Politics & Government
Longtime State Representative For Southeastern CT Dies
The representative was the assistant deputy speaker and his "commitment to public service will be greatly missed."
MONTVILLE, CT — State Rep. Kevin Ryan died on Sunday, according to the New London Democratic Town Committee. Ryan represented a district covering Montville, Ledyard, Bozrah, and Norwich.
Ryan, 73, died two days after entering hospice care in West Hartford, according to the CT Mirror.
Gov. Ned Lamont directed state flags be lowered to half-staff to honor Ryan.
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"(Ryan) loved public service and was always ready and willing to listen to the views of the people he represented and take action to support their interests," Lamont said in a statement. "Throughout my tenure as governor, Kevin has been one of the friendliest legislators that I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and I am going to miss his clever, sharp, and humorous personality."
Ryan had been appointed as assistant deputy speaker for the 2025-26 legislative session, according to his bio. He was first elected to state office in 1993.
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Ryan was a resident of the Oakdale section of Montville. He previously served on the Montville Board of Education for six years before his election to the House of Representatives.
Ryan was also "instrumental in preserving the historic beauty of Bozrah by preventing a quarry from being constructed in the heart of Bozrah," according to his bio.
The New London Democratic Town Committee posted the following on Facebook:
Connecticut lost a great public servant. Kevin Ryan passed away yesterday.
Kevin was proud to serve the 139th House District he was Assistant Deputy Speaker. Additionally, he was a member of the following committees: Environment, Appropriations, Public Health, and Regulations Review.
Previously, Kevin served eight years as the House Chairman of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. He also was co-chair of the School Building Subcommittee. Under Speaker Sharkey, he had the opportunity to chair the Municipal Organization Regional Efficiencies subcommittees of Education and Municipal Efficiencies.
Kevin’s commitment to public service will be greatly missed .
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