Kevin J. Coughlin (born May 13, 1970) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

, who represented the 27th District from 2001 to 2010. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1997 until 2000. He served as Clerk of the Stow Municipal Court from 2013 to 2015. Since 2010, he has been President of Lexington Companies, Ltd, a public affairs and investment company.

Life and career

Coughlin graduated from

Woodridge High School Woodridge High School is a public high school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Woodridge Local School District. The district serves Peninsula, northern Cuyahoga Falls, most of Boston Township, and a small ...

Peninsula, Ohio Peninsula is a village in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 565 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area. Peninsula is in the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which provides a sou ...

, in 1988, received a BA from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in 1992, and a

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

from

BGSU Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research ...

in 1994. In 1996, he ran for the

after Representative Wayne Jones vacated to run for the

. He won the seat, and was sworn into office on January 3, 1997. He won reelection in 1998 with 63.64%, and again in 2000 with 63.9% of the vote. Coughlin served two and one half terms in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Ohio Senate

After four terms in the Ohio Senate, Senator

Roy Ray Roy Lee Ray (born July 16, 1939) was a member of the Ohio Senate, serving the 27th district from 1987 to 2001. His district encompassed portions of Akron, Ohio, Akron. In 2001, he resigned and was succeeded by Kevin Coughlin. Ray served as Mayor ...

retired early in 2001, leaving Senate Republicans to appoint someone to the vacant 27th District. Coughlin was appointed, and was sworn into office on February 2, 2001. He won his own four-year term in 2002 with 52.98% of the electorate against Democrat Tom Bevan. He won reelection in 2006 with 52.28% again Judy Hanna. In the Ohio Senate, Coughlin was Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, & Aging Committee from 2004 to 2011. Among Coughlin's achievements in office: * Authored the law creating Ohio's Amber Alert System, aiding in the safe return of missing and abducted children. * Authored Ohio's Prompt Pay law and the Health Care Accountability Act, streamlining the administrative relationship between physicians and insurance companies. * Co-authored Ohio's Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act, a comprehensive school-based approach to addressing child obesity and wellness. * Co-authored Ohio's law protecting private property owners from unwarranted takings of land through eminent domain. * Sponsored Ohio's election reform law implementing the Help American Vote Act requirements and reducing voter fraud. * Authored law helping Ohio's sheriffs to better protect communities from sex offenders. * Authored legislation creating Ohio's special needs scholarship for children with special need to attend the school of their choice.

Later career

In 2009, Coughlin announced his candidacy for Governor of Ohio. He exited the campaign after former congressman John Kasich announced his candidacy. Coughlin formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. In October 2011 he announced he would not run citing incumbent

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...

's strong polling numbers. Coughlin owns Lexington Companies, which provides public affairs and communications, and serves as a holding company for real estate and business investment ventures. He serves on the board of directors of the Ohio Capital Square Foundation and is a member the Summit County Republican Executive Committee and Finance Committee. He lives in Bath, Ohio.

References

External links

Kevin Coughlin.com
official website
Lexington Companies
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Coughlin, Kevin Republican Party Ohio state senators Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Bowling Green State University alumni 1970 births Living people 21st-century American politicians