Joe Foley will continue to regularly attend Salem City Council meetings, as he has for 10 years. But this time, he has a new seat in the front of the room.
The council voted Tuesday to appoint Foley, 60, as the council’s newest member. Foley will serve in the position formerly held by John Saunders, who passed away in late August, until November 2027, when Salem voters will pick someone to serve out Saunders’ term until it expires at the end of 2028. Foley is expected to be sworn in at the next regular meeting on Sept. 28, the city said in a press release.
Foley, a resident of Salem since 1990, said in a Thursday interview that over the past decade, it would be “rare” for him to miss a city council meeting. He noted in a text message that he is not the only resident of Salem who has done so and doesn’t want credit as the only one with such a pristine attendance record.
Sometimes, he said, the meetings are interesting. Sometimes, they’re dull. But Foley said citizens should participate in their local government and pay attention to what their leaders do.
Saunders was in his second term on the city council when he passed away. His first term was from 2018 to 2021.
Foley was one of 13 candidates that the council considered. Jane Johnson and Lisa Garst, two former council members, were also considered. Foley said both would have made “fantastic choices.”
Foley is of no relation to Randy Foley, who also sits on the city council.
“It was an honor to serve with John Saunders, and we all greatly appreciate his service to the city,” Mayor Renee Turk said in the city release. “We remain saddened that we had to go through this process, but I know John would be as proud as we are that this many citizens are willing to give of their time and talents to serve Salem. All of council is appreciative of those who applied.”
Foley is a chiropractor with a practice in Salem and has also been Roanoke College’s chiropractor for almost 10 years. He’s lived in the city for over three decades.
“There has not been a single time in the past 30 years that I have not served in a leadership position of some sort, so I am looking forward to this opportunity to serve,” Foley said in the release. “I have tried to be engaged and attend as many council and planning commission meetings as I possibly could, and I think I have a good grasp of the policies and processes.”
Foley has served on boards of multiple chiropractic associations and societies throughout the state. He was involved in an intermodal committee for the city’s planning commission while developing the city’s strategic plan, he said in an interview over the phone.
Foley said watching the council and learning about how its members operate for so long has taught him to respect people in elected positions.
“I don’t agree with every decision and every vote that every one of them has made, but largely, the city of Salem has been well represented,” he said. “They’ve had people that are thoughtful, engaged, ask questions and understand the nuances.”
He said he was always “more pleased than disappointed” in the council’s actions.
Foley said he doesn’t have an agenda and “I have no axes to grind,” adding “we have more upsides and good things happening than downsides.”
He said that Salem does have some costly infrastructure needs, like old water and sewer lines, that will continue to get more costly as time goes on.
Foley said he decided to apply for the council appointment upon the passing of Saunders, along with the ending of terms for other experienced council members, like Bill Jones, who served on the city council from 2008 until 2024.
This November, the seats of Randy Foley and Hunter Holliday are up for election. Holliday is running for reelection, but Randy Foley is not — he has served on the council for 20 years and was the mayor from 2008 to 2020.
Five candidates are running for those two seats: Republicans Holliday and Jonathan D. “J.D.” Taylor and independents Mark Henrickson, Jeffrey Hoeflich-Nickels and A.J. Harpold.
“We’ve lost a tremendous amount of experience, of continuity, with Mr. Jones, Mr. Foley, Mr. Saunders and then Mayor Turk going,” he said. Foley said Turk has indicated she will not run for reelection once her mayoral term ends in December 2028, which Turk confirmed by text message on Thursday.
“As a citizen, that concerned me and compelled me to say, I have to at least throw my name in as an option,” Foley said. “I have a lot of experience in what the city’s been working on and their strengths and weaknesses.”
