Robert Mecklenborg

Robert Mecklenborg is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, who represented the 30th district since his appointment in 2007. As chairman of the state government and elections committee, he introduced a bill to require voters to produce state-issued photo identification in order to vote.

Mecklenborg graduated from the Roman Catholic St. Xavier High School in 1970. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University, he obtained a law degree from the University of Cincinnati. He was licensed to practice law in Ohio in 1978 and in Federal Court for the Southern District in 1983. Mecklenborg is an attorney with the Cincinnati law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl. He lives with his wife, Jan, in Green Township. They have three children: Jill, Rob and Laura.

Mecklenborg served as solicitor and prosecutor for the Cleves, a village in Hamilton County with a population of 2,735 and a land area of 1.58 sq. miles. Mecklenborg is also a former law director and a former assistant county prosecutor for the city of Cheviot, a residential suburb of Cincinnati. Mecklenborg is a member of the executive and central committees of the Hamilton County, Ohio Republican Party.

With the endorsement of the Hamilton County Republican Party, Mecklenborg was appointed to succeed Bill Seitz in the 30th House District in the Ohio legislature in 2007. He was seated October 9, 2007.

In the 2008 primary, Mecklenborg won the Republican Party nomination for the 30th House District seat. In the general election, Mecklenborg defeated Democrat Bob Klug by nearly 29,000 votes.

He retained the 30th House District seat in 2010 in the campaign against Democrat Richard Luken. He chaired the Ohio House state government and elections committee and served on the committees of finance and appropriations, the higher education subcommittee, and the judiciary and ethics committees. He was a member of the Ohio Arts Council and the State Victims Assistance Advisory Committee.

Mecklenborg was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop April 23, 2011 outside of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. An Indiana state trooper pulled Mecklenborg over for a burned out headlight on a 2004 Lexus he was driving. The car had temporary Kentucky license plates. The Indiana State Police officer reported that he smelled alcohol and that Mecklenborg’s eyes were bloodshot. Indiana State Police reported that Mecklenborg failed three separate field sobriety tests and, after refusing to take a breath test, was placed under arrest. The arrest record notes that the DUI charge involves endangering the life of Tiona Roberts, who was present in the car at the time of the traffic stop. Police toxicology reports later indicated Viagra in Mecklenborg's bloodstream and a blood-alcohol level of 0.097 percent.

On July 17, Mecklenborg announced his resignation. The Republican Caucus of the House will choose a successor in the following weeks, and the successor will serve out the remainder of Mecklenborg's term in office until November 2012.