Democratic challenger Lyndi Reichenbach says Jackson County should use more of its financial reserves to help cities with infrastructure, streamline housing permits and strengthen its approach to emergency preparedness and behavioral health.
Reichenbach is challenging three-term Republican incumbent Rick Dyer for Jackson County Commissioner Position 1. Dyer did not respond to JPR’s invitations to participate in the interview. That invitation remains open.
Reichenbach, a former Silicon Valley tech manager, described her approach to county government as focused on identifying problems early and bringing different groups together to solve them.
“So, that kind of mentality is what I bring with me here to Southern Oregon,” Reichenbach said.
Reichenbach moved to Southern Oregon in 2006 after visiting Ashland and has remained in the Rogue Valley since. She said she entered the race after learning Dyer initially had no challenger.
Using county reserves for local infrastructure
A central theme of Reichenbach’s campaign is how Jackson County should use its financial reserves.
Reichenbach credited County Administrator Danny Jordan and current county leaders with maintaining a strong financial position but said the county should use more of its available money to address infrastructure needs.
“That’s a great job,” Reichenbach said. “But it doesn’t serve the people if all of your money is in surplus.”
She proposed one-time matching grants to help cities pay for infrastructure projects, pointing to financial and infrastructure challenges in Ashland and Gold Hill.
Reichenbach compared that approach to preventive dental care: spending money before infrastructure fails, she argued, could prevent more expensive problems later.
She also said commissioners should do more to connect residents with existing assistance programs, including home weatherization programs.
Housing permits and wages
On housing, Reichenbach said the county should make the permitting process faster and easier to navigate.
Drawing on her experience in the tech industry, she said residents and developers should be able to manage and track building permits online more efficiently.
Reichenbach also connected the region’s housing costs to wages, arguing that Southern Oregon risks losing younger workers and recent college graduates who cannot afford to remain in the area.
“The county commissioners must remember that their salaries and all of the local government are paid by the tax dollars,” Reichenbach said. “If our young people can’t live here anymore because there is such a disparity between wages and housing, then we’re doing a disservice.”
She also criticized reliance on traveling nurses rather than locally based workers, describing the practice as part of a broader problem with wages and housing costs.
Wildfire and emergency coordination
Reichenbach said Jackson County should improve coordination among agencies before wildfires and other disasters.
She previously volunteered with Ashland’s Community Emergency Response Team and said emergency planning should bring together county officials, local emergency managers, the sheriff’s office, transportation agencies, fire and forestry officials, and neighboring jurisdictions.
“We need to have everybody at the table,” Reichenbach said.
Reichenbach also emphasized neighborhood preparedness, saying residents need to look after one another because emergency management can only do so much.
Behavioral health and crisis response
Reichenbach also proposed pursuing grants to develop a 24-hour behavioral health crisis facility in Jackson County.
She said people experiencing mental health or substance use crises should be diverted from jail when treatment is more appropriate.
“Putting people in jail should be the last-case scenario,” Reichenbach said.
Reichenbach said a crisis center could give law enforcement and behavioral health providers another option for people who need treatment rather than incarceration.
Guest
- Lyndi Reichenbach, candidate, Jackson County Commissioner, Position 1
