Salem Mayor Chris Hoy goes to White House to discuss city concerns

Salem Mayor Chris Hoy was among 14 new U.S. mayors who recently met with President Joe Biden and senior Cabinet secretaries and officials from the Biden administration in Washington, D.C.

“It was a remarkable day,” Hoy said after the meeting. “To be able to hear directly from the president and his cabinet about all the things they’re doing to try to help cities …. it made me very hopeful.”

During the half-day meeting, White House officials talked with the mayors about how to access resources from various federal programs like the COVID-19 aid bill, the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

The briefings are intended to break down complex funding bills and connect mayors to Biden administration leaders, as well as to help direct federal spending to cities’ needs.

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Hoy said many of the Cabinet secretaries he talked with, like U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of HUD Marcia Fudge and U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, were once mayors themselves and able to draw from their experiences to help cities.

Hoy and the other mayors also spoke with Cabinet secretaries and senior Biden administration officials about issues facing their communities.

Other mayors involved include Mayor Becky Daggett of Flagstaff, Arizona; Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg of Louisville, Kentucky; and Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown of North Las Vegas.

White House officials said they wanted to ensure the incoming mayors knew of the resources available to their cities and how to connect with the White House and the involved agencies.

Hoy said he received an invitation from the White House and appreciated being able to meet with the president, Cabinet and other mayors.

He said he shared ideas on increasing transit ridership with one mayor and sought advice on how to work with the railroads to make streets in Salem like 12th Street more pedestrian and bike friendly.

Hoy said he spoke with Cabinet secretaries about how to continue getting funding like the ARPA grants to pay for homeless services in Salem. Many of those programs are set to lose funding when the ARPA money runs out in two years.

He said he also talked with Fudge about how to continue to use the loosened restrictions on HUD funding to encourage the creation of more affordable housing.

He said he left the meeting feeling inspired.

“It has by far exceeded my expectations and hopes,” he said.

Reporter Whitney Woodworth covers city hall, economic development and business for the Statesman Journal. For questions, comments and news tips, email wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth.