Kevin BurnsKevin Burns (born August 26, 1964 in Arlington Heights, Illinois

Arlington Heights, Illinois

Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....

 is the current mayor of Geneva, Illinois

Geneva, Illinois

Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...

.

Early life

Burns was born to John and Ann Burns in Arlington Heights. In 1974, his family, including brothers John and Brian and sister Colleen, moved to Geneva's Pepper Valley neighborhood, where Kevin Burns spent the rest of his childhood years.

At Geneva High School

Geneva High School (Illinois)

Geneva Community High School, or GHS, is a public high school located in Geneva, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Geneva Community Unit School District 304.-History:...

, Burns met his future wife, Therese "Terry" Emma. Emma's family is known in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 politics, where her great-grandfather, DeWitt Clinton Cregier

DeWitt Clinton Cregier

DeWitt Clinton Cregier served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party. Prior to this he was an engineer with the City of Chicago, and was awarded, in 1875, and in 1876, , both for fire hydrants. The latter was a combination drinking fountain, fire hydrant, and watering basin for...

 served as mayor from 1889 to 1891.

After graduating high school in 1982, Burns, along with Emma, attended Augstana College

Augustana College (Illinois)

Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The college enrolls approximately 2,500 students. Covering of hilly, wooded land, Augustana is adjacent to the Mississippi River...

 in Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...

. Whilst at Augustana, Burns was an Honorary member of the social fraternity Omicron Sigma Omicron (OZO). In 1986, Burns earned a B.A. in Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and Speech Communications.

After graduation from Augustana, Burns began working for various non-profit agencies and organizations, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association

Muscular Dystrophy Association

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is an American organization which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public...

, Paramount Arts Center

Paramount Arts Center

The Paramount Arts Center is a historic theater located in Ashland, Kentucky, in the United States. Listed as the Paramount Theatre on the National Register of Historic Places, this landmark theater is an important part of theater in Kentucky.-History:...

, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Rush-Copley Medical Center, the USA Equestrian organization, and Midwestern University

Midwestern University

Midwestern University is a graduate degree-granting institution specializing in the health sciences with eight colleges and two campuses....

.

Mayor

In 1997, Burns was elected as an alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 of Geneva's First Ward, where he was appointed to become a member of the Illinois Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 2001, Burns ran for mayor, winning the election with 72% of the vote. In 2005, Burns won reelection unopposed. Again, in 2009, Burns ran unopposed and was sworn in for a third term as mayor.

Congressional campaign

On August 18, 2007, Burns announced his intentions to run for Congress in Illinois' 14th District. He faced dairy businessman Jim Oberweis

James D. Oberweis

James D. "Jim" Oberweis is an American businessman and investment manager. He is most notable as the owner of Oberweis Dairy, in North Aurora . Oberweis has been a candidate for Governor of Illinois, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Representative.-Education:He attended the University of Illinois, where he...

 and Illinois State Senator

Illinois Senate

The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...

 Chris Lauzen

Chris Lauzen

Christopher J. Lauzen is a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate. Lauzen was first elected in 1992, has been re-elected to the State Senate in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2010, and ran for Illinois Comptroller in 1998 and Congress in 2008...

 in the race to succeed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who announced his retirement from Congress in the summer of 2007 and later resigned on November 26, 2007. On December 13, 2007, Hastert announced his endorsement of Oberweis; In response, Burns announced he was going to "step aside" in the race. On December 24, Burns officially withdrew his candidacy.

Community involvement

Burns also serves on the boards and committees of Association for Individual Development, Delnor-Community Healthcare Foundation, Community Chest

Community Chest

Community Chest may refer to any of the following:*The Community Chest of Hong Kong*The Community Chest of Singapore*Community Chest , a forerunner of the United Way of America...

, Lazarus House, Living Well Cancer Center, River Park, and the Tri-City Health Partnership.

Private life

Burns has three daughters: Emma, Grace, Florence.

Therese filed for divorce from Kevin in May 2008. The divorce was final in September 2009.