QuickTake:

A second Lane County commissioner has filed to run for re-election. Ryan Ceniga, the board’s vice-chair, is seeking a second term representing western Lane County.

Lane County Commissioner Ryan Ceniga is running for reelection to a second four-year term. 

Ceniga, first elected in 2022, is vice chair of the five-member Lane County Board of Commissioners. He represents the District 1 seat that covers western Lane County, including Florence, Veneta and Junction City. 

“Serving the people of west Lane County has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Ceniga said in a statement. “I’m running for reelection because there’s still meaningful work to be done — strengthening rural infrastructure, supporting local jobs and ensuring that county government works for every resident, not just those in urban centers.”

Ceniga announced Thursday, Oct. 24, that he’s running and filed paperwork with Lane County Elections. So far, no one has filed to run against him. 

Ceniga lives in the Junction City area. He has worked as a farmer, water distribution manager for Eugene Water & Electric Board and diesel technician. He’s also a member of the Junction City School Board.

Ceniga is in one of three commission seats up for election in 2026. The two others are held by Commissioner Heather Buch and board Chair David Loveall. 

Buch represents mostly eastern Lane County communities and parts of southwest Eugene. She has also filed to run for reelection. Bob Zybach has filed to challenge Buch for that seat.

Loveall, who represents the Springfield district, has not filed to run for reelection. He represents District 2, which covers Springfield.

In a text message to Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Loveall didn’t say what his plans are, but said he’s happy Ceniga is running.

“He’s the hardest working commissioner on the board,” Loveall said.

The filing period opened Sept. 11 and lasts until March 3 for elected incumbents. The deadline is March 10 for candidates who are not incumbents.

Candidates will face off first in the May 19 primaries. The winner is decided if a candidate gets one more vote than 50% of the votes cast. Even then, the winner would appear on the November ballot and could still face a write-in candidate.

If no candidate gets a majority of the votes, then the top two vote-getters face off in the November election.

County commissioners are nonpartisan elected officials. They are paid an annual salary of $114,026.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.