This week, in recognition of Building Safety Month, we’re highlighting the people behind the scenes in Wake County’s Planning and Development Services department. Each day this week, we’ll share the story of one employee, showing how their expertise and dedication help protect our community and ensure that every project meets the highest standards.
Paul Tsasa didn’t stop being a musician when he became a building inspector. He just found a different stage.
Job sites across Wake County don’t look much like a concert hall. But show up with the same ear for detail, the same patience and the same instinct for when something is off, and the distance between the two isn’t as far as it seems.
He grew up in the Congo DR, picked up a guitar at a young age and was touring internationally with a band before he ever finished high school. Music wasn’t a hobby. It was who he was. It took him to Canada, where he studied audio engineering in Vancouver. Then love brought him to Raleigh in 1989, following his fiancée, who was in college at the time.
“I couldn’t find a job in my field of study. I decided to focus on a trade and ended up choosing electrical,” he said.
Tsasa enrolled at Wake Technical Community College to study electrical work, quickly realized he was ahead of the class and moved into an apprenticeship with Watson Electrical. By 1997, he had earned his electrical contractor license. He started his own business and ran it for 25 years.
A musician who became an electrician. A contractor who became an inspector. Paul Tsasa has never been easy to put in a box.
In 2023, a friend already working for Wake County told him about a job opening. After more than two decades on his own, he wasn’t sure what to expect from being an employee again. Two jurisdictions interviewed him. Wake County felt different.
“There was clear communication and consistent updates throughout the hiring process,” Tsasa said. “The interview atmosphere was friendly and comfortable. I knew then that if I got hired, it would be a good work environment. It turned out to be the best decision, joining Team Wake.”
Today, Tsasa is a multi-trade inspector for Wake County, working in the field each day to ensure electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems meet code standards. With more than 25 years of running his own electrical business, he understands exactly what contractors face. He’s been on that side of the inspection before.
“An inspector is not in the field to make things more difficult on job sites,” he said. When he approves an inspection, he has to be certain. When he doesn’t, he owes the contractor or homeowner a clear explanation.
“The job comes with great responsibility. The better we serve, the more our community trusts what we do,” Tsasa said.
His days start with checking texts and emails and mapping out his route based on the most urgent inspections. He also makes a point to call one or two teammates — not just about work, but to check in. They share experiences from the field, talk through challenges and make sure they’re handling situations consistently.
When the workday ends, Tsasa returns to music.
He still has a recording studio. He works with young artists, listens to their music and helps them grow. He plays guitar at his church each week. From Raleigh, he also runs an international mentorship program for young musicians in the Congo.
“My passion is to empower people, especially young people, so they can bring out the best in themselves,” he said.
Outside the studio and job sites, Tsasa enjoys fixing cars and electronics and traveling when he can.
He describes himself as quiet and soft-spoken around new people. Those who know him will tell you that doesn’t last long. From a stage in the Congo to job sites across Wake County, the setting changed. Paul Tsasa never did.
