# Mike Boyle
**Mike Boyle** (Michael D. Boyle; January 19, 1944 – September 13, 2021) was an American Democratic politician from [Omaha, Nebraska](https://www.edgepedia.org/omaha-nebraska), who served two terms as mayor of Omaha in the 1980s, was removed in a 1987 recall election, and later served on the Douglas County Board of Commissioners from 1997 until his death.[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) • [2](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1944, Los Angeles, California; September 13, 2021, at age 77[3](https://prabook.com/web/michael.boyle/878513) • [1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) |
| Mayor of Omaha | Elected 1981, re-elected 1985; recalled in a special election on January 13, 1987[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) • [4](https://www.wowt.com/2026/01/13/today-history-jan-13-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-recalled/) |
| Recall result | 55,275 votes to remove Boyle against 42,832 to keep him, in a record-turnout election[5](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963299,00.html) |
| Douglas County election commissioner | Chief deputy election commissioner 1968–1972, commissioner 1972–1980[3](https://prabook.com/web/michael.boyle/878513) |
| County board | Appointed to the Douglas County Board in 1997; re-elected several times, most recently in November 2020 by a margin of three votes[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) • [2](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family) |
| Family | Married Anne Howell Boyle on April 24, 1965; five children and 18 grandchildren; Anne died in February 2019[6](https://govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/l3000/D001-200607.pdf) • [1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) |
## Early career
Boyle was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Harold James and Ethel Loretta (Ryan) Boyle, and earned both a [Bachelor of Science](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-science) in Business Administration and a [Juris Doctor](https://www.edgepedia.org/juris-doctor) from [Creighton University](https://www.edgepedia.org/creighton-university), completing his law degree in 1977.[3](https://prabook.com/web/michael.boyle/878513) • [1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) His first public roles were in Douglas County election administration: chief deputy election commissioner from 1968 to 1972, then election commissioner from 1972 to 1980.[3](https://prabook.com/web/michael.boyle/878513) A Nebraska Historical Society account of Omaha leadership describes him at his 1981 election as "a young Democratic attorney who had previously been Douglas County election commissioner."[7](https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/doc_publications_NH1991OmahaLeadership.pdf)
## Mayor of Omaha
**Two terms.** Boyle was elected mayor in 1981 and re-elected to a second term in 1985.[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) In office he established a strong cabinet, instituted capital improvements programming, resumed annexation, and supported adoption of a new zoning ordinance.[7](https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/doc_publications_NH1991OmahaLeadership.pdf) After his 1985 re-election, some supporters touted him as a candidate for governor of Nebraska.[5](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963299,00.html)
**The recall.** Soon after his second term began, opponents started collecting petition signatures, claiming that Boyle abused his authority, interfered with police matters, took too lenient a stance on drunken driving, and showed disrespect. As an example, they pointed to a dinner-table dispute during which he supposedly tossed pats of butter.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-27-mn-510-story.html) The central controversy was his firing of Police Chief Robert Wadman, which followed the surfacing of a police plan to arrest Boyle's brother-in-law for drunken driving in the expectation that Boyle would interfere with the judicial process.[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) In October 1986 a citizens' committee charged Boyle with abuse of power, denouncing him as "irresponsible, petty and at times downright childish" and calling for his ouster.[5](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963299,00.html) Omaha voters removed him in a recall election on January 13, 1987, by 55,275 votes to 42,832.[4](https://www.wowt.com/2026/01/13/today-history-jan-13-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-recalled/) • [5](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963299,00.html) A Washington Post report noted that the 1984 recall of Mayor Michael Matthews in [Atlantic City, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-city-new-jersey), was the only other successful ouster of a mayor in recent history cited by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/01/14/omaha-throws-out-mayor-for-alleged-abuse-of-power/7f0c29b9-5f33-4c43-9f5e-fb1046e51f36/) The recall left Omaha city government, in the Historical Society's words, adrift, with two mayors following Boyle within two years.[7](https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/doc_publications_NH1991OmahaLeadership.pdf)
**Later campaigns.** Boyle announced in February 1989 that he would run again for mayor, saying he did so because he loved politics and public service and because a surprisingly large number of people had urged him to enter the race.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-27-mn-510-story.html) He led several candidates in the primary but lost the general election to Republican P.J. Morgan; the two later served side by side as county commissioners.[2](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family) In 1990 he ran for governor of Nebraska and lost the Democratic primary to Ben Nelson, who went on to win the office.[10](https://www.kfornow.com/longtime-democrat-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-has-died/)
## Douglas County Board
In 1997 Boyle was appointed to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners to finish the term of a commissioner who resigned, and he won re-election several times, serving on the board until his death in 2021.[4](https://www.wowt.com/2026/01/13/today-history-jan-13-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-recalled/) • [10](https://www.kfornow.com/longtime-democrat-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-has-died/) He represented District 1, which he called "The Sunshine District."[2](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family) His last election, in May 2020, was the closest of his career: he edged Roger Garcia by three votes in the Democratic primary and joked about being "Landslide" Mike.[2](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family) • [11](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/garcia-picked-fill-boyle%E2%80%99s-vacancy-douglas-co-board)
