Keizer’s newest city councilor is a familiar face at city hall.
Former Mayor Lore Christopher, who lost the November election to incumbent Mayor Cathy Clark, was appointed to replace City Councilor Robert Husseman, who resigned earlier this year.
The Keizer City Council appointed Christopher to fill the vacancy for Position 5 on Dec. 2. She will serve out Husseman’s term, which was set to end in January 2027.
This decision was made during the council’s Special Session on Dec. 2 after a selection process that included public presentations from three candidates — Christopher, Juli Ray Joy and Tammy Kunz.
Joy is the founder of Black Joy Oregon and is the director of Movement Building for the Partnership of Safety and Justice. Kunz serves on the Keizer Community Diversity Engagement Committee and unsuccessfully ran for City Council in November.
Keizer City Council appointed former Mayor Lore Christopher to fill the Position 5 vacancy after City Councilor Robert Husseman resigned earlier this year.
November election hints at discontent on Keizer City Council
Christopher’s leadership in Keizer stretches back decades.
When a position opened on the Keizer City Council in 1998, Christopher tied with another for the spot. To break the tie, city leaders put both names in a bucket and drew out Christopher’s name.
Her time as a city councilor turned into a successful run for mayor.
After leaving office, she retired from her job as a human resources administrator for the state of Oregon and served on the Keizer Public Arts Commission, Keizer Heritage Foundation and Keizer Community Foundation.
In a rare move that pitted the former mayor against current Mayor Clark, Christopher said she decided to run for office again after being encouraged by community members.
“There are four continuing city councilors, and they’ve all endorsed me,” Christopher told the Statesman Journal before the November election. “Unfortunately, that’s a vote of a lack of confidence in our current leadership. We’ve had a real fractured City Council, and it’s been difficult to get anything done and move things forward.”
Current City Councilors Soraida Cross, Kyle Juran, Dan Kohler and Shaney Starr endorsed Christopher.
Clark ultimately won the race with 8,310 votes compared to Christopher’s 7,581, according to election results.
Keizer City Council picks newest councilor
After presentations from the candidates and questions from the City Council, the city councilors voted on the vacancy.
Clark supported Joy, outgoing City Councilor Laura Reid supported Kunz, and Cross, Juran, Kohler and Starr supported Christopher.
With the majority of votes, Christopher was sworn in to office on Dec. 2.
In a statement, city officials said Christopher brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the position.
In her letter of interest, Christopher emphasized her longstanding commitment to Keizer and her vision to work collaboratively with the City Council to serve the diverse needs of the community, city officials said.
“It is an honor to once again represent Keizer, all of Keizer,” Christopher said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our city. I am committed to helping Keizer in addressing the ongoing challenges that impact our community on a daily basis. I look forward to working and collaborating with the Keizer city councilors and community members to accomplish this commitment.”
She encouraged people to reach out to her with concerns and promised to bring those issues to the council.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Keizer appoints ex-Mayor Lore Christopher as city councilor