+ − Contact Information
Phone: (614) 466-7251
Fax: (614) 719-3962
Office Address:
77 S. High St , 10th Floor , Columbus, OH 43215
+ − Biography
John M. Rogers (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake) currently serves as the State Representative for Ohio’s 60th House District, which includes the communities of Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor-on-the-Lake, portions of Painesville Township, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick.
Representative Rogers began his distinguished career of public service in 1989 when he was appointed to Mentor-on-the-Lake City Council. He served in that position until 1994 when he was appointed Mayor and Safety Director. He won successive re-elections from 1996 to 2012. While serving as Mayor, Representative Rogers oversaw the operations of all city departments, comprised of approximately 108 employees and managed a budget averaging in excess of $4.5 million dollars. His many accomplishments include bringing major infrastructure improvements to the city, promoting local business development leading to the establishment of over 40 new small businesses, creating approximately 350 new jobs, over 200 new housing units, and increasing tax revenue. He partnered with the Mentor Public Library System to build a permanent branch in the city, and with the Lake Metro Parks to provide cost-free maintenance and upgrades to a community park, as well as overseeing improvements to all of the community’s parks.
As the City’s Safety Director, he restructured the Fire Department’s operations providing around the clock in-house staffing, improving response times, and delivering appropriately trained personnel to treat medical emergencies without increasing taxes. In addition, the Police Department was nationally recognized and accredited by the Commission on Law Enforcement Agencies or CALEA on five separate occasions.
Representative Rogers’s private sector work included substantial business and management experience as a manufacturer’s representative selling process control instrumentation throughout Ohio. As a small business owner, his company was repeatedly recognized for outstanding sales.
In addition to serving as Mayor, Representative Rogers is a licensed practicing attorney admitted to practice before the Ohio Bar in 2002. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member of the Lake County Bar Association as vice-president. His legal experience includes having worked in the Lake County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as an Assistant and Supervising Attorney. More recently, he has served as a Deputy Treasurer with the Lake County Treasurer’s Office and has been instrumental in creating the Lake County Land Reutilization Corporation (Land Bank) where he serves as Executive Director.
During his professional legal career Representative Rogers has received several awards. As a law student, he was recognized with the CALI Excellence for the Future Award from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law, in addition to being acknowledged with that institution’s Pro-Bono Community Service Award in 2000. In 2007, as an Assistant Prosecutor, Rogers was named Child Advocate of the Year by the Lake County Department of Job and Family Services and the Lake County Foster Family Association. More recently, Representative Rogers was recognized by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy with the NITA Advocate Designation in 2009 and the NITA Master Advocate Designation in 2010.
Representative Rogers is a graduate of Cathedral Latin School. He obtained an Associate of Arts Degree and Associate of Science Degree from Cuyahoga Community College, his Bachelors of Arts Degree at Hiram College, a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) from John Carroll University and his Juris Doctor (JD) from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. In 2014, Representative Rogers completed his Master of Law (LLM) Degree at the University of Alabama’s School of Law.
Born in Cleveland and raised in East Cleveland, his family moved to Lake County in 1976. Representative Rogers resides in Mentor-on-the-Lake with his wife Rosemarie, an elementary school principal. He is a proud father to Tim, John, Caitlin and Micheal. A parishioner at St. John Vianney Church, Representative Rogers is also a member of many organizations including the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks, Lake County Bluecoats and Sons of AMVETS.