Mayor Shammas Malik says he's encouraged by discussion with prospective Summa owner

Mayor Shammas Malik said Wednesday he was encouraged by a recent meeting with HATCo leader Marc Harrison, who is heading up an effort to acquire the Akron-based Summa Health System.

During a Wednesday morning news conference, Malik said he had a constructive, "thoughtful and detailed conversation" with Harrison.

Malik said during a Jan. 30 appearance at the Akron Roundtable that he planned to talk to Harrison about some of the concerns that he and the community share regarding Summa's impending sale to HATCo.

On Feb. 2, Malik posted on the city's social media channels that he had emphasized in that discussion that he wanted to see "see clear assurances of the long-term funding HATCo is able to commit to Summa, as well as details about the new foundation that will be created."

"We raised concerns and really said, look, these are some really great intentions — and we're really excited about what this could mean for the community — but we also have to look at, what if all of these plans do not come to pass?" Malik said Wednesday. "What happens if we're in year 10 and there are challenges?"

It's not the end of the conversation, however. Malik said he'll likely speak with Harrison again.

Malik said he was encouraged by Harrison's deference to the Summa representatives who participated in the conversation — a hopeful indicator, he added, that HATCo's planned acquisition of Summa isn't the conventional private equity takeover. Instead, he said, it's indicative of a company with a "thesis" for the future of health care and intent on partnering with the current Summa team.

"It's the first step of many," Malik said. "We're going to be really focused on continuing these conversations. I was really appreciative that they came by and had that conversation with us."

Snowplow tracker hits the streets

During the news conference, Darren Rozenek, the city's information technology director, demonstrated the newly released snowplow tracker and dashboard. It's accessible on all mobile devices and web browsers at AkronOhio.gov/SnowplowTracker.

It features the city’s snow and ice plan, response levels, street priorities, parking ban information, FAQs, and more.

During inclement winter weather, the site will be updated with near-real-time information. The tracker will show if a truck has been on a street within the last hour, between one to four hours, four to 12 hours, 12-14 hours, or over 24 hours ago.

Residents can see if their street has been treated prior to a winter storm and see where crews are focusing their response. The dashboard explains the city's various response levels depending on the severity of the weather, including a map detailing the first, second, and third priority streets.

Rozenek said that in developing the tracker, the city used technology that it has already invested in and is familiar with in an effort to improve the lives of citizens and to provide more transparency into Akron's operations.

He also mentioned that Akron plans to use this technology for other city operations.

Elaborating on Rozenek's comment, Malik said the city isn't ready to announce specifically where it intends to apply this technology next, but sanitation and traffic are possibilities.

More appointments announced

Malik also announced that Montrella Jackson will serve in his Cabinet as director of human resources.

Jackson currently serves as the chief executive and court administrator for the Akron Municipal Court, appointed by the judges to that role in November 2012.

The mayor also announced a number of other personnel appointments.

Anthony Ingram will serve in the newly created role of public safety strategist, focusing on violence intervention and prevention. Ingram currently serves as manager of specialized dockets and statewide drug court coordinator for the Ohio Supreme Court.

Alexis King has been appointed to digital media manager, coming to administration from the Akron YMCA.

Akron Public School board member Summer Hall is now the administration's cultural engagement coordinator, another new role. Malik said Hall will work under DEI Director Esther Thomas, where she'll focus on areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Mayor Shammas Malik discusses Summa deal, city snowplow tracker