Salem staff outline stepped plan for safety, livability; city chosen for Bloomberg‑Harvard collaboration

Interim City Manager Krishna Namburi told the Salem City Council on Aug. 11 that the city has a three‑part strategy to address safety and livability concerns: near‑term actions through December, a budget‑focused discussion in September, and a longer‑term plan reaching into the 2026 fiscal year.

Namburi said immediate steps already taken include increased police visibility in downtown and northeast neighborhoods and exploratory work to expand cleanliness services; staff plan a council work session on Sept. 18 to consider sustainable funding options and then to return to the council with implementable items between October and December. Namburi also announced that Salem was selected for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Program’s collaboration track and that Bloomberg will visit Salem in October.

Why it matters: Councilors and staff framed the initiative as an effort to move from temporary, costly "management" of street‑level problems toward coordinated, sustainable responses that mix public safety, behavioral health support and cleanliness services.

Namburi said the council’s July 21 work session shaped the objectives and that the strategy will be phased: near‑term measures to manage immediate…