demobrats

This week our friend Sara Duncan helps you get to know the bike-powered brains behind Salem Bike Vision : Dylan, Ian, and Virginia, a trio of transportation good troublemakers on a mission to make Salem more two-wheeled. Dylan brings the science, policy, and smooth Smithsonian swagger; Ian’s got more board appointments than a lumber yard; and Virginia keeps the wheels turning with political savvy...

What happens when the co-founder of Salem Bike Vision is nearly hit by an SUV in the very family-friendly buffered bike lane she worked to get installed? Turns out she breaks her collarbone and gets a concussion. We did the math and she was 68.2 milliseconds from a very different ending. It is very likely that the BUFFERED aspect of the bike lane saved her life . Call it crazy timing, but we alrea...

The Good Doctor Trevor Phillips is with us today alongside Former Mayor that got away Chris Hoy and Virginia. Trevor is here to talk to us about all things medicine, federal cuts, healthcare for all, and getting your flu shot. And don't worry, we spend some time going down memory lane of our work on city council together and some of the nonsense that took place. You don't want to miss it....

Hey Brats! In this bonus episode, Chris Hoy and Trevor Phillips join Virginia for a little City Council Alumni Reunion to discuss sexism and politics and public perception. The mayor took a solid 20 seconds on Monday night to vote on a motion brought forward. She appeared to be looking at her phone the entire time prior. Whose council was she seeking before placing her vote? Did she know she'd be...

Trump ended the refugee resettlement programs that so many have come to rely on seeking safety and a new life in a new land. Trivina and Luke from Salem For Refugees join us this week to talk about the effort to continue to provide services for families resettling into Salem and Corvallis, despite the federal funding coming to an abrupt end. Listen and learn about the immigrant resettlement experi...

Have you heard of Kyle Dickinson? He's the new Executive Director of Salem Leadership Foundation...wa wa wee whoaaa the brats just brought SLF on the pod? Yuh...we did. Everyone calm down. Kyle is next up to the plate batting for SLF, but more importantly, he's one of Virginia's oldest friends--he loves the demobrats theme song and is obviously a Swiftie. Kyle is here to share about th...

Danielle Bethell has set her sights on the highest office in Oregon--Governor. Join Virginia and Miss. Alexandria as they discuss this new development at length, including some very troubling events in the politician's past. Currently serving as one of your three all-Republican Marion County Commissioners, Danielle Bethell apparently has higher ambitions. Don't let the blue and green fool...

Join Virginia and Jane as they welcome Salem Keizer Public Schools Superintendent Andrea Castañeda to discuss all things animals, metal detectors, dropping out of college, and growing up in rural Oregon. Learn all about how Andrea came to lead the helm at SKPS and hear about all the awesome innovative programs our students are being offered! We know when this episode is over, you'll love Andrea as...

Our very special guest needed to reschedule for next week, but NEVER FEAR...CHRIS HOY is here and he's bringing a lump sum of honesty and commentary on the most recent news happenings at the City of Salem including the Archer Departure (the Deputy City Manager's sudden resignation), the elimination of the Deputy City Manager positions, The 28 page Text Thread investigative report the Salem...

Please note this episode was recorded one week ago; prior to the news dropping in the Salem Reporter yesterday and today concerning Councilor Nishioka and the current mayor and the resignation of the Deputy City Manager for the library, parks and rec, and center 50+ Don't worry, we'll cover that one soon... In this paid bonus we'll learn all about what Chris Hoy is going to do next. And how he fee...

Please note this episode was recorded one week ago; prior to the news dropping in the Salem Reporter yesterday and today concerning Councilor Nishioka and the current mayor and the resignation of the Deputy City Manager for the library, parks and rec, and center 50+ Don't worry, we'll cover that one soon... But for today we're so excited to have former Mayor Chris Hoy back on the pod t...

In this quick bonus, Virginia asks Seth Cotlar and Paul Tigan a simple question: What does a liberal Project 2029 look like? Let us know what you think it would look like in the comments. Get out there and stay loud. If you have questions, topics you'd love discussed, or want to advertise on the pod, contact us: BUY MERCH: ⁠⁠https://demobrats.printify.me/⁠⁠ Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Bluesky: D...

