Salem Mayor Julie Hoy is disputing claims that she refused to sign a Feb. 5 letter from Gov. Tina Kotek and a group of Oregon mayors to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying her office never received it.
“I just wanted to take a moment to address something that’s been floating around out there for the last week or so,” Hoy said in a recorded statement. “There’s been a lot of misinformation and I want to take this opportunity to clarify.”
Hoy said the governor’s office sent a letter to DHS on Feb. 5 and that it was signed by 31 mayors statewide, but Salem was not part of that process.
“On February 5th, the governor’s office sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. That letter was signed by 31 of Oregon’s mayors. I did not refuse to sign that letter. It never came,” Hoy said.
She said the governor’s office confirmed to her that the letter was not sent to Salem.
“It was confirmed by the governor’s office last night that that letter was never sent to the city of Salem, nor to my office,” Hoy said.
The letter has become a flashpoint locally as residents and activists criticized Hoy for not joining the signers. Hoy said the issue is that Salem did not get a chance to review it, discuss it publicly, or decide as a governing body whether to participate.
“Had it been, I would have brought it to the attention of full counsel, and we would have had the opportunity to weigh in, come to a consensus, and move forward appropriately,” she said. “We were not afforded that opportunity when it came to this letter.”
Hoy emphasized how limited the list of signers was compared with the number of cities across Oregon. There are 241 incorporated cities in the state; 31 signatures represent about 12.9% of cities, meaning roughly 87.1% did not sign.
“I don’t know why. 241 cities in the state of Oregon, 31 mayors signed on. I’m not sure what happened,” Hoy said, adding, “And sometimes a sense of urgency in doing something ends up doing more harm than good.”
She also noted that Salem was not the only nearby city missing from the signature list: Keizer’s mayor did not sign the letter either.
Hoy closed by calling for collaboration and more deliberate coordination between state and local leaders. “We need to do better,” she said. “I truly want to work together to come to a better place in our community for everyone.”