[4] Ryan was personally involved in many aspects of municipal government and was acknowledged, even by his opponents, as a very popular figure in his city.
[6] In 2005, a journalist in the Montreal Gazette wrote that Ryan was usually able to "direct city business by doing little more than forcefully pointing his cigar butt.
[9] In 1999, anti-poverty groups accused Ryan of neglecting low-income housing; he disputed the charge, saying that his administration participated in three provincial programs and had created significantly more units than his opponents suggested.
[10] Some critics have charged that Ryan was unwilling to deal with long-term poverty issues in the Montreal North and was ultimately responsible for economic decline in the region.
He continued to promote the line for most of his time in office but was opposed by other municipal politicians, who argued that it made little sense in a broader urban framework.
[19] He opposed funding cuts introduced by Montreal mayor Pierre Bourque in 1997, on the grounds that they would jeopardize the future of public transit in the region.
[26] In 2004, Ryan was appointed by the new provincial government of Jean Charest to chair a committee overseeing the demerger of Longueuil.