As Chair of the County Commission in 2020, Commissioner Heather Buch led Lane County’s response to crises on multiple fronts. As our communities faced the surging COVID-19 pandemic and the Holiday Farm Fire devastated the McKenzie region, Commissioner Buch ensured her East Lane County district received critical CARES Act and American Rescue Plan funding. She worked tirelessly with two simultaneous emergency operations centers, and she partnered with mayors and other local leaders to publicize critical and dependable public health information to all Lane County residents.

During the aftermath of the mega-fire, Commissioner Buch worked with an incident command team, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, and FEMA to protect Lane County families’ lives and livelihoods. She successfully secured $27.5 million from the Oregon Legislature’s 2021 Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery to support the McKenzie area’s recovery. She continues to support wildfire recovery efforts. 

Regionally, Commissioner Buch serves as Chair of the Cascades West Economic Development District (CWEDD), Chair of the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) Board of Directors, Vice-Chair of Homes For Good housing agency, and sits on the Human Services Commission.

Buch is a strong advocate for Lane County on both the state and federal levels as a member of the Oregon Association of Counties (OAC) and National Association of Counties (NACo). She is a member of NACo's Community, Economic and Workforce Development Committee and the Women of NACo Leadership Network.

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 DePaul Society of Lane County, Inc., our county’s largest nonprofit 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.

District 5 includes the cities of Cottage Grove, Creswell, Oakridge, Lowell, Westfir, Coburg, portions of West Eugene, and numerous unincorporated communities.

Note: Commissioner Buch’s last name is pronounced “Buck.”