
“We want to do whatever
we can to get our local
businesses back and get our
kids back in school,” Bethell
said.
Bethell is also working
with local offi cials in Keizer to
seek out potential COVID-19
Bethell
outbreaks to try and minimize
the spread.
“I have the relationships in
Keizer where I can look at the
hot spots in the 97303 zip code
and make sure people are still
doing what they need to do
— wear masks and distancing.
Keizer is still impacted by
COVID and people need to
be aware,” Bethell said.
Another current topic
Bethell
has
become
passionate about is traffi c
safety in Keizer. After getting
an email from a Keizertite
about the striping on River
Road, Bethell checked out
the situation for herself,
concluded that there was
a safety issue and began
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working to attempt to resolve
the problem.
“I
am
constantly
communicating with public
works trying to fi gure out this
situation because it’s dangerous
out there,” Bethell said. “Any
time someone reaches out,
I want to use my resources
to help if I don’t know the
answer.”
Additionally,
Bethell
serves on a committee
called
the
Salem-Keizer
Area Transportation Study
(SKATS) and is involved with
the study on the Wheatland
Road corridor — whose goal
is to develop a multimodal
corridor plan and street design
on Wheatland that removes
barriers for all modes of travel.
“I live on Wheatland so I am
anxious for this conversation
to progress,” Bethell said.
During
the
Oregon
wildfi res in September 2020,
Bethell spent nearly a week at
the state fairgrounds helping
out those who had lost their
homes. Wildfi re recovery
was one of Bethell’s primary
concerns while running for
offi ce as she has continued to
assist the communities of Gates
and Detroit in any way she
could.
Bethell says there has been
numerous
conversations
with Oregon Department
of Transportation about the
trash and debris removal
process near Detroit Lake.
She is also working with the
cities of Gates and Detroit
on the infrastructure of the
community and is currently
attempting to allocate revenue-
seeking measures for each
community.
“People are eager and
anxious to move forward.
But unfortunately, there is no
money coming in,” Bethell
said. “Gates, for example,
couldn’t pay any of their city
employees. We knew we had to
fi gure this out.”
On
Jan.
29,
the
Marion County Board of
Commissioners
presented
a $50,000 check to Gates
Mayor Ron Carmickle and
city recorder Traci Archer.
The County has also pledged
additional support to help
meet the town’s current needs
and long-term recovery.
“This is why I am doing this
job. All the elements and levels
of government shouldn’t take
away from taking care of our
people,” Bethell said.
With three children in
Salem-Keizer Public Schools
(SKPS), and as the school
board director in Zone 6,
Bethell is incredibly passionate
about education in Marion
County and has been a part
of the planning process of
bringing students back to in-
person schooling, not just in
Salem-Keizer, and is working
on county-wide PSAs for
parents explaining why it is
safe for their kids to return to
school.
“I feel like I am able to offer
a unique perspective as not
only a county commissioner,
but as a school board member
and as a parent,” Bethell said.
“Parents need more info and
they need to be confi dent in
sending their child back to the
classroom.”
After Gov. Kate Brown
released new guidance last week
for outdoor sports that would
make a return of high school
sports a probability this spring,
Bethell got in contact with
SKPS Superintendent Christy
Perry to offer assistance and
help facilitate rapid testing that
would be required for athletes
to return to competition in
Salem-Keizer.
“That’s
something
I
couldn’t do if I was only a
school board member. Being
a commissioner requires being
more involved,” Bethell said.
Even with the long hours
and time away from family,
Bethell is thankful to be in the
position she is in — helping
people through a tumultuous
time.
“I have had some pretty
remarkable jobs, but I can
honestly say that this is the
most emotionally rewarding
job I have ever had,” Bethell
said. “I am lucky because I love
what I am doing.”
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©1986
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
After serving as the Keizer
Chamber
of
Commerce
executive director for four
years, Danielle Bethell was
elected
Marion
County
Commissioner in November
2020 and began her term last
month.
Until two years ago, Bethell
had never considered running
for commissioner. But when
the opportunity presented
itself, she jumped at the chance
to serve her community in a
greater capacity.
“I wanted to put my
energy and my skills to
greater use. There are many
different components to the
commissioner role,” Bethell
said.
Along with serving on the
Salem-Keizer School Board —
a role she has held for almost
two years — Bethell serves
on over a dozen different
boards and committees that
represent services in Marion
County, working alongside
fellow commissioners Kevin
Cameron and Colm Willis.
“The fi rst couple weeks
were an adjustment, but it has
been an exciting transition.
There is never a dull moment,”
Bethell said. “We are all
different, but we all equally
have the desire to serve our
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WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051
www.KeizerChristian.org