Committee recommends Annie Thompson as Salem City Council appointee to Community Preservation Committee

The Committee on Government Services, co-posted with the Committee of the Whole, recommended Annie Thompson as the city council’s one-year appointee to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and reappointed Kate Martin to a two‑year term on July 9, 2026.

The committee heard five-minute statements from three applicants and asked brief questions. Annie Thompson introduced herself as a McIntyre District resident and the director of finance and administration at a state economic development agency; she cited experience managing capital grants and said she would prioritize shovel‑ready projects, open-space investments and aligning awards with the city’s strategic plan. "I look forward to being a good steward of public resources for the benefit of our community," Thompson said after her appointment was moved.

Another applicant, Bruce Baiche, described a decade of construction project‑management experience and said that experience managing budgets and historic‑building renovations would help CPC deliberations. Christopher Patrick Drosner Patski spoke as a preservation specialist and emphasized applying professional preservation standards and asking tough questions rather than acting as a rubber stamp.

Councilor Varela moved to reappoint Kate Martin and to appoint Annie Thompson; both motions were seconded and carried in committee (the chair stated "four hands plus my own" in announcing each result). The committee’s recommendation will be transmitted to the full City Council for final confirmation tonight.

If approved by the full council, Thompson’s one‑year appointment would take effect upon council confirmation; Martin’s reappointment would extend her term for two years. The committee’s written report recommends the two actions "for the recommendation of the full council."