Paul R. Woods

District 1 Commissioner

A love of community and a commitment to public service are the two driving forces behind Ada County Commissioner Paul Woods.  Commissioner Woods successfully won his bid for the District One Ada County Commissioner’s Seat in November of 2006 and proudly began serving his two-year term when he took the official Oath of Office in January 2007.

As Ada County’s newest Commissioner, Paul joins his two fellow Commissioners in setting the County budget, managing Ada County’s 14 individual governmental departments, and ensuring the County’s various ordinances adequately meet the needs of Ada County citizens.  Commissioner Woods also plays a very important role in the County’s land-use decision-making process.  With the authority to review, approve and deny proposed development projects, Commissioner Woods will help shape the look and livability of Ada County communities.

Commissioner Woods began his career as a consulting civil engineer in 1986 where he worked in private practice on a wide variety of public and private infrastructure and engineering improvement projects.  Commissioner Woods’ engineering career gave him experience in a wide variety of industries.  No matter the job, Paul approached each project by carefully listening to his clients’ needs, developing strategies that would accomplish their desired goals, deploying effective communication skills, and above all, always responding with superior service. 

Ironically, it was Paul’s strong desire to solve difficult environmental and engineering problems that ultimately prompted him to leave his engineering career for a whole new adventure.  With 12 years of engineering under his belt, Commissioner Woods went back to school to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  His previous experience made him acutely aware of the financial challenges local governments faced as they struggled to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, and many other federally mandated programs. 

In 1996, then Idaho Senator Dirk Kempthorne led an effort to create the Environmental Finance Center at Boise State University.  This unique center is one of only 10 in the country that is designed to help local governments build better financial capacity for drinking water systems, wastewater systems, Brownfield redevelopment sites and watershed restoration.  The training provided by such a highly specialized program, paired with the fact that Boise State University offered one of the northwest’s only accredited Masters programs, solidified Paul’s decision to leave private practice and pursue public service.

After receiving his Masters Degree in Public Administration in 2000, Commissioner Woods served as the Associate Director of the Environmental Finance Center where he worked with local governments throughout the northwest to finding funding solutions for water, wastewater, solid waste and open space challenges.  His leadership helped many communities facing difficult funding situations develop successful long-term funding strategies.

In 2000 and 2001, Paul volunteered to chair the Boise Foothills Open Space fundraising campaign.  Following the successful passage of the Foothills Levy in 2001, the City of Boise created a 12-member advisory committee appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.  In January 2002, the City hired Paul to fill a newly created full-time position aimed at helping the advisory committee identify key foothills locations that were most critical for preservation.

While managing the foothills conservation effort, Paul coordinated the public-private partnerships that ultimately lead to the creation of the Foothills Learning Center in Hulls Gulch.  He also spent time supervising of the Ridge to Rivers Partnership between Ada County, BLM, Boise City and the Boise National Forest. 

Commissioner Woods, and his wife Dawn, proudly invest a great deal of their free time in our community through volunteerism and public service.  As an attorney, Dawn donates her time to the Ada County Child Advocate Program and the Women’s and Children’s Alliance.  Paul has volunteered many hours to raise money for a variety of charitable programs.  He is also a proud graduate of the Boise Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Boise Program.

Aside from their unwavering commitment to giving back to their community and preserving Idaho’s great outdoors, both Commissioner Woods and his wife celebrate the small-town spirit of Ada County and the growing cultural and professional opportunities that it currently offers.  Like most residents, they see Ada County as their future -- a place to raise a family; a place to retire; and a place for their children, and their children’s children, to carry the cycle on. 

You may contact Commissioner Woods by calling:  208-287-7000.  You may email Commissioner Woods by using the link below.

Click to email Commissioner Woods