| Bill Coley | |
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| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 4th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office May 24, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Cates |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 55th district |
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| In office January 3, 2005-May 23, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Cates |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Conditt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 5, 1960 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | West Chester, Ohio |
| Alma mater | University of Dayton, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Catholic |
Bill Coley is a Republican member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 4th District since 2011. Formerly, he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011.
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After graduation from the University of Dayton and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Coley now works as an attorney at the law firm of Strauss & Troy, where he represents a number of small and large businesses. He is also a private pilot.
With incumbent Gary Cates term limited and running for the Ohio Senate, Coley sought to replace him. Unopposed in the primary, he faced Democrat Tyrone Sims in the general election. He won his first term against Sims, winning 70.08% of the electorate.[1]
In 2006, Coley faced his first reelection bid, and was unopposed. He won a third term against Democrat Tony Kilmek in 2008 with 62.81% of the vote.[2] Coley won his final term in 2010 against Suzi Rubin with 69.31% of the votes.[3] During his time in the Ohio House of Representatives, Coley has championed numerous conservative causes and authored the legislation that created the Digital Learning Clearing House.
In early May 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich announced that he would appoint Senator Gary Cates to a position within the Ohio Board of Regents. As a result, Cates would be required to resign his Senate seat, which he announced he would do effective May 23, 2011. Soon after, Coley announced that he would seek a seat in the Ohio Senate, following Gary Cates resignation.[4]
Coley, along with Timothy Derickson and three other citizens of Butler County, sought the seat, but in the end, Coley received the recommendation of the Butler County Republican Party and was chosen by Senate Republicans to succeed Cates in representing the Fourth District. He took his seat on May 24, 2011, and was required to resign his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives to do so.[5]
Now in the Senate, Coley is serving on the committees of Education; Health, Human Services and Aging; and Highways and Transportation. He also serves on the eTech Ohio Commission.
Coley has also come out to ensure that all public employees are able to still collective bargain for safety equipment, and to remove a ban on public workers talking to their local elected officials during negotiations. Such changes were widely regarded as improvements to S.B. 5, which passed the Ohio Senate 17-16.[6] Coley supported the bill, and voted for its passage out of committee.[7] During the House floor debate on SB 5, Coley delivered a passionate argument in support of the bill[8] and he voted for the bill to pass out of the full Ohio House of Representatives.[9]
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