Open Letter to Akron: I have the experience and the bold vision to be our city's next Mayor

In a recent Beacon Journal column about the upcoming mayoral race, op-ed contributor Michael Douglas encouraged me to address concerns about my experience as we head into the final weeks of the campaign. I appreciate his comments and want to tackle them head-on.

I am running for mayor of Akron because, after decades of slow but steady decline, our city desperately needs a bold vision for its future – rooted in safety, good schools, good jobs, and stable housing. My campaign’s Together for Akron plan, which Douglas cited, is the strongest vision released by any of the candidates in this race. Without a clear vision for change, even the most well-intentioned and experienced public servant will be stuck in the mud, continuing to manage decline.

I’ve worked in city government since 2016, first as a lawyer, now as a ward councilperson. In these roles, I’ve worked with folks in every department and at every level of city government. I know what works, and what doesn’t – and I’ve successfully pushed for change.

I’m not afraid to acknowledge that I don’t have 20 years of management experience, and I’m also willing to surround myself with a team of people who have a wide variety of skills, including longtime managers. Like we’ve recently seen in Cleveland, a leader with fresh ideas can attract top talent to a new administration, while retaining experienced public servants who have deep institutional memory.

If elected, I would set up a transition team that would translate our Together For Akron vision into a clear work plan with metrics, timelines, and resource needs. Our campaign has benefited from the experience and insight of many Akron leaders across every sector, and I would continue to engage with them throughout this process.

Upon taking office, my administration would begin with the following priorities:

Starting with safety: Safety is the most critical issue facing our community, as noted in the Akron Decides poll and as I’ve heard from residents across our city. To begin, I would prioritize engaging in a comprehensive planning process that will set goals for our Akron Police Department to fully implement community policing, selecting a permanent location for the APD and bringing organizations across our community together to re-engage on implementing the city’s existing Youth Violence Strategic Plan.

Creating a more open and modern city hall – We will act quickly to improve how city government interacts with residents, from clear and frequent communication on important issues, to upgrading our city website and bringing city services online. This will require both process and culture change within City Hall, and that will take time, but it must start on day one. Residents deserve to feel heard, and my goal will be to make sure that in every development project, every substantial neighborhood investment, every budgeting cycle, we have guidelines for community input that have to be followed before projects can move forward. This more open, transparent way of governing will be a hallmark of my administration and will give people faith in their city government.

Moving forward in a measured way - As we begin implementing our bold Together For Akron vision, my administration will balance progress with the realities of financial resources and staffing. We will aggressively go after state and federal funding, and we also will tighten our belt when it comes to spending, taking a hard look at consulting contracts and our city’s multiple golf courses, for example. We will be laser-focused on delivering city services professionally and efficiently, while making long-term progress on delivering an Akron that is safer, with good schools and good jobs, and quality, affordable housing as our core foundation for year one, year four, and beyond.

Akron is ready for positive change. I have the experience and the bold vision needed to move our city in a new direction. And I am ready to lead.