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MEET HEATHER BUCH
East Lane County Commissioner - District 5
Commissioner Heather Buch’s service has been dedicated to listening to rural communities and standing up for Lane County’s small towns.
In the aftermath of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, Commissioner Buch brought home $27.5 million in state aid and millions more in federal support, facilitated shelter for hundreds of survivors in temporary housing and local hotels, and cut red tape for families trying to rebuild – waiving over $1 million in residential and commercial permit fees.
Buch championed the recently-opened South Lane Clinic in Cottage Grove. Faced with federal funding cuts for rural healthcare, she is focused on ensuring her constituents have access to mental health services, dental care, and primary care.
She has also supported public-private partnerships to build more than 600 affordable housing units to help families and individuals get off the streets and connected to the services they need to thrive. Some examples include The Commons on MLK with 24-7 wraparound services, a new Shelter & Navigation Center at the old VA clinic, The Nel, Bridges on Broadway, and new homes for families with children at the Lane County Fairgrounds.
Heather Buch puts the safety of her constituents first. She voted to increase sheriff patrols, add six new mobile crisis vans on the roads in metro and rural Lane County, and build a new stabilization center for those experiencing mental health and addiction crises.
Buch is a strong advocate for Lane County on both the state and federal levels, serving as a member of the Oregon Association of Counties (OAC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo). She is a member of NACo's Committee on Economic & Workforce Development Steering Committee and a member of the Women of NACo Leadership Network. On the state level, she is Chair of the Emergency Preparedness Advisory Council and a member of OAC's Legislative Committee.
Before her election to the Lane County Commission in 2019, Buch spent her professional career running a small real estate business for 15 years, specializing in affordable housing. She also worked as the Special Projects Director for St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, our county’s largest non-profit human services organization, helping local families access and afford housing.
Living in the Spencer Creek area of unincorporated Lane County, Commissioner Buch is the mother of an energetic young daughter and wife to a Merchant Mariner and U.S. Navy reservist. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Seattle University.
Note: Commissioner Buch’s last name is pronounced “Buck.”
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