Meet Matt
Local guy
I’m a local guy, born and raised in Lakeville, Minnesota. I attended Parkview Elementary School (still a proud Panda!) and graduated from Rosemount High School (go Irish!). I then received my BA in Political Science at the University of Minnesota-Morris (Cougars!) and my law degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Ski-U-Mah!).
Lakeville City Council
After a year of teaching English abroad in Chile, I came home inspired to serve and was elected to the Lakeville City Council in 2010. On the Council, I served on various committees and boards, including the Public Safety Committee, the Downtown Lakeville Business Association, the Municipal Legislative Coalition, and the Economic Development Commission.
Mayor of Lakeville
In 2012, while still in law school, I ran for and was elected Mayor of Lakeville and was unopposed in my reelection in 2014. Throughout my time in city hall, we focused on public safety, low taxes, job growth, and reducing long-term debt.
As Mayor, we built record amounts of housing and expanded the available housing types. We stabilized property taxes and invested in public safety—I even offered to donate a portion of my salary to hire more support staff for the police department.
What was my proudest achievement as mayor? Obviously, bringing Chipotle to my hometown!
State Senator
In 2016, I was elected State Senator for District 58, representing Lakeville, Farmington, and southern Dakota County. I focused on local support, balanced spending, and bipartisan cooperation. I authored and co-authored over 60 bipartisan bills, working with legislators across the political spectrum to get things done.
While a State Senator, I led the charge to ensure diabetics could afford the insulin they needed, worked across the aisle to make prescription drugs more affordable, prevented cuts to veteran services, secured vital infrastructure funding for my district, and brought Metro Mobility to Lakeville so seniors and those with disabilities had access to transportation.
Small Business Owner & Family Time
Since 2015, I’ve built my own law firm, representing seniors and those with disabilities who have been hurt by negligence or abuse. I live in New Market Township with my wife, Coco, my daughter, Poppy, three dogs, and a rabbit named Mochi. In my (rare) free time, I enjoy running, basketball, snowboarding, hiking, spending time with my family, and recently, learning to play the banjo.