From 2020 he served alongside his daughter Maureen Boyle, who won election to the board in November 2020; they were the first father-daughter pair to serve on the Douglas County Board.[12](https://omahadailyrecord.com/content/meet-our-commissioners-douglas-and-sarpy) Maureen Boyle did not file for re-election in 2024.[12](https://omahadailyrecord.com/content/meet-our-commissioners-douglas-and-sarpy)
## Personal life and death
Boyle married Anne Howell Boyle on April 24, 1965; she served on the Nebraska Public Service Commission from 1996 and was chair of the [Nebraska Democratic Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/nebraska-democratic-party) from June 1998 to May 2001.[6](https://govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/l3000/D001-200607.pdf) She died in February 2019 after suffering a stroke.[10](https://www.kfornow.com/longtime-democrat-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-has-died/) The couple had five children and 18 grandchildren.[6](https://govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/l3000/D001-200607.pdf) Boyle survived a severe heart attack at age 40.[1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921)
He was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2021 and had been undergoing treatment.[10](https://www.kfornow.com/longtime-democrat-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-has-died/) He became ill on September 12, 2021, was hospitalized overnight, and died at 6:25 a.m. on September 13 at age 77; his daughter said doctors attributed the death to cardiogenic shock, sepsis, and diabetic ketoacidosis, and a county spokesman cited complications from pneumonia.[13](https://www.wowt.com/2021/09/13/former-omaha-mayor-current-county-commissioner-mike-boyle-passes-away/) • [1](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921) In a floor tribute, State Senator Steve Lathrop told the [Nebraska Legislature](https://www.edgepedia.org/nebraska-legislature) that Boyle's name was "synonymous with Nebraska Democratic politics."[14](https://legislature.nebraska.gov/FloorDocs/107/PDF/Transcripts/FloorDebate/s1day1.pdf) The Nebraska Democratic Party's Platform and Resolutions Committee that October recommended approval of a resolution celebrating his legacy of service.[15](https://nebraskademocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/October-2021-SCC_10-Day-Packet_Final.pdf)
## References
1. [Douglas County Commissioner, Former Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle dies, KETV](https://www.ketv.com/article/douglas-county-commissioner-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-dies/37574921)
2. [Colorful Politician Loved His City, His County and His Family, Omaha Daily Record](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/colorful-politician-loved-his-city-his-county-and-his-family)
3. [Michael Boyle, World Biographical Encyclopedia (Prabook)](https://prabook.com/web/michael.boyle/878513)
4. [Today in History, Jan. 13: Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle recalled, WOWT](https://www.wowt.com/2026/01/13/today-history-jan-13-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-recalled/)
5. [Nebraska: Irresponsible And Childish, TIME (January 26, 1987)](https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,963299,00.html)
6. [Nebraska Blue Book, 2006-07 (Anne Boyle biography)](https://govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/l3000/D001-200607.pdf)
7. [Leadership in Omaha, Nebraska History (1991), History Nebraska](https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/doc_publications_NH1991OmahaLeadership.pdf)
8. [Ousted Omaha Mayor to Run Again, Los Angeles Times (February 27, 1989)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-27-mn-510-story.html)
9. [Omaha Throws Out Mayor for Alleged Abuse of Power, The Washington Post (January 14, 1987)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/01/14/omaha-throws-out-mayor-for-alleged-abuse-of-power/7f0c29b9-5f33-4c43-9f5e-fb1046e51f36/)
10. [Longtime Democrat, Former Omaha Mayor Mike Boyle Has Died, KFOR](https://www.kfornow.com/longtime-democrat-former-omaha-mayor-mike-boyle-has-died/)
11. [Garcia Picked to Fill Boyle's Vacancy on Douglas Co. Board, Omaha Daily Record](https://www.omahadailyrecord.com/content/garcia-picked-fill-boyle%E2%80%99s-vacancy-douglas-co-board)
12. [Meet our Commissioners! (Douglas and Sarpy), Omaha Daily Record](https://omahadailyrecord.com/content/meet-our-commissioners-douglas-and-sarpy)
13. [Former Omaha Mayor, current County Commissioner Mike Boyle passes away, WOWT](https://www.wowt.com/2021/09/13/former-omaha-mayor-current-county-commissioner-mike-boyle-passes-away/)
14. [Nebraska Legislature Floor Debate transcript, September 13, 2021](https://legislature.nebraska.gov/FloorDocs/107/PDF/Transcripts/FloorDebate/s1day1.pdf)
15. [Nebraska Democratic Party State Central Committee 10-Day Packet, October 2021](https://nebraskademocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/October-2021-SCC_10-Day-Packet_Final.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Political systems and ideas › Political parties and party families › US Democratic Party ecosystem › State and territorial Democratic parties › Nebraska Democratic Party*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license