Charles Ryan (mayor)

Charles V. Ryan (born c. 1928) is a former mayor of the city Springfield, Massachusetts. He served as the Mayor of Springfield from 1962 to 1967 and again from 2004 to 2008.[1]

Charles Ryan
Mayor of Springfield
In office 1962–1967
Preceded by	Thomas J. O'Connor
Succeeded by	Frank H. Freedman
In office 2004–2008
Preceded by	Michael Albano
Succeeded by	Domenic Sarno
Personal details
Born	1928

Ryan served as the city's mayor during the 1960s for three terms and for two additional terms beginning in 2004, making him the only Springfield mayor to serve in two different centuries.[2] His terms in the 60's occurred during a time of civil unrest and controversial urban renewal projects. Ryan was unsuccessful in preventing the closure of the Springfield Armory, a major economic blow to Springfield that he blamed on then Congressman Edward P. Boland. Ryan ran against Boland for Congress in 1968, but was defeated in a landslide. After leaving office he became a prominent attorney and continued to be active in public affairs, serving as a member of the downtown economic development group Springfield Central and leading efforts to successfully defeat attempts to institute casino gambling. He also led successful efforts to place the privately owned Springfield libraries under public control.

He attempted to return to the mayoralty in 1995 but lost to City Councilor Michael J. Albano. Ryan was elected mayor in 2003 following the decision of Albano not to seek reelection. He defeated the Albano endorsed State Senator Linda Melconian in a campaign that focused on the numerous corruption scandals of the Albano years.[3] In November 2005, Ryan won reelection defeating the city's School Committee Vice-President, Thomas Ashe. On April 12, 2007, Ryan announced that he would run for re-election in the city's 2007 municipal election and stated that this would be his final run.[4] He lost this election to City Councilor Domenic Sarno.[2] Now formally retired, Ryan is still a frequently seen figure at political and social events.

Ryan's critics suggest the controversial urban renewal projects promulgated and overseen by his administrations during the 1960s disfigured Springfield's downtown and North End. They count the destruction of historic sites, such as the house occupied by abolitionist John Brown, among the lasting legacies of Ryan's first terms as mayor.

Electoral history

1962 United States House of Representatives Massachusetts's 2nd district Democratic primary[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward P. Boland (incumbent)	42,100	62.71
	Democratic	Charles V. Ryan	25,038	37.29
Total votes			67,138	100

1995 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election
Candidate	Primary election[6]		General election[7]
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Michael J. Albano	6,764	31.77	18,929	52.29
Charles V. Ryan	7,930	37.25	17,274	47.71
Robert Markel (incumbent)	4,160	19.54
Frederick Hurst	1,740	8.17
Chelan Jenkins	694	3.26

2003 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election[8]

Candidate		Votes	%
Charles V. Ryan		14,979	52.81
Lynda J. Melconian		13,258	46.75
Write-ins		125	0.44
Total votes		28,362	100

2007 Springfield, Massachusetts mayoral election[9]

Candidate		Votes	%
Domenic J. Sarno		11,096	52.54
Charles V. Ryan (incumbent)		9,964	47.18
Write-ins		61	0.29
Total votes		21,121	100

References

2. "Western challenger wins mayor's seat". Retrieved 11 January 2012.
3. "Mayor-elect will support prescription drug plan". Retrieved 11 January 2012.
4. Ryan, 79, to pursue re-election- MassLive.com
5. "Our Campaigns - MA District 2 - D Primary Race - Sep 17, 1968". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
6. "Our Campaigns - Springfield, MA Mayor - Primary Race - Sep 19, 1995". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
7. "Our Campaigns - Springfield, MA Mayor Race - Nov 07, 1995". www.ourcampaigns.com. Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
8. "2003_City_Election_11-04_SUM.pdf" (PDF). Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
9. "Local Election November 6th, 2007". Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved 28 November 2019.