Kevin Burns (Illinois mayor)

Kevin Burns (born August 26, 1964 in Arlington Heights, Illinois is the current mayor of Geneva, Illinois.

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, Burns met his future wife (now divorced), Therese "Terry" Emma. Emma's family is known in Chicago politics, where her great-grandfather, DeWitt Clinton Cregier served as mayor from 1889 to 1891.

After graduating high school in 1982, Burns, along with Emma, attended Augstana College in Rock Island, Illinois. While 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 and Speech Communications. After graduation from Augustana, Burns began working for various non-profit agencies and organizations, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Paramount Arts Center, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Rush-Copley Medical Center, the USA Equestrian organization, and Midwestern University.

Mayor

In 1997, Burns was elected as an alderman 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.^[1] 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.^[2] He faced dairy businessman Jim Oberweis and Illinois State Senator Chris Lauzen 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.^[3] 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, Lazarus House, Living Well Cancer Center, River Park, and the Tri-City Health Partnership.

Private life

Burns has three daughters: Emma, Grace, Florence.^[4]

References