Allie Ryan
Allie Ryan (Unity Party) is running for election to the New York City Council to represent District 2. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 24, 2025.
Ryan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Biography
Allie Ryan was born in Richmond, Virginia. She earned a bachelor's degree from Mary Baldwin College in 1995 and a bachelor's degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. Her career experience includes working as an activist, artist, documentary film producer, nonprofit creator, small business owner, and writer.[1]
Ryan has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- East River Park Action
- New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax
- Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens
- Coalition for United for Equitable Urban Policy
- Elizabeth Street Garden
- New York City E-Vehicles Safety Alliance
- One City Rising
- Dance Parade
- Earth Celebrations
- Save Our Supermarket
- Citiwide People's Land Use Alliance
- Metro Area Governors Island Coalition
- Friends of Tompkins Square Park
- Coalition to Save Manhattan Small Businesses
- Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum Education
- Time's Up!
- Green Map
- Museum of the Reclaimed Urban Space
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in New York, New York (2025)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for New York City Council District 2
Harvey Epstein, Jason Murillo, Gail Schargel, and Allie Ryan are running in the general election for New York City Council District 2 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Harvey Epstein (D / Working Families Party) | ||
Jason Murillo (R / Conservative Party)  | ||
| Gail Schargel (CleanSafeStreet) | ||
 | Allie Ryan (Unity Party) | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Harvey Epstein in round 4 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 30,257 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jason Murillo in round 1 .
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Conservative Party primary election
Conservative Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jason Murillo in round 1 .
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Working Families Party primary election
Working Families Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Harvey Epstein in round 1 .
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2023
See also: City elections in New York, New York (2023)
General election
General election for New York City Council District 2
Incumbent Carlina Rivera won election in the general election for New York City Council District 2 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carlina Rivera (D / Working Families Party) | 92.9 | 10,137 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 7.1 | 780 | ||
| Total votes: 10,917 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Juan Pagan (Medical Freedom Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Carlina Rivera in round 1 .
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Total votes: 7,744 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for New York City Council District 2
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Juan Pagan (R)
Working Families Party primary election
Working Families Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Carlina Rivera in round 1 .
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ryan in this election.
2021
See also: City elections in New York, New York (2021)
General election
General election for New York City Council District 2
Incumbent Carlina Rivera defeated Allie Ryan and Juan Pagan in the general election for New York City Council District 2 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Carlina Rivera (D) | 79.8 | 18,716 |
| Allie Ryan (Neighborhood Party) | 11.5 | 2,684 | |
 | Juan Pagan (Independent Party) | 8.2 | 1,925 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 116 | ||
| Total votes: 23,441 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 2
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Carlina Rivera in round 1 .
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Total votes: 21,342 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Allie Ryan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ryan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Public Safety
> Pass Priscilla's Law to register, license eBikes. > Remove needle exchanges and harm reduction services near playgrounds & dog runs.
> Support police as they enforce the laws. - Affordability > Fix the dirty polluted water in NYCHA's Jacob Riis Housing. > Create subsidies for Small Property Owners to unwarehouse apartments > Fund afterschool extracurricular activities for teenagers.
- The Environment: > Dedicate 1% of the City budget to parks. >Protect and preserve community gardens by zoning as Community Land Trusts. > Ban artificial grass in parks and green spaces > Introduce a bill that parks of 10 acres or larger must have a full-time dedicated on-site park manager and full-time dedicated on-site Union gardener > Evaluate empty lots of land above 14th Street to create a much needed park / playground. > Repave the pathways in Tompkins Square Park, lower fencing so park goers can use more of the park and initiate a capital project to build a new bandshell AND fund music programing.
Over the past few years, I have witnessed the importance of strong leadership and accountability in a City Council member. In my opinion, having strong ties and communication with the community enables a Council Member to recognize their needs and stand up for constituents in the face of legislation and land use proceedings that many citizens are not even aware are taking place. City Council's role in land use decisions allows for more than enforcing the basics of the law, but also protecting the spirit and the will of the people who elected the representative. Aka, the people who live in the district. Not those who simply profit off of the district. Those who can employ lobbyists and fund astro-turf ( fake, well financed, not Grass Roots ) activists. In addition, when legislators regularly pass legislation that is not followed up with enforcement ( including pressure from the representative for local enforcement to occur, ) the legislation becomes meaningless. When people's resulting complaints fall on deaf ears, the representatives become equally meaningless.
