Fred Tilman, Dist. 3

ADA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Commissioner Biographies

Fred Tilman, Chairman

District 3 Commissioner

District 3 Ada County Commissioner Fred Tilman left his position in the Idaho Legislature in May 2003 when he was appointed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to replace a former Commissioner who resigned his position on the board. “Fred’s long record of service in the House of Representatives is indicative of his dedication to the citizens of Ada County,” Governor Kempthorne said of the appointment. “He is a consensus builder who has demonstrated his skills at bringing people together. He brings a statewide perspective to the local level, which will benefit residents of Ada County. Fred will be missed in the Legislature, but I am confident he’ll serve Ada County with distinction as its new Commissioner.”

In addition to the operation and oversight of Ada County government, Commissioner Tilman also serves on several committees charged with mapping the future of the Treasure Valley. As a member of the Board of Directors for COMPASS (Community Planning Association), and a member of the Blueprint for Good Growth Consortium, Commissioner Tilman is working to help plan the valley’s future growth and transportation needs. Additionally, he is also helping manage issues that impact all Idaho counties by serving on the Board of Directors for the Idaho Association of Counties (IAC) and by serving as Legislative Committee Chairman of IAC.

Commissioner Tilman is committed to using his leadership positions as a tool to reinvent county government. “I believe government agencies should be run more like business,” says Commissioner Tilman. “To be successful, businesses must streamline and focus on their core services. I believe government should do the same. Multiple management layers, loads of red tape and bureaucracies have no place in government, and I am committed to make certain Ada County government is efficient and transparent in its operations.”

Commissioner Tilman is no stranger to business. He retired from U.S. West, now Qwest, in Boise, after 26 years of service to the company. He started out his career by climbing telephone poles and worked his way up through the ranks of corporate management.

After retiring from U.S. West, Tilman served 7 terms – a total of 13 years — in the Idaho House of Representatives. Elected to the House in 1990, he was a member of the Education Committee and served 7 years as its chairman. He also served 7 years on the Business Committee and 6 years on the Local Government Committee. During his legislative service, he championed such causes as public school choice issues including public charter schools and non-public school options for parents and students. Tilman was also a driving force for city annexation reform, the establishment of a national Veterans’ Cemetery in Idaho and the complete rewrite of the state’s banking, real estate, consumer protection and insurance laws.

Prior to serving in the Legislature, his lifelong commitment to education led him to chair a number of advisory committees for the Meridian School District. He served as Chairman of the Whitney Fire District for a number of years and was a founder and chairman of the Payette County Recreation District.

Born in Caldwell and raised in Boise, Tilman graduated from Borah High School in 1963 and enrolled at Boise State University with a major in marketing. He served for 3 years in the United States Army, where he was assigned as the wire chief in the White House Communications Agency in Washington D.C. While there, he organized communications for the President and Vice President, their families and the Secret Service. As a former member of the military, Tilman is currently a member of the American Legion Capitol Post
No. 136. He is also a member of the National Rifle Association.