Paula Brooks

First elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2004, Paula Brooks is currently serving her third term as Board President, having served previously as President in 2006 and 2009. Her commitment to prudent financial planning has allowed Franklin County to maintain a best-in-the-nation double-AAA bond rating. This allows the county to invest at the lowest available rates and save limited tax dollars on responsible capital improvements, such as the state's first LEED-certified county courthouse and the 2009 "best ballpark in America" Huntington Park, home to the County-owned Columbus Clippers.

Commissioner Brooks has gained a nationally-recognized reputation for creating opportunities of job creation and economic growth, investing in early education and health care for the county's most vulnerable, and identifying targeted, leveraged spending decisions that result in sensible solutions for taxpayers.

As Board President, Commissioner Brooks has led a number of initiatives to improve the quality of life of all residents in Franklin County, the nation's 33rd largest county by population. She voted for a multi-year $7 million commitment to fund clinical research and community outreach efforts to prevent premature births as part of the Ohio Better Birth Outcomes. She raised the county's food sector and the issues of "food shed security" as a vital piece of the Central Ohio economy. Commissioner Brooks has championed County investments to encourage young people to learn valuable job skills and serve their neighborhoods. And she is a leading advocate for increasing local tourism, which supports thousands of jobs and brings more than $7.2 billion to the local economy each year.

Recognizing her leadership and experience, the National Association of Counties' (NACo) selected Commissioner Brooks to lead its International Economic Development Task Force, an exchange of information and resources to help counties compete in the global economy. She also serves as chair of the Energy Renewable subcommittee of the Energy, Environment, and Land Use policy committee and as Vice Chair of the Green Government Advisory Board. At the state level, Commissioner Brooks has been a director in the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) since 2006 and served as President in 2010.

Commissioner Brooks has also been a champion for the nation's military service members and veterans. In 2000, she was appointed as a 3-star civilian advisor on the federal Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), advising U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen on troop readiness and military families. In 2012, she was an invited participant in the work of the Clinton Global Initiative - led by former President Bill Clinton - to explore, among several national issues, the efforts to transition veterans into the growing green jobs industry.

Brooks and her husband Greg Kontras have raised two children, who are now young adults. They currently reside in Upper Arlington with their dog Charlie.