Vanessa Nordyke is running for Salem mayor in the November 3, 2026, general election. The county’s certified city candidate list lists her as the sole named candidate for the two-year mayoral term.
Background and service
Nordyke’s campaign biography identifies her as Salem’s Ward 7 city councilor and executive director of CASA of Marion County. She describes earlier work as an assistant attorney general at the Oregon Department of Justice from 2008 to 2023 and service as Oregon State Bar president in 2018.
She lists South Salem High School, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the University of Oregon School of Law in her educational background. Her campaign describes service on city budget, social-services and police-review bodies, and on the state Drug and Alcohol Policy Commission.
Campaign priorities
On her priorities page, Nordyke proposes faster construction of apartments, tiny homes and middle housing. She calls for expanded mental-health services, a sobering center and support for food banks and domestic-violence prevention.
She emphasizes first-responder staffing, transparent spending, library access, parks and youth programming. Her campaign also proposes working with businesses and residents to improve downtown cleanliness and safety. These are the candidate’s own descriptions of her background and proposals.
No submitted Surround Sound Media questionnaire response had been received as of October 14, 2026.
Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.
