'I just want to help.' Meet Lyndsie Leech, the interim councilor for Eugene's Ward 7

After growing up in a small town in Nebraska, Lyndsie Leech moved around a lot before coming to Eugene and putting down roots.

From a short stint in Flint, Michigan, to Wyoming and Hawaii for college to studying abroad in South Korea and Chile, Leech said she got perspectives on how different communities run that she’ll bring to her six-month appointment as the interim councilor in Ward 7.

Councilors appointed Leech, the executive director of the nonprofit WellMama, as a replacement for Claire Syrett, who voters recalled in September, and she was sworn in Dec. 19.

Leech, who lives on River Road near Maurie Jacobs Park, will represent Ward 7, which includes the Santa Clara, River Road, Trainsong and Whiteaker neighborhood associations, until at least the summer. An election will be held in May, and the winner will take office in July. Leech said she intends to run to fill out the rest of the term, which ends in January 2025.

Leech said she knows there’s tension around the recall and wants to bring positive energy to the council.

“I just want to help,” she said.

And she wants to hear from constituents. So far, she’s had meetings with community groups and started to get oriented with the duties of a councilor.

She’ll be ceremonially sworn in on Jan. 4 when city council gathers for the mayor’s state of the city address.

Helping improve quality of life

Leech first visited Eugene in 2008 and said she fell in love with the city.

She said the biking and walking path along the Willamette River is probably the reason she moved here with her then-husband, who went to graduate school at the University of Oregon.

They hadn’t necessarily planned to stay, she said, but then they had a child and she put down roots and built a life.

Leech has integrated into the nonprofit community, getting her start at Food for Lane County before shifting to working with organizations focused on behavioral health. She’s been in her current role at WellMama for two years but also worked with the HIV Alliance, Looking Glass Community Services and The Child Center.

Related:Eugene officials appoint Lyndsie Leech as interim councilor for Ward 7, decry process

Leech said working closely with the community, she sees how much people struggle and she felt there was something more she could do to advocate for families.

“There has to be a voice on the council that understands what these people are going through on a deep, personal level,” she said.

Leech wants to help whatever way she can to improve quality of life.

Will listen, vote based on 'Ward 7 voices and what they value'

Leech said she’s being realistic in what she can do during a six-month appointment but wants to bring some things to the table even if she may not be there to see them come to fruition.

Leech has several issues top of mind, including:

• Fostering good mental health, especially by bringing back community connections and a sense of belonging.

• Engaging young people

• Fostering belonging in diverse groups

• Electrification

• Willamette Greenway code changes

• Housing of all types and homelessness

• Public safety, especially concerns about downtown

• Renter protections, which she has some perspective on as landlord of a property in the Bethel area

Leech said she’s learning “so much about so many different things” but doesn’t have a strong opinion on a lot of the issues and wants to hear from the community.

She said she will listen to constituents and develop positions based on “Ward 7 voices and what they value.” She believes people share common goals but just don’t agree on how to get there.

“What’s important to me is one thing … but I’m a representative of my ward,” Leech said. “That’s 25,000 people who also have issues they think are important.”

Wants to hold open office hours, good at emailing back

Leech said she understands people don’t feel heard. City officials, she said, might need to rethink their community engagement tactics to make sure they really reach people.

Leech has done a lot of work in her career to improve equity and bring people to the table.

She wants to bring that mindset to her role as councilor and will seek to be informed on what constituents think about issues and vote based on the perspectives she hears.

Leech wants to hold open office hours and will try to be active on social media.

She’s also good at responding via email. People might not get an immediate answer, she said, but she will respond.

Leech has started talking to community groups and organizations and will talk with more. She’d also like to talk to high school students and other young people.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Meet Lyndsie Leech, the interim councilor for Eugene's Ward 7