Council to Discuss Third Bridge Tuesday

Tomorrow night, Tuesday the 22nd, City Council will hold another work session on the costly and oversized bridge and highway proposed to cross the river. It will be in the Anderson room, downstairs in the Library, at 5:30pm.

Low income, minority, elderly groups
concentrated near proposed bridge alignment
Map from Bike & Walk Salem

The session was moved up by a month, having been originally scheduled for mid-February, and you would not be paranoid at least to consider the possibility of shenanigans.  Something might be up!

Over at No 3rd Bridge advocates promise lapel stickers for folks who show up. Work sessions have tended historically to be quiet, and the fact that citizens are showing up even when there is no prospect for public comment or testimony has got the attention of Council and staff. If you can, show your support for rational transportation policy and spending!

Councilor Bennett's ward would see the biggest bridge impacts

As you can see from the map, Ward 1 in yellow, Chuck Bennett's, really would bear the great brunt of construction and traffic, and it has not been surprising to see him asking more probing questions.  Many of his constituents are not wealthy, and would be disproportionately affected.  (See the Environmental Justice chapter of the DEIS.) 

Diana Dickey's Ward 6 and Dan Clem's Ward 8 would also be impacted.  Dickey is the wife of a Cherriots executive, and she works in Public Health for her day job, and she should be fully attuned to the transportation implications - if perhaps also sometimes constrained by other politics.  Dan Clem has been on the spend and build, build, build bandwagon, alas. 

This is really how big would be

It will take 5 votes on Council to accomplish anything, and the Mayor and new Councilor Warren Bednarz have also expressed an inclination to spend and build.

Councilors Clausen and Nanke may be the key swing votes, therefore.

Especially if you live in ward 3 or 4 in particular, consider sending Councilor Nanke or Clausen a message that there are better ways to solve congestion than to spend and built a giant tolled highway and bridge.  (Complete contact info and ward map after the jump!  Any email to your councilor helps!)

(Some of the html is a little dodgy here, so apologies for odd spacing and stuff!)

Councilors

	Ward 1  Councilor: Chuck Bennett Email: crbennett@cityofsalem.net Phone: 503-399-7801 Term Expires: December 31, 2016 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 2 Councilor: Laura Tesler Email: ltesler@cityofsalem.net Phone: 503-399-7802 Term Expires: December 31, 2014 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 3  Councilor: Brad Nanke Email: bnanke@cityofsalem.net Phone: 503-399-7803 Term Expires: December 31, 2016 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 4  Councilor: Rich Clausen  Email: rclausen@cityofsalem.net Phone: 503-399-7804 Term Expires: December 31, 2014 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 5 Councilor: Diana Dickey Email: ddickey@cityofsalem.net  Phone: 503-399-7905 Term Expires: December 31, 2016 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 6  Councilor: Sheryl A Thomas Email: sthomas@cityofsalem.net Phone: 503-399-7806 Term Expires: December 31, 2014 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 7 Councilor: Warren Bednarz  Email: wbednarz@cityofsalem.net  Phone: 503-399-7907 Term Expires: December 31, 2016 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301
	Ward 8 Councilor: Dan Clem Email: dclem@cityofsalem.net  Phone: 503-399-7808 Term Expires: December 31, 2014 Address: 555 Liberty St SE, Room 220, Salem OR 97301

Click on this link to email the entire City Council:
Citycouncil@cityofsalem.net
Citywide Ward Map



For more on the River Crossing / Third Bridge see a summary critique and all breakfast blog notes tagged River Crossing. The No Third Bridge advocates also have lots of useful information.