Campaign Manager Caleb is back as we continue to share all about our experiences on the trail this summer including the endorsement process, the millions of dollars spent by our opponent, the victories for our team, the social media trolling that never happened, and the origins of BRAT.

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Do private big developers and their friends have any business involving themselves in local politics? The Salem City Council, City Staff, and future electeds received a letter last week from The Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Home Builders Association. They are requesting the formation of a "Blue Ribbon Committee" to take a redundant deep dive into understanding the city's already dwindling resources. Join Vik and Virginia as they examine the distrust these groups have been shepherding in the community since the fall of the payroll tax in 2023 and the potential motivations behind this letter.

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Special guest and A-1 Campaign Manager, Caleb Hayes joins Virginia and Vik to talk about how we spent the summer trying to fire Kevin Mannix and flip House District 21. We're excited to share the behind the scenes of our campaign, hilarious moments on the trail, a few one-off stories of out of pocket interactions, and how our campaign changed the way campaigns will be run forever (and forced him to spend a million dollars to keep his job!). This is part one in a two part series.

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Trigger warning: Virginia does mention assault, neglect, and abuse in this episode.

In this bonus episode, Virginia let's us all in on a bit of her deconstruction, personal healing, and why she advocated so hard for Salem in the process of getting the payroll tax across the finish line at council. Thanks for being here with us!

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This episode is all about the Salem Payroll Tax. After all, Virginia was the "architect" of the whole thing. If you're into the drama, this episode is for you. But seriously, join us as we try to explain WHY the payroll tax happened in the first place, why it was sent to the voters, why it failed, and ultimately, why we're not any better off as a result. We will also touch base on next steps for generating revenue since the payroll tax is now off the table.

This is part three of a three episode series.

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How did the City of Salem get to the point where we're cutting 18 million dollars from our general fund? Join Vik and Virginia as they break down how the city budget even works and how we got here.

This is part one of a three episode series.

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This episode is going to leave you feeling so smart. Join Vik and Virginia as they break down Measures 5 and 50 and their impacts on local schools and our city. We also give a little insight into what Virginia thinks we should do to fix our problem and also what we've tried. Hint: It's controversial.

This is part two of a three episode series.

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Join Virginia and Vik as we discuss what we've been up to as the holidays approach and really lay the ground for helping our listeners understand how local Political Action Committees (PACS) and grassroots activist groups work. This is part two of a two part episode.

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Join Virginia and Vik as we discuss what we've been up to and really lay the ground for helping our listeners understand how the city of Salem is governed, the power of the City Council and its latest happenings, as well as some of the local players, unions, and neighborhood associations who have influence in our community. This is part one of a two part episode.

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*We are sorry for the static feedback on parts of this episode; our microphones were giving us some technical difficulties*

One correction in this episode--the city has made a 40 million dollar investment, not 50 million in the last few years.

Join Virginia Stapleton and Vik Schaaf, two very entertaining geriatric millennials, as we dive into local politics and educate the public on upcoming policy with plenty of humor along the way. We'll be sharing ways you can get involved in community activism and introducing you to business and civic leaders in our area. Get a behind the scenes look at what is happening in our city and state and get to know us and your local leaders as people. We're excited you're here and hope you'll subscribe and stick around! If you have questions you'd like answered on the pod, please reach out to us on our socials or through email!

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We're excited you're here!

-V and V