Election board rejects only Republican running for Akron mayor, 2 Democrats for council

There will be no Republican on the ballot for mayor of Akron this year and half the city's ward council races will now have no primary competition after the Summit County Board of Elections voted Monday to reject candidate petitions.

The board, comprised of two Democrats and two Republicans, voted unanimously to reject the certification of Republican Jim Isabella's petition to run for mayor. Isabella, a former conservative talk radio host on WNIR, was the only Republican to make the Feb. 1 filing deadline.

Though he turned in more than 70 signatures, only 43 were found to belong to registered voters in Akron. Fifty signatures are needed to run for mayor or council-at-large in Akron. (Only 25 valid signatures are needed for ward council candidates.)

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"It’s frustrating," said Isabella, who said he has yet to seek advice on what to do next.

"I would think I would appeal it," he said. "But at this point, you’re seven short. I need to know what happened."

The election board also rejected at-large council petitions for Lamont Porter of Akron. Porter's petitions carried only 40 valid signatures, election staff reported to the board.

And Akron Ward 5 candidate Shamoriea Hilliard made a critical error in not clearly listing on all her signature petitions the seat she was seeking in the May 2 primary. The board concluded that voters who signed the petitions could not have reasonably known, based on the documents, whether Hilliard was running in just Ward 5 or citywide in an at-large race.

Eliminations from Akron elections hit Republicans hard

The decisions give Democrats, who are running on decades of winning council and mayor races in Akron, another advantage this fall. If a Republican does try to run, he or she would have to file as an independent or write-in candidate.

The elimination of Porter leaves voters with nine other choices as the at-large council race in Akron remains the most contested among Democrats on the May 2 primary ballot. The top three vote-getters would move on to face the only two Republicans who filed for the three at-large seats.

And the Ward 5 decision gives candidate Johnnie Hannah a clearer path to victory in this year's municipal elections. Last time around in 2019, Hannah lost the Ward 5 race to Councilwoman Tara Mosley, who is now running for mayor.

This year, the number of primary races for Akron council with only one Democrat running has climbed to five. Along with Hannah, incumbents Phil Lombardo, D-2, Brad McKitrick, D-6, Donnie Kammer, D-7, and Sharon Connor, D-10, can be considered their party's presumptive nominees. And, also like Hannah in Ward 5, the four sitting council members have no Republican running on the ballot in their races.

The filing deadline for independent candidates is May 1. And there remains possible competition from write-in candidates, who face the challenge of voters needing to know and write their names on ballots this fall.

The only other candidates countywide who failed to make the ballot were Clarence Ingol II, the only Republican running for Ward 3 in Barberton, and Brenda Stevenson-Rickenbacker, one of three Republicans running for Ward 6 in Barberton.

With the loss of Isabella at the top of the ticket, the Republican showing in Akron is down markedly compared to four years ago. In 2019, the GOP fielded candidates for seven of the 10 ward seats on council. This year, only three Republicans filed for council — two vying for the three at-large seats and one in Ward 9.

Democrats are also offering less competition in the ward races (five competitive seats this year compared to seven four years ago) but still showing more interest in the at-large race with nine candidates compared to six in the 2019 primary.

Hannah looks to serve

Hannah, a Vietnam War veteran who serves on the board of Keep Akron Beautiful and the Interdenominational Church Ushers of Akron, lives and operates Mollie's Sweets Treats N Things on South Street near the Akron Central Interchange. He's currently working with the Akron Parks Collaborative on plans to revitalize Morgan Park following the demolition of an blighted commercial brick building long targeted by council, city administrators and the community.

Hannah, reached by phone Monday, said he was "looking forward" to another competitive race. The South Akron resident, who can be reached at 330-256-8428, added that he's still seeking support to revitalize Morgan Park with new basketball and pickle ball courts, a playground, shelter and picnic area.

Reach reporter Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Republican Jim Isabella fails to make primary ballot for Akron mayor