Eileen Y. Paley

(Chair: Public Service & Transportation; and Public Utilities Committees)

Committee Member of: Finance; Health & Human Services; Administration; Public Safety & Judiciary; and Rules & Reference Committees.

Eileen Paley has served on Columbus City Council since January 2009. An attorney with over two decades’ experience in private practice, Councilmember Paley brings to her public service a comprehensive understanding of the law, and firsthand experience with the challenges facing small business owners. 

As chair of the Public Service & Transportation Committee, Councilmember Paley works with the Department of Public Service to ensure that a variety of services are provided to meet Columbus residents’ transportation safety needs and improve the overall quality of life in our community.  As chair of the Public Utilities Committee, Councilmember Paley supports the city’s mission to provide safe, reliable services – sanitary sewer, water, and electricity – to our residents at the lowest possible cost and with the least possible environmental impact. She is particularly proud to support and raise awareness for the Department of Public Utilities’ numerous programs and efforts to assist lower income residents.  

Under Chair Paley’s leadership, her committees have passed legislation to provide citywide curbside recycling; resurface or rehabilitate bridges, streets, and alleys across the city; increase bike route and shared path mileage in Columbus and Franklin County; and upgrade water treatment processes to ensure the continued delivery of safe and clean water to residents.  

Shortly after beginning her service on Council, Councilmember Paley helped lead the city’s partnership with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the Common Pleas and Municipal Courts, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, the Franklin County Sherriff’s office, and ADAMH to establish two specialty dockets in the Municipal Court: the Solicitation Program and the Addiction Program. The dockets provide fair and adequate treatment responses to non-violent defendants who exhibit histories of alcohol, chemical dependence, or solicitation. 

Prior to assuming office, Councilmember Paley served as a commissioner for the Columbus Civil Service Commission. She has served on numerous boards of directors and held leadership positions with many organizations, including the Greater Columbus Arts Council; the Neighborhood House; the National Council of Jewish Women; Dynamic Leadership, Inc.; the Columbus Area Labor Management Committee; and the Legal Task Force of the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence. 

Councilmember Paley is a proud graduate of Walnut Ridge High School. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The Ohio State University. She lives on the Far East Side of Columbus with her husband, Brian. In her free time, Councilmember Paley enjoys spending time with her large immediate and extended families.