Paula Brooks (politician)

Paula L. Brooks

Commissioner Paula Brooks
Franklin County Board of Commissioners
Assumed office
January 2, 2005
Preceded by Arlene Shoemaker
Personal details
Born (1953-08-14) August 14, 1953
Nationality  United States
Political party Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Greg Kontras
Residence Columbus, Ohio
Alma mater Youngstown State University, B.A.,
Capital University Law School, J.D.
Religion Orthodox Christian
Website Board of Commissioners Website
Campaign Website

Paula Brooks (born August 14, 1953) is currently serving her third term on the Franklin County Board of Commissioners since re-elected in 2012 with 64% of the vote.[1]

Early life, education and career

Brooks was raised on her family's farm in East Liverpool, Ohio[2] as the oldest of five daughters. Her father was a Navy veteran and her mother was a nurse. Despite her family's humble financial situation, Brooks worked her way through Youngstown State University as a hairdresser, and subsequently attended Capital University Law School while working as an investigator at the office of Ohio Attorney General William J. Brown.

After earning her law degree, Brooks worked for the State of Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste as Chief Counsel for the Ohio Department of Liquor, and later as the Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, managing a $3 billion budget, the state's largest department.[3] Brooks then worked for several years in private practice with a focus on health care and employment law.

Since Brooks was elected to the Board of Commissioners, Franklin County has maintained a double AAA bond rating. During her tenure, Brooks was elected unanimously as Board President in 2006, 2009 and 2012. In 2013, as Ohio's second-largest county, Franklin County was rated as the fastest growing county in Ohio from July 2011 to July 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[4] For 2015, Franklin County's All Funds Approved Budget is $1.4 billion.[5]

In 2010, Commissioner Brooks was elected president of the County Commissioner's Association of Ohio (CCAO), a bi-partisan organization, and has been on the Board of Directors from 2006 to the present. Her national leadership includes serving as chair of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Task Force on International Economic Development and the Subcommittee on Energy/Renewables. In 2013, Commissioner Brooks was selected to serve on the White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, as its only Ohio member.[6]

2010 U.S. Congressional campaign

Brooks ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and was the Party's candidate in the general election. She ran against Republican incumbent Pat Tiberi and Libertarian nominee Travis M. Irvine in Ohio's 12th Congressional District. Brooks raised $1,447,544,[7] and garnered 40.98% of the final vote to Tiberi's 55.79%, while Irvine captured 3.24%.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Jarman, Josh (7 November 2012). "Democratic candidates win Franklin County races". The Columbus Dispatch (The Dispatch Printing Company). Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  2. ↑ About Paula Paula Brooks Committee
  3. ↑ Commissioner Paula Brooks Franklin County Board of Commissioners
  4. ↑ "Franklin County’s population growth leads Ohio".
  5. ↑ "2014 Message from the County Administrator" (PDF). Franklin County Office of Management and Budget. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Jarman, Josh (2 November 2013). "White House asks Brooks to serve on climate panel". The Columbus Dispatch (The Dispatch Printing Company). Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Open Secrets".
  8. ↑ 2010 Election Results, Ohio Secretary of State, Retrieved 12/17/2010

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 16, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.