Michael A. Costello

File:Map of Massachusetts highlighting Essex County.svg

Essex County

Michael A. Costello (born 5 May, 1965) is an American politician and former State Representative who represented the first district of Essex County, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2014 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Education

Template:BLP unreferenced section Costello graduated cum laude from what is now Salem State University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science. As an undergraduate, Costello organized and led a student program for three years that built housing for the poor Americans living in Appalachia. He also worked as an intern in the United States Congress one summer.

He earned a Juris Doctor with academic honors from Suffolk University Law School in 1996.

Early career

After graduating from Salem State, Costello worked as a 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, he worked for New Hampshire's Office of the Public Defender.

After earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1996, Costello worked for Essex County District Attorney Kevin M. Burke as an Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting cases involving drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, assault, battery, robbery, and gang activity.

Costello was elected as a councilor-at-large to the Newburyport City Council in 1997. A year later, he became field director for Congressman John F. Tierney's (D-Salem) campaign. Following Tierney's successful election, Costello was 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 and served six terms, representing the cities of Newburyport, Amesbury, and Salisbury in the First Essex District.

During his first term, Costello served on the Joint Committees on Banks, Banking, and Insurance. He discussed insurance issues and the Bank of America merger with Fleet Bank on the Pat Whitley Radio Show and New England Cable News with Chet Curtis. He later served as the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security and was a member of the Democratic leadership team in the House.

Costello co-sponsored identity theft legislation signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick. He formerly served on the Governor's Anti-Crime Council and the Governor's CORI Reform Commission. He was also named the National Chair of the American Bar Association's Re-entry and Collateral Consequences Committee and vice president of the Property-Casualty Insurance Committee by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators. In 2007, the Massachusetts Bar Association named Costello its Legislator of the Year.

Costello announced his retirement, effective September 15, 2014, to join a law firm.

Costello is a partner at Smith, Costello, and Crawford in Salem, MA.

External links

• Costello's page from Massachusetts House of Representatives' website
• Costello's page at Smith, Costello, and Crawford