Mike Skindell | |
---|---|
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 23rd district |
|
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
|
Preceded by | Dale Miller |
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 13th district |
|
In office January 3, 2003-December 31, 2010 |
|
Preceded by | Mary Rose Oakar |
Succeeded by | Nickie Antonio |
Personal details | |
Born | September 27, 1962 Cleveland, Ohio |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Lakewood, Ohio |
Alma mater | Walsh College, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law |
Profession | Attorney |
Religion | Christian |
Michael J. Skindell (born August 31, 1962) is an American politician and member of the Democratic party in Ohio. He is a practicing attorney in Cleveland, and represents the Twenty Third District of the Ohio Senate. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2003 to 2010.
Contents |
Skindell graduated from Walsh College (now Walsh University) in North Canton, Ohio with a B.A. in Business and Political Science in 1983. He received his J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland in 1987. He is a practicing attorney with the firm of Friedman, Damiano and Smith[1] in Cleveland, specializing in personal injury and product liability.
Skindell is a member of the Board of Single-Payer Action Network Ohio, the Executive Committee of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, the Boards of Trustees of Barton Senior Center and Westerly Senior Apartments, and the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers.
He is a past president of the Lakewood Jaycees, and past Chairman of Lakewood Citizens Advisory Committee for Community Development Block Grant. He is a former Assistant Attorney General of Ohio, and former member of Lakewood City Council. In 2004, he received the award for Ohio Environmental Council Public Servant of the Year.
After an unsuccessful run in the primary election in 1996, Skindell was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2002[2] taking the place of Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar who retired after serving one term in the State House.
Skindell ran unopposed in 2004 for a second term, and won a third in 2006 with 77.26% of the vote over Republican John Patrick Hildebrand. He won a fourth term in 2008 with 75.29% over Republican Mary Louise Kirk.
Term limits prevented Skindell from seeking a fifth term in 2010. However, Senator Dale Miller did not run for another term, and Skindell was one of four who sought the Democratic nomination to replace him. Skindell won the nomination over former Rep. Ron Mottl Jr., Parma Councilman Nicholas Celebrezze and John Harmon with 46.82% of the vote. He won the general election easily with 60.77% of the electorate.
Skindell was sworn into his first term as Senator on January 3, 2011. He was named to the Joint Committee of Agency Rule Review by Senate President Tom Niehaus, and to the standing committees of Finance (as ranking member); Government Oversight and Reform; Judiciary-Civil Justice; and Ways and Means and Economic Development. He also is a member of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee; and the Clean Ohio Council. As of September 2011, he is no longer on the Judiciary commitee.[3]
As ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Skindell is the top Senate Democrat in regards to budget legislation. While the recession led some people to call for cuts in state spending, Skindell has been a supporter of protecting human services programs from funding loss.[4]
Skindell served as the Senate Democrat for the budget conference committee,[5] where he expressed his caucus' positions on education, transportation, gambling and other key fiscal issues. He greatly opposed the final budget passed by the Ohio Senate.[6] He has stated that the budget is "balanced on the backs of the middle class".[7]
Along with Dennis Murray, Skindell has filed a lawsuit against Ohio Governor John Kasich's JobsOhio privatization measure, which Skindell has called unconstitutional.[8] The lawsuit aims at the problem that the govenor is unable to hold two positions, which would occur under JobsOhio.[9][10]
Senator Skindell has also called unconstitutional a measure that would cut legislator's pay midterm. He has stated that doing so is against the Ohio Constitution.[11]
Skindell has also come out against the drafting by GTECH, a prominent gaming industrialist, of legislation that proposes the selling of the Ohio Lottery. Skindell has stated that their drafting of the bill is not demonstrative of government transparency.[12]
Skindell had introduced a measure that would put a moratorium on fracking until a national study could be held, but the measure failed in the Republican Senate.[13] He also has come out against new provisions that set forth to initiate the Great Lakes Compact.[14]
|