This week we have a very special guest in Seth Cotlar, a professor of history at Willamette University. He's currently working on a book about a far right activist in Oregon named Walter Huss, who was active in Oregon from the 1960s into the early 2000s. You'll hear all about Huss' conspiracy obsessed and Christian Nationalist agenda in this episode. We've also got City Councilor f...

The Keizer City Council is at it again, this time led by Councilors Soraida Cross and Lore Christopher. Their quest? To eliminate the word diversity from the Community Diversity Engagement Committee . Join Virginia and Jane as they discuss some unhinged things that were said at the last Keizer City Council meeting. For the record: The root word of DIVERSITY is diverse. The root word of DIVISIVE is...

The last cradle of our democracy, the library, is on the chopping block. Former Oregon State Librarian and local folk hero, Jim Scheppke, joins Virginia and Jane to give us the hard facts about the financial position of our public library. Learn all about how Salem's library system stacks up (or doesn't) to the rest of the state, and how efficient it truly is with very little funds already...

In this subscriber bonus, Jim tells Virginia and Jane a little bedtime story about how the first Salem Public Library ever got started. Spoiler alert: Women got the job done. And the reason the U was a V on the original library is because most buildings that encompass Roman-style architecture use the Latin alphabet, which only had 23 letters at one time, not including the letter U. The “U” sound s...

In this episode, Levi Herrera-Lopez from Mano a Mano and United Against Hate joins Virginia to discuss their initiatives to break down barriers of hate in the Salem-Keizer community, especially in these (what is beginning to feel like precedented) times. Speaking of precedented, the City of Salem is still staying silent on the situation with the sudden resignation of our City Manager, Keith Stahle...

In this bonus pod, we had the pleasure of learning from the work and lived experiences of Ashley Dunn, Vice President of the local NAACP chapter. Ashley is a graduate of North High School and Oregon State University, a mother of millions, a lover of people, a social work champion, Game of Thrones fan, and an-all around awesome human! We know you will love Ashley as much as we do and we can't w...

In this subscriber bonus episode we talk about the recent joint session between our Marion County Commissioners and Salem City Council. Why is this meeting finally happening the moment we have a conservative Mayor? What is the real intent behind this new effort? We think we know. Get out there and stay loud. If you have questions, topics you'd love discussed, or want to advertise on the pod, c...

We still don't have any answers, but we deserve them. A Mayor and City Council which ran on transparency and communication is notably silent in the most critical time in Salem's history. We have some questions and we need you to reach out to your councilors and urge them to speak up and make a statement. Who is your City Councilor? Look it up: https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/city-co...

We hope you're hungry...for nothing. This is precisely the amount of new information that came out of the 75 hours of work the Salem Chamber of Commerce and Home Builders Association hand-picked Efficiencies Committee put together. Validating for former councilors and mayors? Absolutely. Groundhog Day for all of us? Also yes. We have reached what may not even be half-time in this challenge to...

Tiktok influencer and creator Miss. Alexandria joins us for a yap session focused in on local organizing, campaign strategy, taxation, creating community, showing up, podcasting, and the absolute necessity for an online strategy to long-term voter communication. Get out there and stay loud. Also, we just launched subscriptions! Subscribe and support the pod for $4.99 a month and get access to all...

Keith Stahley resigned at the City of Salem and the council accepted this tonight with very little discussion. The executive session ran 15 minutes late tonight. While we'll never know what was said in executive session, something feels very off with this one. It is a dark night for the voters and residents of Salem as we look to find revenue for essential city services without Keith's ste...

The power plays in Keizer are still under way. On the same day the Keizer City of Council made a Black History Month proclamation, the conservative majority also tried to vote to pause the Community Diversity Engagement Committee; i.e. the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion community board. And then they tried to join the Salem Chamber of Commerce. Make it make sense. We fear the masterminds and big...

Today we have a couple freaking awesome local women joining us who are doing the work to organize, mobilize, educate, and empower everyday people to get involved in the local political process! Paige Barton, Chair of the Marion County Democrats, and Jane Titchenal, Be SMART and Moms Demand Action Volunteer, are here to share everything you need to know about creating local community and resisting...