About John W. O'Brien

Miami County Commissioner, John W. “Bud” O’Brien, born in Dayton Ohio, March 6, 1963. Commissioner O’Brien lived in Dayton Ohio until the age of 8 when his family moved to West Milton in 1971.

John W. O’Brien graduated from Milton-Union High School in 1981 and Wright State University in 1985 with a B.A. in Business Administration.

After College he sold computers for a Dayton retailer and then with Reynolds & Reynolds. Where at 24 years old he was promoted to a management position supervising 15 sales people. In 1988, Reynolds & Reynolds sold his division and John worked in the permanent recruiting industry recruiting computer programmers. In 1990, O’Brien took a position with the Miami County law firm of Huffman, Landis, Weaks & Lopez Co. LPA as the business manager. He left the firm in 1994 to start his own retail business in Piqua Ohio, which he sold in 1997.

O’Brien’s political activity continued during his private sector days. He was active in Miami County politics with the Young Republicans holding several offices and with the Miami County Republican Party, highlighted by his co-chairmanship of the 1994 Miami County Republican Convention, which endorsed Mike DeWine for United States Senator. He was elected Vice-Chairman of the Miami County GOP in 1995 and then Chairman in 2000. A position currently holds.

O’Brien was recognized as a rural political leader during the 2004 Presidential campaign. O’Brien was interviewed by the London Financial Times as a rural political leader working on the Bush/Cheney ’04 re-election campaign. He was also featured on a BBC news program after the President’s campaign visit to Troy in August 2004.

In 1996 O’Brien was appointed Miami County Recorder by the Miami County Republican Central Committee and Governor George V. Voinovich to fill the un-expired term of retiring Recorder Janet Cain. He was elected 3 times as Recorder.

O’Brien was elected Miami County Commissioner in November 2006. He is currently serving his first term in that office and service on various boards and committees as commissioner. As President of the Commission, O’Brien has been instrumental in cutting the county budget over $4 million dollars in 2010 to ensure a balanced operating budget during difficult economic times.

O’Brien has been active in the community. He was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in 1976. Has been active in Tipp City Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts with Pack 285 and Troop 395. He was the coordinator of the Tipp-Monroe Community Services basketball league for 2 years, on the Tipp City Jr. Baseball Board for 5 years the last two serving as it’s President, organized the Tippecanoe wrestling parents organization in 2004 and reorganized the Red Devil Wrestling youth program after several years of inactivity, also served on the Kid’s Voting USA Miami County steering committee and the board of the Miami County American Cancer Society. O’Brien was also a member of the Ohio Auditor of State’s Advisory Committee from 2003 until 2006. O’Brien is currently a member of the Miami County Farm Bureau, Miami County Township organization and the Ohio County Commissioner Organization.

He currently resides in Monroe Township in Miami County with his wife Kim (Grawe) O’Brien a 1982 graduate of Tipp City High School and a teacher in Tipp City Schools and three children who attend The Ohio State University, Ohio University and Miami University. The O’Brien’s are members of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Tipp City.