John J. Flynn, senior counsel at Lippes Mathias LLP and leader of the firm's municipal law practice team, has been appointed to the boards of directors of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency and the Erie County Regional Development Corporation. 

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency is a public benefit corporation established in 1970 by the New York State Legislature to promote private sector industrial and business investment, job creation, and economic growth in Erie County. The Erie County Regional Development Corporation serves as the lending arm of the agency. 

About John J. Flynn 

John J. Flynn is senior counsel at Lippes Mathias LLP and leader of the municipal law practice team. On May 18, 2026, Flynn was appointed the 50th town supervisor of the Town of Tonawanda, a role carrying broad organizational and financial responsibilities under New York Town Law. 

Before joining Lippes Mathias, Flynn served nearly two terms as Erie County district attorney, managing a $30 million budget and leading a team of more than 200 attorneys and support staff. His office prosecuted misdemeanor cases in city, town, and village courts; felony cases in State Supreme Court and Erie County Court; and cases in several specialty courts. During that tenure, Flynn served as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York and president of the National District Attorneys Association, and he is a lifetime member of the Council on Criminal Justice. 

Prior to serving as district attorney, Flynn held positions as an assistant district attorney, acting Buffalo City Court judge, town justice in the Town of Tonawanda, Tonawanda town attorney, and member of the Tonawanda Town Board. 

Flynn earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bowling Green State University and a J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law. A decorated U.S. Navy veteran, he is a graduate of Naval Officer Candidate School, Naval Justice School, and Navy Supply Corps School. Flynn's initial naval assignment was aboard the USS Cleveland (LPD-7), stationed in San Diego, Calif., where he served as assistant supply officer, deploying to the Western Pacific and serving during the Gulf War. After fulfilling his initial naval commitment, Flynn returned to Buffalo and attended law school while continuing to serve in the Naval Reserves. Upon graduating in 1995, he returned to active duty in the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, serving as a Navy attorney at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., where he was also appointed a special assistant United States attorney. He completed his active duty service at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., as officer-in-charge of the Office of Legal Counsel and as an instructor. Flynn reaffiliated with the Naval Reserves in 2001, serving in assignments at the Washington Navy Yard and the Pentagon before retiring as a commander in 2017. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and six Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm ranked among the top 200 law firms in the U.S. by size, with nearly 230 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.