Mike Parry (politician)

Michael J. Parry (born January 5, 1953) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 26, which included portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state.

Mike Parry
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 26th district
In office
February 4, 2010 – January 7, 2013
Preceded byDick Day
Succeeded bydistrict redrawn
Personal details
Born (1953-01-05) January 5, 1953
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Political partyRepublican Party of Minnesota
ResidenceWaseca, Minnesota
Alma materBrown Institute of Broadcasting
OccupationBusinessman, legislator

Early life, education, and business career

Perry was born and raised in Albert Lea.[1] Parry served in the Minnesota Army National Guard, receiving an honorable discharge as a staff sergeant, and attended Brown Institute of Broadcasting in Minneapolis.[2]

Parry owns and manages a marketing and motivation company and his family owns the Godfather's Pizza franchise in Waseca. He has managed numerous radio stations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan, and owned radio station KQAQ in Austin. He was vice president of Custom Publishing of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and also co-owned a motocross company.[3]

Political career

Parry was a member of the Waseca City Council from 2004 to 2008.

A Republican, he won a special election on January 26, 2010, succeeding Senator Dick Day, who resigned on January 8, 2010, to head Racino Now, an organization dedicating to lobbying for slots at the state's two horse-racing tracks.[4][5] He was subsequently elected to a full term in the 2010 general election.[6]

Parry was sworn in as a senator on February 4, 2010. He is currently chair of the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee. He is also a member of the Senate's Finance and Transportation committees[7]

In October 2011, Parry announced he would run in against incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Tim Walz in Minnesota's 1st congressional district.[8] He was defeated in the August 2012 Republican primary by Allen Quist, 45.9% to 54.1%.[9]

In August 2012, Parry accused Governor Mark Dayton of popping pills at meetings, saying "When you sit across from him and you watch him pop 15 to 16 pills when you're having a meeting, it's scary."[10] The claim was refuted by Dayton and Republican legislators.[11]

Other careers

He also received law enforcement training and served as a police officer with the Morristown and Jackson police departments, and as a deputy sheriff with the Freeborn County Sheriff's Department.[3] He was also president of the Waseca Rotary, and was a member of the Waseca Economic Development Authority and Waseca Development Corporation. He was also president of the Albert Lea Jaycees. He is a licensed general aviation pilot.[3][5]

References
  1. Bakst, Brian; Condon, Patrick (October 7, 2011). "State Sen. Parry will run against U.S. Rep. Walz". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  2. "Senator Mike Parry (R) District 26". Senate.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  3. "Meet Mike". Mike Parry website. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  4. Archived June 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Ostermeier, Eric (January 27, 2010). "Mike Parry Fends Off Critics, Engbrecht, and Srp to Hold 26th Senate District for GOP". Smart Politics. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  6. "Election Reporting: State Senator District 26". Electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  7. "Legislator Record: Parry, Mike". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  8. Kimball, Joe (October 10, 2011). "State Sen. Mike Parry to challenge Walz in 1st District". MinnPost. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  9. "Minnesota: Quist tops Parry in Congressional primary". La Crosse Tribune. August 15, 2012.
  10. "Candidate's attack on governor was irresponsible". Star Tribune. August 8, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
  11. Brooks, Jennifer; Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (August 8, 2012). "Dayton denounces pill-popping accusation as a 'desperate' lie". Star Tribune.


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