The "Mayor" of my block died recently due to a heart attack. He had lived on my block for 35 years and together with his wife, they raised their children here. After retiring from the Parks Dept., our Mayor worked as a super for a couple buildings on our block. He always greeted everyone with a smile and naturally looked out for everyone. When I decided to run for City Council, he helped me gather signatures for my petition to get on the ballot. I accepted his endorsement with a special sense of pride. I learned to value his insight on the issues facing our neighborhood and district and I will miss his pragmatic honesty based on real life experiences for solutions. I hope people will trust me as a representative as I follow our local Mayor in residence's example and lead by action to help people seize life's opportunities to make a difference.
Even though Jane Jacobs wrote this book in the 1950s, it is as if she published it today.
Equally important is constituent services. The way a City Council Member interacts with their Constituents. The council member and his or her team represent residents’ connection to resolving problems with the aid of governmental agencies. Too often I hear of Constituents being ignored.
2. Enabling low income and middle class to live in NYC for future generations aka real affordable housing opportunities and small businesses that meet the neighborhood's needs. I support empowerment and community.
Fostering the idea that individually we all want to contribute in a meaningful way to society. #2 is a bit of an umbrella, but in the end it's a radical approach to poverty and struggle because I see it as removing a lot of red tape and not seeing people as problems to solve, but as supporting people with dignity and enabling them solve their own problems / channeling energy.
Overall, I love DuBrul's storytelling and interweaving of BiPolar Disorder, Youthful Wanderlust and Gardening. The way the book is structured, I was able to savor each chapter and reflect before reading the next chapter.
I believe it essential for a City Councilmember to have life experiences that enable them to have empathy and the ability to deeply creative problem solve issues' causes, not just at its face value. Some of the current mayoral administration's approaches come from a top down approach, rather than a bottom up approach. It is important to work together, but I have learned that it's not just how long you have lived in a neighborhood, but really about being an active member and enjoying being a part of your neighborhood. Any and all professional experiences can prepare a candidate to take on the bureaucratic operations and laws of upholding one's role as elected official, but being an active member and holding good will to your community is what gives an elected official strength. Confucius believed the legitimacy of a [government] fundamentally relies on the confidence of the people. [An elected official] should tirelessly work hard and 'lead by example'.
I believe listening and respecting the community's collective voice on issues and voting accordingly is the most helpful habit to be a highly effective City Councilmember. Acknowledging constituent concerns and sometimes directing them to an appropriate agency for aid, is a valuable form of teamwork and collaboration, but following up with both the constituent and the agency is a sign of true accountability. Being able to see through the distractions to the core problem and then approach future recurring problems with critical thinking and long term problem solving is essential.
Over the past few years, I have witnessed the importance of strong leadership and accountability in a City Council member. In my opinion, having strong ties and communication with the community enables a Council Member to recognize their needs and stand up for constituents in the face of legislation and land use proceedings that many citizens are not even aware are taking place. City Council's role in land use decisions allows for more than enforcing the basics of the law, but also protecting the spirit and the will of the people who elected the representative. Aka, the people who live in the district. Not those who simply profit off of the district. In addition, when legislators regularly pass legislation that is not followed up with enforcement ( including pressure from the representative for local enforcement to occur, ) the legislation becomes meaningless. When people's resulting complaints fall on deaf ears, the representatives become equally meaningless.
We’ve had a housing crisis, a crime crisis, and a homelessness crisis for over a decade. The status quo Democrats claim to have solutions yet nothing has improved. Money disappears. Cronies profit. Yet they want to be re-elected for solving nothing in the myriad of crises. With two decades of experience living in Council District 2 and as an Environmental/Bicycling/Land Use Activist/Organizer, part of seven lawsuits suing for good government/community improvements, I bring actual experience and solutions to solve these chronic seemingly unsolvable problems.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2023
Allie Ryan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Allie Ryan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ryan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Yet, the reality is, right now quality of life issues truly dominate the conversation. I am experiencing many of the same issues as my neighbors in District 2 such as noise, crime, trash, rats, street safety and a lack of real affordable housing. As a documentary filmmaker, I have shed light on some of these subjects ranging from former inmates re-entering society, transportation alternatives such as urban cycling infrastructure, and advocates for free speech and freedom of assembly. If elected to City Council, I will continue to ensure your voices are heard. I will objectively examine and keep in check programs like Open Restaurants, bike lanes and e-bike regulation and use my pulpit to call for oversight.
