Salem is considering a downtown ambassador program that could give businesses, visitors and residents a visible point of contact for non-emergency problems in the city’s core, from people sleeping in doorways to wayfinding, cleanliness and calls for help that do not rise to the level of a police response.
The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to direct staff to evaluate a possible ambassador program and return with options for a pilot. Councilor Mai Vang was absent.
Councilor Linda Nishioka, who brought the motion forward, said the goal is to explore whether Salem can fill a practical gap downtown without replacing police, fire, cleanup crews or homeless outreach teams.
“I’m trying to find a way to help the businesses, the residents downtown that could provide that little service that we might see is missing right now,” Nishioka said.
The discussion came the same night the council heard a broader downtown strategy presentation that identified gaps in Salem’s current approach, including the need for more visible support in the public realm. City officials have been working to connect several downtown efforts, including the Clean Team, Homeless Services Team, REACH and public safety response, under a broader framework focused on safety, cleanliness, experience and economic activity.
Nishioka said the city should evaluate the feasibility of establishing an ambassador program to support the downtown business district. She said that review should include the program structure, scope of services, estimated cost, best practices in comparable cities and how ambassadors could coordinate with existing city teams.
Public commenter Kathleen Treppa urged council to support the idea, saying an ambassador program could be a more cost-effective way to assist downtown businesses, residents and visitors while addressing some non-emergency concerns.
“Ambassadors could help move people along that are sleeping in doorways,” Treppa said. “They can provide assistance at parking kiosks, offer directions, answer questions about city services, and they can escalate immediate needs to the police department or public works as appropriate.”
City Manager Krishna Namburi cautioned that the city does not currently have staff availability or funding for a full program buildout. Still, she said staff could return within the next couple of months with preliminary options, including possible pilot structures, existing partnerships and how the program could fit with work already underway.
“This program is not to replace our existing programs in downtown, but more like an addition to what’s already in place,” Namburi said.
Councilors also raised questions about whether the model could eventually expand beyond downtown and what funding sources might be available. Nishioka said other Oregon cities have developed ambassador-style programs around their own local needs, including visitor support, business assistance and public-space concerns.
Councilor Vanessa Nordyke supported the motion but warned that outreach alone will not solve downtown challenges if people have nowhere to go.
“We can’t only do outreach,” Nordyke said.
The motion gives staff permission to explore the idea, not launch the program. Any pilot would still need to come back to council with details on cost, structure and funding.
The next question is whether Salem can design something practical enough to help downtown businesses now, without creating another unfunded program or duplicating work already assigned to police, fire, cleanup crews and homeless outreach teams.
