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Mike at a Glance
Mike Turner was elected to represent Ohio’s Third Congressional District in 2002 after more than a decade in public service, including two terms as mayor of Dayton. As a public servant, Mike has built a reputation as a distinguished leader and vocal advocate for his community.
Mike is a life long resident of the Dayton area. His parents, Ray and Vivian, came to Dayton from Eastern Kentucky in the 1950s, several years before Mike and his sister were born. Mike’s father, Ray, worked at the General Motors plant in Dayton, retiring after 42 years as a member of IUE Local 801. Mike’s mother, Vivian, is a retired elementary school teacher from the Huber Heights School District. Mike and his wife Lori have been married for over 20 years and have two daughters, Jessica and Carolyn.
Mike attended Dayton Public Schools and is a 1978 graduate of Belmont High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University He also has an MBA from the University of Dayton and a JD from Case Western University School of Law.
After graduating from law school, Mike built a successful legal career as a corporate lawyer as well as in private practice. At this time he began his involvement in not-for-profit groups. In particular, Mike became interested in neighborhood concerns, housing code enforcement, and historic preservation. His strong beliefs and commitments to these and other issues caused him to run for mayor in 1993. Mike won the election over a heavily favored incumbent and became Dayton’s first Republican mayor in 25 years. He won reelection in 1997.
During his time as mayor, Mike focused on developing Dayton’s economy, revitalizing local neighborhoods, reducing crime and creating new jobs. While in office, he led important initiatives, such as the award winning Rehabarama project, which promoted the rehabilitation of abandoned and neglected housing in Dayton’s historic neighborhoods. Mike’s leadership also helped bring popular attractions like the Schuster Performing Arts Center, Riverscape, and the Dayton Dragons downtown. In addition to these accomplishments, Mike brought reform to City Hall by submitting eight consecutive balanced budgets, and made the city safer by adding needed police officers to the beat. To learn more about Mike’s time as mayor please visit the “Mayor of Dayton” section of this website.
In 2002, Mike won the Republican nomination to run for the open Third Congressional District seat. He was victorious in the general election with nearly 60% of the vote. He was reelected in 2004 and 2006 by similar margins.
While in Congress, Mike has served on the important House Armed Services Committee (HASC). He has used his HASC seat to increase the profile of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and to help protect the important mission and almost 20,000 jobs at Wright-Patt. This experience was invaluable during the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process in 2005 when both jobs and regional development funds were at risk. Mike Turner successfully advocated to protect these valuable assets, resulting in the addition of 1000 new jobs and $413 million in expected total funding for the base.
Mike has made protecting our men and women in uniform a priority during his time in Congress. He has fought for improved health care for America’s veterans through his support of the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act and other initiatives. He has also worked to protect the custodial rights of deployed military parents by sponsoring an amendment that seeks to protect the rights of military parents in custody proceedings while ensuring that the best interests of the child are met. Mike understands the sacrifices made by the men and women in our armed forces, and works hard to make sure that the government protects them before, during, and after their service.
Mike is also focused on improving the lives of working class families. In the 110th Congress, he crossed the aisle in support of increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), as well as voted for an increase in the minimum wage (H.R. 2). In addition to this, Congressman Turner has consistently voted in support of homeowners and for safe and affordable public housing. Most recently, he helped protect families from predatory lending practices by passing an amendment that increased total federal spending on counseling for homeowners to nearly $50 million.
Supporting local business has also been an important part of Mike’s work in Washington. He has voted for legislation which allows families to keep more of the money they earn, and provides tax incentives for small businesses to hire more workers. He has voted repeatedly to lower taxes, which boosts the economy and adds jobs. In addition, he has advocated for leveling the playing field for American manufacturers by co-sponsoring legislation that would lead to China devaluating their inflated currency.
Throughout his time in public service, Mike Turner has shown that he can deliver results. His steadfast leadership and advocacy for the region has brought millions of federal dollars to support economic development projects in Montgomery, Clinton, Warren and Highland counties.
Mike Turner: Working for us.
