Julie Hoy, Mayor of Salem

Bob Buck welcomed Mayor Julie Hoy of the City of Salem to the KBZY Studio for her monthly visit today. Mayor Julie Hoy discussed her election thoughts, 2026 goals, the Latino Business Alliance, Awesome 3000, and ribbon cuttings. Listen to the full interview for all the details!

Yesterday’s results were not what we had hoped for, but I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported this campaign, believed in our vision for Salem, volunteered their time, shared conversations, knocked doors, made calls, and showed up for our community over these many months.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the League of Women Voters of Marion & Polk Counties as part of their Your Vote Counts interview series. These conversations are designed to help residents learn more about local leadership, priorities, and the work happening across our community.

At the recent mayoral debate hosted by What's Happening Salem, Julie had the opportunity to share her vision for the future of Salem and reflect on the progress made over the past year.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to deliver my 2026 State of the City address at the Salem Convention Center, hosted by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with community organizations and local leaders.

I hope you’ll join me for the Mayor’s 2026 State of the City address on Wednesday, March 11th, at 12:00PM (doors at 11:30AM) at the Salem Convention Center. This year’s event is hosted by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Salem and Salem City Club.

I’m honored to share that the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has endorsed my re-election for Mayor!

The latest Safety and Livability Survey, conducted by DHM Research in early February, shows meaningful improvement in how Salem residents view safety and livability compared to the September 2025.

This month marked an important step forward in how Salem responds to behavioral health and substance-use emergencies. On January 20th, we officially launched the REACH (Rapid Engagement, Assessment & Community Health) Team — a pilot program designed to make sure the right response shows up at the right time when someone is in crisis.

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who came out to my re-election campaign kickoff on January 8th. Being surrounded by so many people who care deeply about Salem was both humbling and energizing.

I recently participated in the first public mayoral debate of the 2026 election cycle, hosted as part of the Forum Speaker Series by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce. It was encouraging to see more than 350 community members come together to listen, ask questions, and engage in an important conversation about the future of Salem.

Over the past several months, our team has been hard at work strengthening partnerships and building a collaborative approach to public safety in Salem. Earlier this year, the City was selected to join the Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership Initiative — a year-long program that helps cities address key challenges through innovation and collaboration.

I recently completed Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training here in Salem — and I was surprised to learn that I’m the first mayor to ever go through the program.

In October, I sat down with the Salem Business Journal to talk about where our city stands today and where we’re headed next. From budget wins and new public safety efforts to plans for the upcoming holiday season, it was a great conversation about how we’re continuing to move Salem forward — together.

At our October 13th City Council meeting, we approved a budget to expand services in three key areas that directly reflect our community’s top priorities: safety, cleanliness, and health.

Mayor Julie Hoy has been selected for the ninth class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, joining 47 mayors total from 17 countries to participate in the professional management training program.

As we reach the halfway point of the year, I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the many people, places, and conversations that have shaped these past several months.

Mayor Julie Hoy delivered the 2025 State of the City message to 250 people today at the Salem Convention Center.

Join me for the 2025 State of the City Address this Wednesday, March 5, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Salem Convention Center.

As we look ahead to the next three months, I’m focused on delivering meaningful progress on the priorities we’ve set together: