Jackie Leung, Jim Lewis secure Salem City Council seats

In a pair of tight Salem City Council races this week, one incumbent prevailed and another was defeated.

With only one seat going to a newcomer, Tuesday's election doesn't represent a dramatic sea change for the council.

Still, Councilor Jim Lewis of Ward 8, having secured another term, now has the task of drumming up more support in City Council chambers for the Salem River Crossing proposal if he wants to make good on a campaign pledge to advance it sooner than later.

The proposal calls for a third bridge connecting West Salem and Marion County to alleviate traffic congestion.

But Lewis might have a harder time than expected finding the votes from his colleagues. A majority of councilors oppose the River Crossing proposal in its current form. And while Councilor Steve McCoid of Ward 4 has supported the proposal, Jackie Leung, who beat McCoid on Tuesday, does not.

More:2018 Primary election results

"As a member of Council I have no intention of supporting the Salem River Crossing project and I hope the City Council will remove it from the agenda before I take office," Leung said in an email Wednesday. "It is not healthy for our community to drag out this nightmare any longer." 

As for the May 15 election, Lewis gained a strong majority in an early Wednesday morning tally from Polk County. He won with about 52 percent of the vote, overcoming a slim 54-vote lead held by challenger Micki Varney in earlier returns Tuesday night. Lewis could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Varney said she'll be back again to run in four years. The loss "hasn't put me off at all, let me tell you." In the interim, she said she doesn't expect her level of civic engagement to fall, though she won't likely sit in on every council meeting. Varney also congratulated Lewis on his victory.

The two contenders found themselves at odds over the best way to approach what they see as a need for the third traffic bridge.

Lewis has emerged as chief advocate in council chambers for the estimated $425 million River Crossing proposal, garnering the support of the Build the Bridge Now PAC. Varney had concerns about the proposal, though, like it closing the Rosemont Avenue NW exit from Highway 22.

Leung won with about 54 percent of the vote in south Salem's Ward 4, unseating McCoid, a former president and chief executive of the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association.

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Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett said, "He's been a real moderate, thoughtful voice."

Leung, who received her law degree from Willamette University, campaigned as a reform candidate with the hopes to hold city government accountable and boost affordable housing options. She has proposed requiring developers to construct five units of affordable housing as a condition of building in the city.

Leung said Tuesday night she will be ready to add a new perspective to the council, pointing out that there will now be three women holding positions there. McCoid said he has learned from and loved his time on the council.

Bennett and Ward 6 councilor Chris Hoy won second terms after running unopposed. So did Ward 2's Tom Andersen — despite someone writing in author Jessica Maxwell, his wife.

Email jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6714 or follow on Twitter @jonathanmbach.

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