After graduation from the University of Dayton and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Coley worked as an attorney at the law firm of Strauss & Troy, where he represented a number of small and large businesses. He is also a private pilot. With incumbent Gary Catesterm limited and running for the Ohio Senate, Coley sought to replace him. Unopposed in the primary, he faced Democrat Tyrone Sims in the general election. He won his first term against Sims, winning 70.08% of the electorate. In 2006, Coley faced his first reelection bid, and was unopposed. He won a third term against Democrat Tony Kilmek in 2008 with 62.81% of the vote. Coley won his final term in 2010 against Suzi Rubin with 69.31% of the votes. During his time in the Ohio House of Representatives, Coley has championed numerous conservative causes and authored the legislation that created the Digital LearningClearing House, now part of IlearnOhio.org.
Ohio Senate
In early May 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich announced that he would appoint Senator Gary Cates to a position within the Ohio Board of Regents. As a result, the Senate seat was to be vacant and Coley announced that he would seek the vacant seat in the Ohio Senate. Coley, along with Timothy Derickson and three other citizens of Butler County, sought the seat, but in the end, Coley received the recommendation of the Butler County Republican Party and was chosen by Senate Republicans to succeed Cates in representing the Fourth District. He took his seat on May 24, 2011, and was required to resign his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives to do so. Now in the Senate, Coley is serving as chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee as well as serving on the committees of Education; Finance; Energy and Public Utilities and Financial Institutions. He also serves on the eTech Ohio Commission as well at the permanent joint committee on gaming and wagering. In 2012, Coley won a full term in the Senate. He was unopposed in the general election.
Policies, positions, and initiatives
Collective Bargaining
Coley has also come out to ensure that all public employees are able to still collective bargain for safety equipment, and to remove a ban on public workers talking to their local elected officials during negotiations. Such changes were widely regarded as improvements to S.B. 5, which passed the Ohio Senate 17-16. Coley supported the bill, and voted for its passage out of committee. During the House floor debate on SB 5, Coley delivered a passionate argument in support of the bill and he voted for the bill to pass out of the full Ohio House of Representatives.
