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 Salisbury.
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 America 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 Patrick 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 Counsel to Andrews and Updergraph Law Firm of Salem.
Read more about this topic: Michael A. Costello
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