My wife Robin and I moved to Eugene from Bend in 1967.  

Following my graduation from the U of O in 1969, we moved to Salem for my attendance at Willamette.  We enjoyed Salem and became transplants. Salem is a beautiful community with many wonderful people. As Salemites we are collectively very fortunate to have a great climate and ocean beaches and mountains within an hour's drive.  

Prior to my retirement, I was a government lawyer. I represented state officials, county commissioners, city councilors and local governments throughout the state.  My area of expertise was governmental structure and finance.

My politics are quite simple. I have three principles and they go like this: 1) I am a firm believer in getting the biggest bang out of our tax dollar that we can.  Government will never have enough money to do all the things that many people might like. So our government is really not any different from your family or mine. We have to make choices and live within our means. 2) I like to breathe clean air and drink clean water. (3)  I believe in education and helping people.  

The primary issue for Ward 7 is transportation. Almost without exception every citizen comment either starts or ends with the name of one or more of these streets: South River Road, Madrona, Croisan Creek or Kuebler. Getting to and from the major arterials and I-5 are primary topics. Kuebler Boulevard, to some, is simply a dirty word. The second concern is slowing traffic in the residential areas and new stop signs. There are strong opinions that residential streets should be 20 mph, not 25 mph, which is an interesting topic to explore in the future.

I enjoy coffee and I am available to talk to people on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Send me an email at bcannon@cityofsalem.net or give me a call at (503) 580-4028 and let's have coffee and/or a chat.  

Remember, if you're unhappy with your government, it is your fault, not mine. Get involved!