Salem’s politics have gone haywire.
City Councilwoman Virginia Stapleton, who is leaving District 1, and Vic Schaaf, a local educator who handled social media during Stapleton’s unsuccessful run for House District 21, have partnered on the “Democrats” podcast.
The name and the podcast’s neon green color scheme and font come from pop singer Charli XCX’s recent album and follow-up “Brat Summer,” in which Charli I supported it.
Stapleton said he has been thinking about a podcast for more than a year and plans to write down topic ideas while serving on the city council.
She said her desire to combat misinformation and lack of information about the city’s $17.7 million budget shortfall and the statewide factors that lead to revenue issues inspired her to create the podcast.
“It’s very focused on local government and really helping people understand,” Stapleton said. “The politics that you see, touch, feel and experience are all local, right? People think about politics, they think about the White House, they think about Congress. What you impact matters.” If you live here in the Salem, Keizer, Marion, and Polk County areas, this is your local government. ”
Recent topics include a candid interview with outgoing Mayor Chris Hoy, excerpts from Stapleton and Schaaf’s letter to the City Council from business groups asking for a commission to examine the city’s budget, and includes a three-part breakdown of the problems caused by Oregon’s budget shortfall and Oregon’s fiscal shortfall. Passage of Measures 5 and 50.
Episodes range from a 12-minute bonus episode to a rich 107-minute analysis of payroll taxes, and are conversational, with hosts typically starting each episode with a list of three things that were fun or interesting that week. Masu. .
“We wanted to bring joy back to politics,” Stapleton said. “It should be fun to be involved in local and civic activities.”
She said she has been surprised by the podcast’s response, especially its popularity among younger generations. She asked one of her teenage daughter’s friends to thank her for the podcast because she couldn’t fit government classes into her class schedule.
“We really want to connect with people who are entering adulthood because we need to engage them,” Stapleton said.
She and Schaaf aim to publish weekly episodes, but also respond to breaking news, such as business groups’ letters to Congress.
Stapleton hopes the podcast will grow and encourage people to reach out with topics of concern or interest.
“We would love for people to get involved and reach out and share any questions they may have,” she said. “Of course, this is going to be very important for the city of Salem over the next six months because of financial concerns. I want to use this space to do what I can to help the city move forward.”
The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple.
For questions, comments or news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow X at @wmwoodworth .
