Fran Ryan Sworn In As Councilmember
Surrounded by her family, friends and colleagues, Fran Ryan
was sworn in Monday as a Columbus City Councilmember to fill an unexpired term
that ends Jan. 1, 2016. She
serves as the chair of the Environment and Technology Committees.
For five decades, Ryan has
dedicated herself to improving the lives of Columbus residents. Ryan, a
graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, was a member
of Columbus City Council from 1971-77. During her two terms on Council,
Ryan chaired the Community Services Committee and co-chaired the Revenue
Sharing Task Force. She was also instrumental in founding the Franklin
County Metropolitan Human Services Commission.
In 1977, Ryan was
appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the Department of Labor's chief
representative of the six-state Midwest region. She helped
establish procedures to inform impacted groups of new department programs and
acted as a communication liaison between the department and the public.
In 1981, Ryan returned to
City government to serve as the Columbus City Council Clerk, helping to
coordinate legislative activities for City Councilmembers and the
public.
After a number of years as
a local political leader and private sector employee, Ryan was appointed by
Mayor Michael B. Coleman to be the Senior Services Coordinator for the City of
Columbus. Ryan created an advisory board of
more than 900 providers of senior services from the public and private sectors
to address safety, health, housing, and transportation issues for seniors
in our community.
Ryan and her husband Dick
have five children and 11 grandchildren.
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