Schory wants to return to Salem council

SALEM — Two councilmen said they will wait until the next council meeting April 15 to discuss filling a vacant seat.

Councilmen Clyde Brown and Justin Palmer said Friday they won’t be taking any action until then.

The two councilmen, along with Atty. Earl A Schory II, had run for council for at-large seats.

Brown, Palmer and Schory are all Democrats. Schory ran as an independent candidate because he missed a filing deadline.

But the attorney has had health problems in recent years and retired from council to qualify for health benefits from the Public Employees Retirement System.

The state benefits would cost $40 a month instead of the more than $1,000 a month he is privately paying. Schory earlier served on council and has also served as the city’s law director.

Dan Nye had been appointed to replace Schory. But Nye announced his resignation earlier this week.

Schory, who is again interested in a council seat, could not be reached Friday. But he said recently that he will comply with any application process council wants for people who are interested in the job.

Brown said that may not be necessary, noting Schory had run for — and won — the seat.