Paula L. Brooks (born August 14, 1953) is an American politician who is a former member of the
Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the most populous county in Ohio. Most of its land area is taken up by its county seat, Columbus, the state capital and most ...
Board of Commissioners.
Early life, education and career
Brooks was raised on her family's farm in
East Liverpool, Ohio
East Liverpool is a city in southeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River within the Upper Ohio Valley and borders Pennsylvania to the east and West Virginia to t ...
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
Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio.
The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges ...
as a
hairdresser
A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be r ...
Capital University Law School
Capital University Law School is an American Bar Association#Accreditation of law schools, ABA-accredited private law school located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The law school is affiliated with Capital University, the oldest university in Centra ...
while working as an investigator at the office of
Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost.
History
The office of the attor ...
William J. Brown beginning in 1975.
After law school, Brooks worked for
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
Governor
Richard F. Celeste
Richard Frank Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American former diplomat, university administrator and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991.
Early life and career
C ...
as Chief Counsel for the Ohio Department of Liquor beginning in 1985, and later as the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, managing a $3 billion budget, the state's largest department. Brooks then worked for several years in private practice with a focus on health care and employment law.
Brooks served on the
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
City Council from 1996 to 2004, and was vice
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
from 1998 to 2002.
Franklin County Commission
In November 2004, Brooks was elected to the Board of Commissioners, earning 57% of the vote to defeat Republican incumbent Arlene Shoemaker. During her tenure, Brooks was elected unanimously as board president, a largely ceremonial title, in 2006, 2009 and 2012.
In the November 2008 general election, Brooks defeated Republican challenger Angel Rhodes with 63% of the vote to retain her seat on the Board of Commissioners.
Brooks was re-elected in 2012, defeating Republican challenger James M. Pfaff with 64% of the vote.
In the March 15, 2016 Democratic primary election, Brooks was defeated in her bid for re-election to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners by State Representative Kevin Boyce, who received 58% of the vote to Brooks' 42%. In an unusual move, the Franklin County Democratic Party endorsed Boyce rather than the incumbent Brooks, in part as a consequence of Brooks' support for county
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
Zach Scott in his failed effort to oppose Andy Ginther, who received the party's endorsement for mayor of Columbus in the preceding general election. Scott was also defeated in the March 2016 primary election in his effort to continue as sheriff. Brooks' third term as a Commissioner ended on January 1, 2017, when she was replaced by Boyce.
2010 U.S. congressional campaign
Brooks ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and was the county party's candidate in the general election. She ran against Republican incumbent
Pat Tiberi
Patrick Joseph Tiberi (; born October 21, 1962) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2018. His district included communities north and east of Columbus. He is a member of the Republican ...
and Libertarian nominee Travis M. Irvine in
Ohio's 12th Congressional District
Ohio's 12th congressional district is a United States congressional district in central Ohio, covering Delaware County, Morrow County, and Licking County, along with parts of Franklin, Marion, Muskingum, and Richland counties. The district ...
. Brooks raised $1,447,544, and garnered 40.98% of the final vote to Tiberi's 55.79%, while Irvine captured 3.24%.
Other leadership roles
In 2010, Brooks was elected to a one-year term as president of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO), a bi-partisan organization, and has served on the Association's Board of Directors from 2006 to the present. Her national leadership includes serving as chair of the