Mike Parry (politician) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Michael J. "Mike" Parry (born January 1953) is a Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate

Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...

representing District 26, which includes portions of Dodge

Dodge County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,731 people, 6,420 households, and 4,853 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile . There were 6,642 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...

, Freeborn

Freeborn County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,584 people, 13,356 households, and 9,015 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 13,996 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

, Goodhue

Goodhue County, Minnesota

Goodhue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 46,183. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.-History:...

, Mower

Mower County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,603 people, 15,582 households, and 10,315 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...

, Olmsted

Olmsted County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 124,277 people, 47,807 households, and 32,317 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 49,422 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile...

, Rice

Rice County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 56,665 people, 18,888 households, and 13,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 114 people per square mile . There were 20,061 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...

, Steele

Steele County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile . There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...

, and Waseca

Waseca County, Minnesota

-External links:**...

counties in the southeastern part of the state.

Early life, education, and business career

Perry was born and raised in Albert Lea

Albert Lea, Minnesota

Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....

. Parry served in the Minnesota Army National Guard

Minnesota Army National Guard

The Minnesota Army National Guard, along with the Minnesota Air National Guard, is an element of the Minnesota National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States...

, receiving an honorable discharge as a staff sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...

, and attended Brown Institute of Broadcasting

Brown College (Minnesota)

Brown College is a for-profit school and is a subsidiary of Career Education Corporation. It is located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, near Minneapolis/St. Paul...

in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

.

Parry owns and manages a marketing and motivation company and his family owns the Godfather's Pizza

Godfather's Pizza

Godfather's Pizza is a privately owned restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska that operates fast casual Italian franchises. -History:...

franchise in Waseca

Waseca, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,388 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,215.6 people per square mile . There were 3,563 housing units at an average density of 929.5 per square mile...

. He has managed numerous radio stations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan, and owned radio station KQAQ

KQAQ

KQAQ is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Austin, Minnesota, USA, the station serves the Austin-Albert Lea and Rochester, MN areas. The station is currently owned by Hometown Broadcasting....

in Austin

Austin, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,168.2 people per square mile . There were 10,261 housing units at an average density of 954.3 per square mile...

. He was vice president of Custom Publishing of Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...

, and also co-owned a motocross

Motocross

Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

company.

Political career

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

A Republican

Republican Party of Minnesota

The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...

, he won a special election on January 26, 2010, succeeding Senator Dick Day

Dick Day

Richard "Dick" Day is Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican, he was first elected in...

, 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. He was subsequently elected to a full term in the 2010 general election.

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

In October 2011, he announced he would run in against incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Tim Walz

Tim Walz

Timothy James Walz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party .The district comprises the state's southern end, running along the entire border with Iowa...

in Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. The First District is primarily a rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, although this is changing rapidly due to strong population growth in...

Other careers

He also received law enforcement training and served as a police officer with the Morristown

Morristown, Minnesota

Morristown is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 987 at the 2010 census. Morristown was founded on land which Sarah Morris, widow of early settler Jonathon Morris, had surveyed into town lots.-Geography:...

and Jackson

Jackson, Minnesota

Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,299 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.-Geography:...

police departments, and as a deputy sheriff with the Freeborn County Sheriff's Department. He was also president of the Waseca Rotary

Rotary International

Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...

, and was a member of the Waseca Economic Development Authority and Waseca Development Corporation. He was also president of the Albert Lea

Albert Lea, Minnesota

Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....

Jaycees. He is a licensed general aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

pilot.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.