P. Michael Sturla is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

. He has represented the 96th District

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 96

The 96th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Lancaster County and includes the following areas:* Lancaster* Lancaster Township * Manheim Township -Representatives:...

 in Lancaster County

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...

 including a large section of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

 since 1991. Sturla is currently serving as House Democratic Policy Committee Chairman.

Biography

Sturla graduated from the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 in 1979 with a degree in environmental design. After college, he founded a painting and construction firm with his brother and later founded Aarchitrave, an architecture firm.

He was elected to the City Council of Lancaster

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

 in 1987 and served on the Council until his election to the House.

In August 2011, Sturla stirred controversy with written remarks he made about proposed drilling in the Marcellus Shale regions of Pennsylvania. He wrote that increased drilling would lead to the "spread of sexually transmitted disease amongst the womenfolk." Sturla apologized for his "insensitive" remarks, but defended himself by saying that his comments were based on a report to the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.

External links

• Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Mike Sturla Official PA House website

• Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Rep. Mike Sturla Official Party website