Mike Colona

Mike Colona is a Democratic former member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Before redistricting, Colona represented the 67th district. Colona more recently represented the 80th district, which is centered on the Tower Grove South area within the city of St. Louis.[1] Colona also served as the House Minority Whip for the 96th General Assembly.[2]

Mike Colona
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 80th district
In office
January 7, 2009 – January 2017
Preceded byMike Daus
Succeeded byPeter Merideth
Personal details
Born1969
St. Louis, Missouri
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceSt. Louis, Missouri
Alma materTruman State University, St. Louis University
ProfessionAttorney

Personal history

Mike Colona was born in St. Louis in 1969. He is a 1987 graduate of Fox High School in Arnold, Missouri.[3] Colona earned a Bachelor of Science from Truman State University and a J.D. from St. Louis University. A lawyer in private practice, he specializes in personal injury, worker's compensation and some first amendment cases.[4] Colona has also served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice for the University of Missouri – St. Louis.[3] Colona is openly gay[5] and both his 2008 and 2010 campaigns won the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.[6] He was one of three openly LGBT legislators in Jefferson City, alongside Sen. Jolie Justus (D–Kansas City) and Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D–St. Louis).

Political history

In August 2008, Colona defeated four other Democratic challengers in the primary to replace term-limited Representative Mike Daus. Colona won with nearly 43 percent of the vote.[7][8] No Republican ran for the seat, so Colona was unopposed in the November 2008 general election.[9] In the 2010 general election, Colona handily defeated Republican challenger Curtis Farber with 82-percent of the vote to win a second term.[10]

Missouri 67th District State Representative Election 2010
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Curtis Farber 1,370 18%
Democratic Mike Colona 6,260 82% Winner

Organizations
  • Board member, St. Louis Effort for AIDS.
  • Ex officio board member Grand Oak Hills Neighborhood Association.
  • Past President, Truman State University Alumni Association.
  • Member, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys.[3]

Colona was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), resigning in 2012. Doing so, he said "[ALEC] is not the innocuous, bipartisan organization it purports to be. Their agenda is radical and wrong for Missouri."[11]

References
  1. "Hulshof leads Steelman for GOP governor spot". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-01-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.house.mo.gov/bio.aspx?year=2011&district=067
  4. "Smart Voter: Mike Colona biography". Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  5. "Two red hot primaries: Colona vs. Landmann, Wright-Jones vs. Hubbard". The Vital Voice. 2008-07-11. Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  6. "Victory Fund endorsed candidates: Mike Colona". Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  7. "Maida Coleman takes side in tough Tower Grove primary". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2008-07-21. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  8. "Missouri Secretary of State: August 2008 primary results". Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  9. "Intriguing Democratic contest goes to Colona". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  10. http://www.sos.mo.gov/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=300&oid=67616&arc=
  11. Bettye Johnson (op-ed) "ALEC is no friend of we the people" The Olympian, April 25, 2012


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