I'm Sean Dwyer, and I'm seeking to represent the 6th Illinois General Assembly District as a lifelong Chicagoan raised in a single-parent household on the South Side, educated in the Chicago Public Schools ("CPS"), and who was a City of Chicago first responder for five years. I think many of the large decisions we're making in our great city are bad. I want us to be vibrant and successful, celebrating our similarities more than our differences. My campaign sits on a 3-legged stool of public education reform, public safety reform, and a re-envisioning of Chicago's central business district in a post-COVID world. I see education (or lack thereof) and crime as deeply intertwined, and we need to get the CPS doing better than the current ~25% of students reading at grade level and ~10% of students doing math at grade level.
My past successful experience in business, leading teams and managing investment portfolios of assets valued at up to ~$2 billion prepares me to comprehend and improve the economics of our city. Let's balance the budget. My political beliefs are largely centrist, and I was a significant donor to Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The incumbent's legislative record reflects a concern almost exclusively with agriculture. I worry about our schools, our streets and revitalizing a central business district with significantly vacant office and retail space.
We are the City of the Big Shoulders, let's get to work on the important issues!
Sean A. Dwyer Personal Biography, Key Dates & Events
12/9/1963 - Charles Francis Dwyer, Sean's father enters US Army (service rank PFC-E3, service number US 55 779 203), stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Graduated South Shore High School 1961.
9/21/1965 - Charles Francis Dwyer honorably discharged from active duty. Returns home to 2858 E. 58th Street, Chicago, IL. Separates from Shirlee-Morris Dwyer. Struggles with alcoholism, gambling and smokes.
2/12/1966 - Sean Dwyer Born St. Joseph's Hospital, Fairbanks, AK. Mother, Shirlee Morris-Dwyer works in administration at St. Joseph's Hospital. Grew up in Hyde Park & graduated from Hyde Park High School.
10/1967 (approximate) - Shirlee Morris-Dwyer & Sean Dwyer return to Chicago from Alaska and move into 1BR apartment #201 at 7715 South Shore Drive.
6/1970 (approximate) - Shirlee Morris-Dwyer & Sean Dwyer move into 2BR apartment #318 at 2801 South King Drive.
9/1971-6/1972 (approximate) - Sean attends Solomon Schechter private grade school in Hyde Park on scholarship.
9/1972-3/1974 (approximate) - Sean transfers to his new Chicago Public School, John J. Pershing, at 3200 S. Calumet Ave.
3/1974-6/1980 - After difficult academic results set against a challenging academic culture at Pershing, Sean receives Chicago Public Schools permission to transfer to his new Chicago Public School, Bret Harte at 1556 E. 56th Street. Immediate, significant academic improvement.
11/1976 (approximate) - Shirlee Morris-Dwyer & Sean Dwyer move into 1BR apartment #1202 at 1755 E. 55th Street so that Sean can more easily attend Bret Harte.
6/1981-8/1981 (approximate) - Sean gets 1st full-time seasonal job as a lifeguard at the Flamingo Hotel, 5500 S. Shore Dr.
10/1981 (approximate) - Shirlee Morris-Dwyer & Sean Dwyer move into 2BR apartment #6D at 1616 E. 50th Place so that Sean can more easily attend his Chicago Public High School- Kenwood Academy at 5015 S. Blackstone Ave.
6/1982-8/1986 (approximate) - Sean works full-time seasonal job as City of Chicago (Chicago Park District) first responder- lifeguard at 57th and 49th Street Beaches, recording a significant number of 'jumps'/rescues.
6/1984 - Sean graduates from Kenwood Academy high in his class and with high standardized test scores and 5's on AP Biology and AP US History exams. He was a 3-sport athlete (Soccer, Swimming and Tennis) for four years, winning multiple City of Chicago championships with his teams on behalf of Kenwood.
8/1984-6/1988 - Sean enrolls at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. Graduates with a high GPA and significant student debt, which he repays.
10/13/1986 - Sean's father, Charles Francis Dwyer dies of cardiorespiratory arrest as a result of lung cancer while Sean is in college.
6/1987-8/1988 (approximate) - Sean works full-time seasonal job as Hyde Park Hilton first responder, continuing to respond to Chicago Park District beach emergencies while off duty and at personal risk.
9/1988-11/2023 - Sean builds a professional career in institutional real estate investments, including transactional and asset management roles with increasing levels of assets under management and responsibility, generating durable outperformance within national and international markets. Organizations that Sean was associated with included ORIX Real Estate Equities, Henderson Global Investors, TIAA-CREF and Mapletree.
4/7/2003 - Sean's son, Mathéo Philippe Dwyer is born.
4/2023 - Present - Sean accepts a leadership position with Global Educational Resources LLC ("GER"), an Ed-Tech start-up developing and marketing Project Based Learning academic curriculum within major Asian markets. Sean's partners in GER include multiple professors of education at a major Chicago university and the business operates in an attempt to create better educational curriculum and methods.
8/17/2023 - Sean files to run for Illinois’ 6th District House Representative.