About Kevin
FAMILY
Kevin and his siblings
Kevin grew up in Oak Park, Illinois the oldest of six kids born in a five-year span. His father Pat is an Irish immigrant who moved to this country in the early 1950’s after graduating from medical school in Ireland. Pat was drawn to this country by, among other things, the promise of a place where success was the result of what you did, more than who you were or where you came from. His mother Nancy, herself the daughter of Irish immigrants, grew up on the south side of Chicago. She became a nurse and met Pat when both were working in a Chicago hospital in the 1950’s.
Kevin attended public schools in Oak Park, and moved to Minnesota in 1976 to attend the University of Minnesota. In college, he played on the baseball team and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in political science. After college, he attended William Mitchell College of Law where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and graduated with honors.
Since 1998, Kevin has lived in the Highlands neighborhood of Edina with his wife, Maria Christu. They have three sons — Jack (16), Kyle (14), and Will (11) – who attend Edina Public Schools.
PUBLIC SERVICE, COMMITMENT, EXPERIENCE
Kevin learned the value of public service from his parents. His father Pat served two years in the Navy in the 1950’s before he even became a U.S. citizen. Upon returning to the Chicago area from his naval service, he chose work in the public sector despite more lucrative opportunities in private practice. His 17 years of service in the public sector included work with the Veteran’s Administration and a stint as the Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Mental Health. After earning a Master’s Degree in public health, Kevin’s mother Nancy worked in a local health planning agency while Kevin and his siblings were finishing high school. Later, she was elected to and served two terms on the Village Board in Oak Park.
Following the example set by his parents, Kevin has a long history of public service. Fresh out of college in the early 1980’s, he volunteered as an intern for Minneapolis Mayor Don Fraser and as a coach for Edina’s American Legion Baseball team.
Professionally, he has worked for or with public entities ever since clerking at the Minnesota Attorney General’s office while in law school. Upon graduation from law school in 1987, he accepted an appointment as a Special Assistant Attorney General. Since moving to private practice in 1991, he has regularly worked with public entities including service over the past 13 years as the City Attorney for the City of Excelsior, Minnesota. Since moving to Edina in 1998, Kevin’s public service has extended to his community. His contributions include coaching youth sports, volunteering at Highlands Elementary School, and leading cub scouts. In 2004-05, he served as Co-President of the Highlands Elementary School PTA. Kevin currently serves on the Edina Public Schools Innovation Team and is Vice Chair of the Edina Planning Commision.