Since moving to Boulder in 1980, Will Toor has become one of Boulder County’s most effective and respected public officials, especially as a champion for open space, common-sense planning, and regional cooperation.

Will envisions an environmentally sound and economically solid future for Boulder County. From the mountains to the plains, he has extensive experience working with all county communities toward common goals on land use, environmental conservation, open space, transportation, human services, and affordable housing.

Will was elected to the Boulder County Commission in 2004. Since that time he has spearheaded the new environmental sustainability initiative at the county, helping to make Boulder County a national leader in sustainable energy and combating global warming. He has also helped lead successful efforts to increase funding for human services and for community health clinics, to extend the county open space tax, and to bring in additional funding for more bike lanes, regional trails, and improved bus service.

Will has served as Boulder County’s representative to the Denver Regional Council of Governments, serving as chair of the board of DRCOG in 2005; served on the state transit funding taskforce; chaired the Boulder County transit taskforce; chaired the Bolder County Consortium of cities sustainable energy task force; and served as Boulder County’s representative to the US 36 Environmental Impact Statement and the US 36 Mayors’ and Commissioners’ Coalition. Governor Ritter appointed Will to serve on the state blue ribbon transportation finance and implementation panel.

Prior to his election as commissioner, Will was elected to the Boulder City Council. He was chosen as mayor in 1998 and served as mayor until 2004. In this role, he helped build bridges between environmentalists and the business community.

As Mayor, Will played a leadership role in one of the largest open space purchases in Boulder’s history, 1500 acres west of Rocky Flats, which staved off massive, sprawling development along Highway 93 on Boulder County’s border. He led the fight to preserve human services funding in tough economic times. And due in large part to Will’s work on the issue, the number of affordable homes built annually in Boulder tripled.

Will has helped bring communities together, achieving unprecedented regional cooperation. He helped build consensus among Boulder, Louisville, Superior, and Boulder County, which became the model for a cooperative intergovernmental agreement on land use known as the "Super-IGA.” This helps prevent the kind of urban sprawl we see all over the front range.

Since 1998, Will has served on the board of directors of the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). In this role, Will’s advocacy for transportation funding has helped bring millions of dollars to Boulder County for new bus service, bikeways, and safety improvements.

As a founding member of the US 36 Mayors’ and Commissioners’ Coalition, Will worked for consensus among US 36 communities to support a transportation package including rail, bikeway, and bus rapid transit improvements.

Will served as the director of the University of Colorado Environmental Center from 1992-2004 and taught environmental studies at CU. He has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago.

Will lives with his wife and 2 children in North Boulder. In 2005 they remodeled heir home, seeking to make it as green as possible. Their home has solar photovoltaic panels for electricity, solar thermal panels for hot water, and many other features designed to reduce energy and water use. All members of the family are regular bicycle commuters, and the family’s one car, a 1993 Honda civic which gets 40 miles to the gallon, is only driven about 5,500 miles each year.