Sean M. Ryan (born March 4, 1965) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

from the 61st District. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he previously served as a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 2011 to 2021, and the 60th District from 2021 to 2022. He is currently running to become Mayor of Buffalo, which will be decided by the

2025 Buffalo mayoral election The 2025 Buffalo mayoral election will be held on November 4, 2025, to elect the mayor of Buffalo, New York. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic acting mayor Christopher Scanlon is running for a full term in office after ...

Early life and education

Sean Ryan was born to father James W. Ryan (1937–2013) and mother Patricia Ryan (née McQuillen, 1939–2015). His father was a firefighter, and his mother was an educator and member of the Erie County Democratic Committee. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

State University of New York at Fredonia The State University of New York at Fredonia (alternatively SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia State, or Fredonia) is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the six ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

. He was then admitted the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

Career

As an attorney, Ryan specialized in anti-discrimination and labor law cases. On September 13, 2011, Ryan was elected during a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to the New York State Assembly, succeeding longtime assemblyman Sam Hoyt. His mother Patricia and sister Kerry were both members of the Erie County Democratic Committee, and were credited with running his campaign and assisting his victory. In 2012, he was elected to the 149th district. He was supported by the

1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is a healthcare union in the United States, with a membership of 400,000, including retirees. It is a local union within the Service Employees International Union. It is a former local of 1199: The National ...

. In

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, he was elected to New York's 60th senate district. Due to

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

following the 2020 U.S. census, Ryan successfully ran in the newly-drawn 61st senate district in the 2022 election. As a member of the State Senate, Ryan championed legislation to prohibit

non-compete clause In contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), restrictive covenant, or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition again ...

s in New York, which passed both houses of the state legislature in 2023. Ryan has announced his candidacy for the

, where he is challenging acting mayor Christopher Scanlon for the position. On February 22, 2025, the Erie County Democratic Committee endorsed Ryan in the Democratic primary.

Personal life

Ryan is married to Catherine Creighton, an attorney who has served as director of the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority since her appointment by governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

in 2012. Creighton has also been director of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

's ILR Buffalo Co-Lab since 2020. They have two daughters, Kate and Bridget. Kate Ryan is senior operations manager of the

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...

Electoral history

References

External links

New York State Senate member websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Sean 1965 births Brooklyn Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Living people People from Erie County, New York State University of New York at Fredonia alumni 21st-century members of the New York State Legislature