Sean Michael Ramaley (born May 13, 1975) was a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

for the 16th District from 2004 to 2008.

Personal life

Sean Ramaley was born in

Economy, Pennsylvania Economy is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,079 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. History Economy was established in 1825 by a Harmonist society, and named to indi ...

, and attended Quigley Catholic High School, where in sports and other activities, including baseball, basketball, soccer, bowling and scouting. His father was a mechanic for

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called ...

for 38 years.Sean Ramaley - Leadership, for a change - About
/ref> Ramaley graduated from

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

in 1997 and was awarded the college's "Ethical Leader of the Year Award." He moved to Ohio and served as a Research and Policy Aide for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, focusing on state finance and budgetary matters. Ramaley returned to Pennsylvania as a professional political operative,

managing Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

political campaigns for

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, the

, Allegheny County Council, Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas, and several municipal offices. He attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, joining the University of Pittsburgh Law Review. After graduating in 2002, he took a position with the United States Department of Labor, where he clerked for the department's Administrative Law Judges. While at the Department of Labor, he joined the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 644. He also has maintained a private legal practice, working on corporate transactions, wills and estates. He volunteered for the American Legion’s Boys State Program and co-founded the non-profi
Keystone Leadership Development Corporation
He is on the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board and the Allegheny College Alumni Council.

Political career

Career as State Representative

Ramaley won a 5-way race for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 16th legislative district, an open seat upon the retirement of Susan Laughlin. In July 2004, he took a job as a legislative staffer for the powerful Beaver County state representative, Mike Veon.Veon, Ramaley charged in bonus scandal - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
/ref> He was elected to the

the November with a comfortable 20-point margin. He worked for Representative Veon until December of that year. He was re-elected without opposition in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2008 race for State Senate

Ramaley won the Democratic primary to succeed the retiring

Gerald LaValle Gerald J. LaValle (January 25, 1932 – September 12, 2018) was an American politician who was a member of the Democratic Party in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Biography A native of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, he earned a degree from Geneva Co ...

in the 47th senatorial district.

Indictment and acquittal

In July 2008, Ramaley was one of 12 individuals indicted by Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett as part of the

2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy In 2007, Pennsylvania Attorney General Republican Tom Corbett began investigating $3.8 million in public bonuses which were paid to state legislative staffers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly to work on party politics and campaigns. While the b ...

. Ramaley was not indicted for accepting or authorizing bonuses, but on charges of taking a part-time "no-work" job in the

Beaver Falls Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

district office of state Representative Mike Veon, while running for office.Tracie Mauriello
Jury acquits Ramaley in corruption trial
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (December 10, 2009). After pressure from party leaders, Ramaley withdrew from the race, although he and his lawyer alleged that the charges were politically motivated. At a jury trial, Ramaley presented evidence from former co-workers who testified that Ramaley did in fact perform work in the position. Ramaley was acquitted by a jury of all six charges against him on December 10, 2009.

References

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Sean Ramaley
Official PA House website.
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Representative Sean Ramaley
Official Party website.
Biographyvoting record
an
interest group ratings
at Project Vote Smart. *''Follow the Money'' - Sean M. Ramaley.
20062004
campaign contributions. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramaley, Sean M. 1975 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Beaver County, Pennsylvania