Mike Lair

Michael Lair (February 26, 1946 – September 5, 2017) was an American politician and former educator from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Lair was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives on November 4, 2008 and subsequently re-elected in 2010 and 2012. He represents District 7 in the House which consists of all or portions of Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton, and Livingston Counties. Due to redistricting of House seats following the 2010 U.S. Census, the boundaries of the 7th district will change effective January, 2013.

Mike Lair
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 7th district
In office
2009–2016
Personal details
Born(1946-02-26)February 26, 1946
Omaha, Nebraska
DiedSeptember 5, 2017(2017-09-05) (aged 71)
Jefferson City, Missouri
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceLivingston County, Missouri
Professionteacher

Personal life

Lair was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Creighton Preparatory School in 1964. Following high school Lair attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in History in 1970. Later in life, in 2003, he earned a master's degree in Education from Central Methodist University.[1] Mike Lair was a high school History teacher and athletics coach in various Nebraska and South Dakota schools before moving to Chillicothe, Missouri in 1987.[2] He spent over 38 years in the classroom before retiring in spring of 2008 to run for the Missouri House of Representatives. Prior to and during his time as an educator, he also worked as a farm hand, construction laborer, gas station attendant, and small business owner. Lair and wife Jeanne, a high school teacher, are the parents of one daughter and one son. They also have one granddaughter.[2] Lair is a member of Saint Columban Catholic Church in Chillicothe.[1] Lair retired from the Missouri General Assembly in 2016 and moved to Jefferson City, Missouri. He died at his home in Jefferson City from heart problems.[3][4]

Election history

Lair won his first election in November, 2008 by defeating Democrat Harry Wyse by a margin of 51.4% to 48.6%.[5] Mike Lair was re-elected in November, 2010 defeating Democrat Dale R. Toms 74.6 to 25.4 percent.[6] In 2012, Lair faced off again with Harry Wyse, his opponent from 2008. This time the margin of victory was 60 percent to 40 percent in favor of Lair.[7] Under Missouri's term limits Lair is eligible to run for a final two-year term in the House in 2014 if he so chooses.

Legislative work

Representative Lair is a past member of the House Retirement, Health Care Transformation, Correction and Public Institutions, and Education Appropriations committees. He is also a member of the Joint House and Senate Committee on Education.[8] Recent legislative assignments include serving as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and member of the Budget, Education, Retirement, and Rules committees.[1]

In the 2012 legislative session Lair voted in favor of the following issues:[1]

  • Enabling the expansion of Charter schools
  • Allowing employers to exempt contraception from healthcare coverage
  • Prohibiting employees from suing co-workers for job injuries
  • Prohibiting implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare"
  • Requiring proof of citizenship for U.S. Presidential candidates
  • Requiring photo ID to vote

Organizations

Mike Lair is a member of the National Rifle Association, National Council for Social Studies, Ducks Unlimited, and the Missouri Farm Bureau.[1][2]

Missouri 7th District State Representative Election 2012
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Mike Lair 8,621 60.00 Winner
Democratic Harry Wyse 5,748 40.00
Missouri 7th District State Representative Election 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Mike Lair 8,389 74.6 Winner
Democratic Dale R. Toms 2,858 25.4
Missouri 7th District State Representative Election 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Mike Lair 7,937 51.4 Winner
Democratic Harry Wyse 7,509 48.6
gollark: PRs welcome!
gollark: C is actually bad, though.
gollark: I mean, it could plausibly say "[deleted] bee message bee message", it just doesn't.
gollark: As firecubez said, no, how would that work.
gollark: Minoteaur 8.

References
  1. "Representative Mike Lair". Project Vote Smart website. 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  2. "House member biography". Missouri House of Representatives website. 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. Former Missouri state Republican lawmaker Mike Lair dies
  4. Michael Lair-obituary
  5. Missouri Secretary of State Election Night Reporting - Retrieved January 20, 2009
  6. "2010 Missouri election results". Missouri Secretary of State via website. 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  7. "State Representative District 7 summary". Missouri Secretary of State via website. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  8. Mike Lair Official House Page - Retrieved February 19, 2009
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.