Mike Ostermiller, in plain words

What this is

Mike Ostermiller has never run for office. He has held a seat on the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) board since 2008, the year after MIDA was created.

He is also the CEO of the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors, a partner listed at a law firm called KKOS, and a registered lobbyist since December 2012.

What the records show

His MIDA seat is set up differently. MIDA's board has seven voting seats. Six are tied to another job, like mayor or county commissioner, and point to a part of state law. His seat is listed only as "Partner," with no part of the law named.

MIDA paid his firm. On his own MIDA form, he calls his role "paid consultant / board representative with staff." Transparent Utah shows MIDA paid Michael Ostermiller PC $28,000 in 2025 and $42,000 in 2026. That is $70,000.

For fairness: he listed that firm as an income source on his form. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that MIDA board members are unpaid. He is not on MIDA's payroll lists for 2025 or 2026.

Lobbying. More than 90 clients have used him since 2012. He was also a lobbyist for the Utah Inland Port Authority for most of 2022.

Realtors' group pay. The group's tax filing shows his 2022 pay as $195,000 plus $51,720 in other pay, $246,720 in all. The group's president changes almost every year. The CEO job does not.

The Hideout bill. A 2020 bill, H.B. 359, gained new wording in a later draft. It let a town annex land in another county without the county's OK, if the owner agreed. A developer's lawyer said Ostermiller brought that wording to Sen. Cullimore. Ostermiller told reporters he was accountable for misrepresenting what the bill did to its own sponsors. In 2024 the Utah Supreme Court said Summit County did not have standing to challenge the annexation.

Two records disagree. The state business record (May 5, 2026) lists him as an active KKOS partner. His MIDA form, signed Jan. 5, 2026, lists KKOS as a past employer.

New nonprofits. State records show him as an officer of the Nilson Foundation (formed July 2026) and The Healing Collective Utah, both led by Jed Nilson of Nilson Homes.

What isn't known yet

• Whether he was at MIDA's April 2026 meeting and voted on the Stratos data center project.
• What the KKOS trade names "The Entrepreneur's Law Firm" and "Cedar Injury Law" are used for.
• Which of the two records about his KKOS status is current.

Why it matters to you

MIDA's board decides on big development projects. Its members are appointed, not elected, so the public record is the main way to see who sits there and what ties they have.

Want the full details?

The full case file has every record, table, chart and source. Read the full Mike Ostermiller case file →