Clackamas County, OR. — Clackamas County Commissioners have appointed longtime community leader Matt Bunch to the Oregon House of Representatives, filling the District 51 vacancy created after Christine Drazan was appointed to the State Senate last month.
Commissioners held a public session Friday, Nov. 17, to interview finalists and select a replacement, as required under Oregon law. The meeting, conducted over Zoom, will be archived on the county’s YouTube channel.
Under state statute, legislative vacancies must be filled by county commissioners representing the affected district, and finalists are nominated by the political party that previously held the seat—in this case, the local Republican Party.
Bunch, who was born in Baker in 1959 and raised in Eastern Oregon, brings deep roots and extensive experience to the role. A 1977 graduate of Burnt River High School, he later earned a degree from Oregon State University in 1982, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
His professional background spans multiple sectors, including finance and insurance, with positions at Ford Motor Credit, Allstate, Portland Insurance, Gustafson Insurance, and Clackamas Insurance. Bunch has also worked as a Development Officer for the Oregon FFA Foundation and as a bus driver for the Oregon City School District.
His long history of civic involvement includes service with the St. Patrick Knights of Columbus, Canby High School Boosters, Clackamas County Farm Bureau, and the Clackamas County Fair Board, where he was elected chair in 2022.
Bunch emphasized that his deep ties to Clackamas County and broad professional experience shape his commitment to public service. He and his wife, Maryjane, have been married for 37 years and are parents of three children and grandparents to four.
Bunch will now represent House District 51 in the Oregon Legislature, taking on the remainder of the current term.
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