Mike is in his first full term as State Representative. In the legislature he serves on the committees for Biotechnology, Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations, Energy and the Environment, Least Cost Power Procurement, Local Government, and Mass Transit. Through these committees he played an active role on the big issues of electric rate relief and the RTA reform package. He was successful in passing a range of legislation including a law that would allow counties to fund child advocacy centers from criminal convictions, earning him an award in 2007.

Prior to his election as a Representative, Mike served as Mayor of West Chicago. During his five and a half years in that office he improved city services while cutting the city portion of the property tax bill. The improved services included more police on the street, new commercial development, and a state-of-the-art water treatment facility providing high quality drinking water. He served on the DuPage Mayors and Managers board, and helped form the Metro West Council of Governments. He served as cochair of the STAR line commuter rail study, chaired implementation of the DuPage Area Transit Plan, and worked on the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus task force for education reform, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agengy for Planning Council of Mayors. For his work with other communities on transportation and public transit, Mike was awarded the 2006 Intergovernmental Cooperation award by the DuPage Mayors and Managers. Before mayor, Mike served as an alderman, school board member, plan commissioner, and he started his public service as a historic preservation commissioner.

In addition to his public service, Mike Fortner is an accomplished teacher and researcher. Mike is an Associate Professor of physics at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and has worked on research experiments at Fermilab for almost 20 years.