demobrats

The power play by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce's pick for mayor is quickly advancing through City Hall in Keizer. In this bonus we'll fill you in on the four-hour City Council work session and the subsequent City Council meeting which resulted in the mayor elected by the people being all but stripped of her power. One by one the council has fallen in line to the new loudest voice in the...

The Keizer Chamber of Commerce seems to be just as involved in their local City Council as our friends at the Chamber of Commerce in Salem. Black Joy Founder, Juli Ray Joy, joins us in this episode to tell us all about her bid to fill a vacancy on the Keizer City Council. Spoiler alert: It's juicy! We fear the masterminds and big businesses behind the decisions taking place at the Keizer City...

It was a busy Tuesday night at City Hall. The new efficiencies committee (Salem's own DOGE department) has been named and to absolutely nobody's surprise, it is comprised solely of members of the Salem Chamber of Commerce and Home Builders Association. What will be their priorities as they examine the budget and look for efficiencies (AKA, cuts)? And why weren't there any questions asked about equ...

Virginia's remarks from the People's March at the Oregon State Capitol January 18, 2025. We need you to get involved with your local organizers and get ready to help create a different outcome in the coming months and years. In Salem and in Oregon we have the Marion County Democrats, The Working Families Party, Progressive Salem, Keizer Forward, MomsforSalemOregon, and MomsforOregon. If yo...

It's been a wild year this week at City Council! Five days and two public meetings into her tenure as Mayor and Julie Hoy has been hot and cold with the media when it comes to her plan to address the major budget deficit at the City of Salem. Boards and Commissions appointments are the one power the Mayor has in addition to those held by City Councilors. WHO the mayor appoints to Boards and Commis...

Salem has a new Mayor and a brand new City Council. While the progressive edge looks to be holding, we can always count on the Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builders to do everything they can to get their way. Join us as we introduce you to your new City Council, your new mayor, and break down the energy in the room for the first gathering in Council Chambers this year. We will be watching the...

This episode is a DOOZY! Give us an hour to try to answer some really important questions including: What happens when public tax dollars are tithed to faith-based pregnancy clinics? Who's fault is it when the incinerator gets shut down? Are our public health officials against birth control, masking, and vaccines? Why does Marion County only have three partisan-based commissioners when Deschutes C...

New year, same brats. Join us as we discuss key takeaways from 2024 and what's at the top of our to do lists for 2025. Whats in, what's out, and what you can expect to hear from us on the pod in the new year! A special thank you to Whitney at the Statesman Journal for publishing a story about our pod this week! You can read it at the link below. If you would like to read the book Virginia referenc...

A warning: The content of this episode references domestic violence, abuse, racism, violence, and suicidal ideation. Listener discretion is advised. They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Join Vik and Virginia for Mayor Chris Hoy's most personal public exit interview. We discuss the third bridge, homelessness, Keiko the Whale, and so much more. Things get really good around minut...

Campaign Manager Caleb is back as we continue to share all about our experiences on the trail this summer including the endorsement process, the millions of dollars spent by our opponent, the victories for our team, the social media trolling that never happened, and the origins of BRAT. Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagram: VoteVirginiaStapleton // TellYourFriendsOregon Facebook: Elect Virginia Sta...

Do private big developers and their friends have any business involving themselves in local politics? The Salem City Council, City Staff, and future electeds received a letter last week from The Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builders Association. They are requesting the formation of a "Blue Ribbon Committee" to take a redundant deep dive into understanding the city's already dwindling res...

Special guest and A-1 Campaign Manager, Caleb Hayes joins Virginia and Vik to talk about how we spent the summer trying to fire Kevin Mannix and flip House District 21. We're excited to share the behind the scenes of our campaign, hilarious moments on the trail, a few one-off stories of out of pocket interactions, and how our campaign changed the way campaigns will be run forever (and forced him t...

Trigger warning: Virginia does mention assault, neglect, and abuse in this episode. In this bonus episode, Virginia let's us all in on a bit of her deconstruction, personal healing, and why she advocated so hard for Salem in the process of getting the payroll tax across the finish line at council. Thanks for being here with us! Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagram: VoteVirginiaStapleton // TellYour...

This episode is all about the Salem Payroll Tax. After all, Virginia was the "architect" of the whole thing. If you're into the drama, this episode is for you. But seriously, join us as we try to explain WHY the payroll tax happened in the first place, why it was sent to the voters, why it failed, and ultimately, why we're not any better off as a result. We will also touch base on next steps for g...

This episode is going to leave you feeling so smart. Join Vik and Virginia as they break down Measures 5 and 50 and their impacts on local schools and our city. We also give a little insight into what Virginia thinks we should do to fix our problem and also what we've tried. Hint: It's controversial. This is part two of a three episode series. Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagram:VoteVirginiaStaple...

How did the City of Salem get to the point where we're cutting 18 million dollars from our general fund? Join Vik and Virginia as they break down how the city budget even works and how we got here. This is part one of a three episode series. Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagram:VoteVirginiaStapleton // TellYourFriendsOregon Facebook: Elect Virginia Stapleton email us: electvirginiastapleton@gmail.c...

Join Virginia and Vik as we discuss what we've been up to and really lay the ground for helping our listeners understand how the city of Salem is governed, the power of the City Council and its latest happenings, as well as some of the local players, unions, and neighborhood associations who have influence in our community. This is part one of a two part episode. Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagra...

Join Virginia and Vik as we discuss what we've been up to as the holidays approach and really lay the ground for helping our listeners understand how local Political Action Committees (PACS) and grassroots activist groups work. This is part two of a two part episode. Tiktok: VirginiaStapleton Instagram:VoteVirginiaStapleton Facebook: Elect Virginia Stapleton email us: electvirginiastapleton@gmail....

Join Virginia Stapleton and Vik Schaaf, two very entertaining geriatric millennials, as we dive into local politics and educate the public on upcoming policy with plenty of humor along the way. We'll be sharing ways you can get involved in community activism and introducing you to business and civic leaders in our area. Get a behind the scenes look at what is happening in our city and state and ge...