Salem council accepts city manager Keith Staley's resignation

The Salem City Council voted unanimously Monday to accept City Manager Keith Staley’s letter of resignation, which the council said it received over the preceding weekend.

The motion to accept Staley’s resignation was made by Councilor Brown and carried after a short discussion about leadership and organizational stability. Mayor Julie Hoy announced that Deputy City Manager Krishna Nonbury will serve as acting city manager.

Councilors framed the choice as balancing concerns about organizational leadership with a need for continuity. “Those concerns must be weighed against the need for stability for our community and the organization,” Mayor Hoy said as the council opened the discussion. Councilor Brown, who moved to accept the resignation, said council members face “very hard and difficult and challenging decisions to make” and emphasized the need to regain public trust.

Councilor Teigen and Councilor Nishioka publicly acknowledged Staley’s service. “He’s helped guide the council and our city through a remarkably trying few years,” Teigen said, and noted that accepting the resignation allows Staley to receive severance as contemplated in his contract — a consideration that influenced her vote.

The council’s action was procedural: the resignation was accepted and the city manager position is now vacant. The city announced that Krishna Nonbury will assume acting city manager duties while the council determines next steps for an interim or permanent replacement.

The council recorded the roll-call vote following discussion; the motion passed with all members voting aye.

The decision came early in the meeting and the council moved on to regular business afterward. The council did not at that time announce a timeline for a recruitment process or for additional interim staffing decisions.