- Save East River Park
- Quality of Life
- Real Affordable Housing
I am also passionate about enabling low income and low middle class to live in NYC for future generations, aka real affordable housing opportunities and supporting / protecting small businesses that meet neighborhoods' needs. Opposing the de Blasio administration's SoHo / NoHo Neighborhood Plan is personal to me. As a former practicing artist and a daughter of an artist who is aging in place, I know first hand that artists are small business owners and vital long-term residents. The SoHo / NoHo Neighborhood Plan should be withdrawn and the SoHo / NoHo Community Plan and the Chinatown Working Group Plan should be on the table.
The "Mayor" of my block died recently due to a heart attack. He had lived on my block for 35 years and together with his wife, they raised their children here. After retiring from the Parks Dept., our Mayor worked as a super for a couple buildings on our block. He always greeted everyone with a smile and naturally looked out for everyone. When I decided to run for City Council, he helped me gather signatures for my petition to get on the ballot. I accepted his endorsement with a special sense of pride. I learned to value his insight on the issues facing our neighborhood and district and I will miss his pragmatic honesty based on real life experiences for solutions. I hope people will trust me as a representative as I follow our local Mayor in residence's example and lead by action to help people seize life's opportunities to make a difference.
I fight to protect at-risk green spaces because I want the "City Kids" (including my own daughters) to experience a life of balance. For my family and neighbors, East River Park and our local libraries provide daily reminders of nature and all of life's collectively learned and crucial shared lessons.
- As simple as this sounds, I learned this quality / skill as a mother. I believe this necessary quality is why numerous Lower East Side and East Village residents continue to oppose the ESCR. The deBlasio administration left the community out of the loop when it switched from the community-led plan to the current plan nor adapted to life-altering changes of COVID19 and environmental factors.
Emphatic Communication: Listening to others, observing what's going on. Being open to what others say and their experiences, what they may say may affirm or conflict. And that is ok. At the core, it's trust building.
The above description accounts for the bureaucratic responsibilities that are based on collaboration and good governance. However, I believe the actual core responsibility of a Councilmember is standing true for their constituents desires in these governmental collaborations and negotiations.
2. School Year Reform (enabling children to enjoy curiosity for knowledge sake, which will open "doors" to empowerment - ultimately this is the most important because we cannot give back time and children's futures are at stake.
3. Enabling low income and middle class to live in NYC for future generations aka real affordable housing opportunities and small businesses that meet the neighborhood's needs. I support empowerment and community.
Fostering the idea that individually we all want to contribute in a meaningful way to society. #3 is a bit of an umbrella, but in the end it's a radical approach to poverty and struggle because I see it as removing a lot of red tape and not seeing people as problems to solve, but as supporting people with dignity and enabling them solve their own problems / channeling energy.
Overall, I love DuBrul's storytelling and interweaving of BiPolar Disorder, Youthful Wanderlust and Gardening. The way the book is structured, I was able to savor each chapter and reflect before reading the next chapter.
Also, Cancer. When I was seven months pregnant with my second child I was diagnosed with cancer and had to have major surgeries that my pregnancy required me to be awake during. I did not know if was going to ever meet my second child, if she was going to be alright herself, and if I was going to be there for my first child and husband ever again. The surgeries ended up being more complicated than initially thought and the cancer was heading to my brain. A final surgery, through my face, was able to stop the cancer's deadly course and I have been cancer free for over seven years. This experience has made me value every day, with my family, my friends, my community and my city. I have no fear in facing hard truths and challenges and little time for sugar coating reality. We are only here for so long, and if we choose to bring children in to this world, we owe it to them to make it as just, safe, and fulfilling as possible.
( If you don't remember the set up, be thankful that at least this attempt as humor was over quickly. )
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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