Salem City Council voted Monday to accept a $180,000 private donation to fund two police officers for the city’s Homeless Services Team (HST) for six months, with a possible renewal that could double the gift. The motion passed narrowly after a prolonged and pointed debate about transparency, trust, and what one councilor called “a double standard” in how the city handles donations.
The donation came from the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and Salem’s Main Street Association, which several donors, most choosing to keep their names private. One donor that was named is Larry Takarski, a prominent Salem businessman and longtime donor to local causes, donating millions of dollars each year into the Salem-Keizer community. The funding supports an expansion of the HST program, pairing police officers with outreach teams to address homelessness and livability issues.
The conflict erupted from several community members who spoke during public comment, saying that Mayor Julie Hoy should recuse herself from the vote due to “conflict of interest,” due to Mr.Takarski donating money to her campaign earlier this year. Dan Atchison, the city attorney sought council from the ethics committee, quoted the statues that were in question, found there was no conflict of interest, and stated that the Mayor should be allowed to vote. He ended by saying, “In my opinion, because the donation is to the city and not to an individual, there is no pecuniary benefit to any other person other than the city itself. Thank you.”
The rest of the pushback on this vote was raised by several of the city counselors themselves, saying that the city should not accept private money in this way. The concerns were that this could lead to a “slippery slope,” concerns about strings being attached, a desire for the city to have more control over the allocation of donations, a feeling that this donor is receiving “special treatment,” a worry about who the private donors are, and a worry about the potential intentions of this donation. They recommended rejecting the donation and holding off until they pass more policies that address accepting donations like this.
A Double Standard in Plain Sight
City Manager Krishna Namburi told the council the donor had offered the funds “with no strings attached” and no demand for performance metrics, adding:
“I’m not sure if they will be willing to give this donation if you keep extending it… there were no strings attached.”
Even so, several councilors urged caution. Vanessa Nordyke, speaking remotely, said she wanted clarity from colleagues on whether Salem should adopt a written gift policy before continuing to accept donations.
“Do my peers even think we need a written gift policy at this point?” she asked. “I’ve been advocating for it tonight… but I don’t want to bring a motion in November if it’s just not going to go anywhere.”
Nordyke emphasized that she supported the donation itself but was frustrated by what she described as an “ad hoc” approach to gifts. “Very, very reluctantly I’m going to vote yes,” she said, “but we’re not done talking about how we talk about these gifts.”
Councilor Shane Matthews then raised a broader point — questioning why this donation was drawing scrutiny when other, much larger ones had not. Citing a recent example, he reminded colleagues that the city had accepted nearly $900,000 from the Center for Community Excellence with Mountain West Investment, funneled through the Friends of Center 50 Plus, to support senior programs. That transaction, he noted, had passed quietly.
“If we’re going to have concern over this $180,000, we should also have concern over the funds that we accepted for Center 50 Plus,” Matthews said. “That’s my opinion, because I don’t feel like tonight’s is a concern either.”
He went on to confirm with the City Manager that the donor placed no operational conditions on the gift — no control over when or where the officers would serve or how the funds would be applied.
“It sounds to me like they aren’t dictating when [the officers] are supposed to be on the streets or even what they’re supposed to do,” Matthews said. “They’re only providing $180,000, and we were already going to do these officers. So I’m just a little confused as to why in one scenario it seems to be okay, and in another maybe it’s not.”
Matthews stopped short of drawing conclusions but left his peers with a pointed question — why one donation was accepted without hesitation, while another, nearly identical in structure, faced so much scrutiny.
Mayor Julie Hoy defended the decision and emphasized the broader public mandate behind it. “Public safety throughout Salem has been the top priority for Salem residents over the past few years, and I am proud of the action we took last night,” Hoy said after the meeting. “The status quo hasn’t been working and we need new approaches to solve our problems. One of the best parts of being Mayor is getting to see all parts of the community come together to make Salem better, and I am grateful for everyone showing up to offer help and solutions to keep our city safe for everyone.”
The back-and-forth revealed a familiar fault line inside City Hall: a council that welcomes private partnerships when they fund popular or symbolic causes but becomes skeptical when the money touches politically fraught issues like homelessness, policing, or public order.
Outcome and Next Steps
After extended discussion, the motion passed 6–3, with Mayor Julie Hoy joining five councilors in support and three voting “no.”
The approval allows the city to deploy two additional HST officers funded entirely through private money for six months, with a possible renewal if the donor extends support.
Councilor Vanessa Nordyke questioned whether the council should establish a formal written gift policy at all, saying she wanted clarity from her peers before drafting one. She noted she would not introduce a policy proposal “if it’s just not going to go anywhere,” asking whether councilors preferred to continue addressing such gifts on an “ad hoc basis.”
The meeting closed without a definitive decision on that policy question, but the city of Salem has now agreed to accept $180,000 to fund two police officers for 6 months with no strings attached.
