Michael A Costello (born May 5, 1965) is a State Representative for the
Massachusetts House of RepresentativesThe Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from an equal number of single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives...
, who represents the first district of
Essex County, MassachusettsEssex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence...
. Costello graduated from
Salem State CollegeSalem State College is a four-year public institution of higher learning located in the city of Salem, Massachusetts. As of 2006, SSC had 7,296 undergraduate and 2,567 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 9,863. The College offers Bachelors, Masters,...
in 1989 with a Bachelors of Science, and from
Suffolk University Law SchoolSuffolk University Law School is a private law school in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The fourth oldest law school in New England in continuous existence , Suffolk was founded in 1906 by Gleason Archer, Sr...
with his
Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a first professional degree.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree...
in 1996. Costello has been serving in the House since 2003.
Costello has dedicated his career to Public Service. While he was a student at Salem State College, Costello spent three years organizing and leading a program that resulted in student's building desperately needed housing for some of the poorest Americans living in Appalachia.
Michael A Costello (born May 5, 1965) is a State Representative for the
Massachusetts House of RepresentativesThe Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from an equal number of single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives...
, who represents the first district of
Essex County, MassachusettsEssex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence...
. Costello graduated from
Salem State CollegeSalem State College is a four-year public institution of higher learning located in the city of Salem, Massachusetts. As of 2006, SSC had 7,296 undergraduate and 2,567 graduate/continuing education students, for a total student body enrollment of 9,863. The College offers Bachelors, Masters,...
in 1989 with a Bachelors of Science, and from
Suffolk University Law SchoolSuffolk University Law School is a private law school in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The fourth oldest law school in New England in continuous existence , Suffolk was founded in 1906 by Gleason Archer, Sr...
with his
Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a first professional degree.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree...
in 1996. Costello has been serving in the House since 2003.
Education
Costello has dedicated his career to Public Service. While he was a student at Salem State College, Costello spent three years organizing and leading a program that resulted in student's building desperately needed housing for some of the poorest Americans living in Appalachia. He also spent a summer working as an intern in the United States Congress.
Costello graduated cum laude from Salem State and went to work as a Catholic Lay Volunteer for the Catholic Diocese of St. Thomas. Later, he served as the Program Director for the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Association of Boston. While attending Suffolk University Law School, Costello earned academic honors and worked for the Office of New Hampshire's Public Defender.
Early career
After earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1996, Costello worked for Essex County District Attorney Kevin Burke. As an Assistant District Attorney, Costello prosecuted hundreds of cases involving the possession and distribution of drugs, domestic violence, assault and battery and robbery.
Costello was elected to the Newburyport City Council as a councilor-at-large in 1997 and, a year later, became Field Director for Congressman John Tierney's (D-Salem) campaign. Following Congressman Tierney's successful election, Costello worked as the Chief of Staff for State Senator Joan Menard (D-Somerset), former Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
State legislator
Costello was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2002. He serves the First Essex District, which includes the Cities of Newburyport and Amesbury and the Town of
SalisburySalisbury is a census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,484 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
During his first term, Costello served on the Joint Committees on Banks and Banking and Insurance. He appeared on the Pat Whitley Radio Show and on New England Cable News with Chet Curtis to discuss insurance issues and the
Bank of AmericaBank of America Corporation , based in Charlotte, North Carolina is one of the largest financial services companies, largest bank by assets, largest commercial bank by deposits and is the second largest by market capitalization in the United States. The company holds 12.2% of all U.S. deposits...
merger with Fleet Bank. He now serves as the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and is a member of the Democratic leadership team in the House.
In his role as Chairman, Costello has taken a leading role on many critical public safety issues. He was one of the lead sponsors of sweeping identity theft legislation designed to safeguard consumer's information and signed into law by Governor
Deval PatrickDeval Laurdine Patrick is the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is the first African American to hold that office...
last year. He is a member of the Governor's Anti-Crime Council, which discusses critical issues like gang violence and the spread of assault weapons. He served on the Governor's CORI Reform Commission, which helped author legislation that will provide meaningful opportunities for people seeking to transition back into society. In a similar capacity, he was just named the National Chair of American Bar Association's Re-entry and Collateral Consequences Committee. In 2007, the Massachusetts Bar Association named Costello its Legislator of the Year.
Within his district, Costello has helped sustain many of the valuable organizations that provide critical social services in the region, including the Newburyport YWCA, the Pettengill House, the Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Merrimack Valley, the Newburyport Learning Enrichment Center and the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center. He has also worked hard to preserve the natural environment and historic resources that make the 1st Essex District such a beautiful place to live.
Costello is a member of the Board of Directors for the Essex County Bar Association and is
of CounselOf counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. According to ABA Formal Opinion 90-357 the term "of counsel" is to describe "a close, regular, personal relationship."...
to Andrews and Updergraph Law Firm of Salem.
Family
Costello is the son of former State Senator Nicholas Costello and Cynthia Costello. He is married to Kerrin D'Archangelo of
HaverhillHaverhill is the name of a number of different places in the world:*Haverhill, Suffolk, England*Haverhill, Florida, USA*Haverhill, Iowa, USA*Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA*Haverhill, New Hampshire, USA*Haverhill, Ohio, USA...
, and they live in Newburyport with their daughter and son.
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