Biography

A lifelong Buffalo resident, Michael P. “Mickey” Kearns is married to Erin Webb Kearns with whom he has one daughter, McKenna. Mickey is the second youngest of six children raised by his mother Mary, a Lackawanna native, and Paul Kearns, a South Buffalo native who worked for many years as a Buffalo Fire Fighter. Mickey is a graduate of Bishop Timon High School and holds degrees from Erie Community College and Canisius College.

After earning his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Canisius College, Mickey entered public service by becoming a sanitation worker for the City of Buffalo. He credits this period of his life for teaching him the value of hard work, honesty and dedication to one’s family, friends, neighbors and community. Mickey then went on work in the private sector at the Law Offices of Hiscock & Barclay, during which time he also balanced a full-time course load in paralegal studies at Erie Community College. He eventually left his paralegal position to become a Fundraising Consultant for Kearns & Associates, where he worked his way up through the company to the position of Vice President. Working as part of a family-owned small business that guided not-for-profits, parishes, educational institutions and healthcare providers through the capital fundraising process, Mickey saw first-hand the struggles that small business owners face and the importance of non-profits to the communities they serve.

Despite having a successful career as a businessman in the private sector, Mickey decided that he could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch a government that he felt was no longer working for the people. In 2005, he left his position at Kearns & Associates to run for the position of South District Common Council Member for the City of Buffalo, running as a political novice with no major endorsements. Although he faced an up-hill battle to represent the taxpayers of South Buffalo in City Government, Mickey’s hard work, honesty, integrity and message resonated with local voters as he went on to win both the Primary and General elections by a wide margin.

As a City of Buffalo Common Council Member, Mickey developed a reputation for tackling difficult issues head on and provided an independent voice in government for constituents from all sides of the political spectrum. He fought to protect small business owners from unnecessary regulations, served as a watch-dog for corruption and was a strong voice for protecting Western New York’s most vulnerable citizens.

After serving six years on the Buffalo Common Council, on March 20, 2012, Michael P. Kearns was elected in a Special Election by the voters of Buffalo, Lackawanna, West Seneca and Orchard Park to serve as the New York State Assemblyman for the 145th District.

As a New York State elected official, Mickey has made bringing good paying jobs to Western New York his number one priority.

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