Meet the class of 2024: 5 new council members were sworn in on Monday. Who are they?

Five new faces will take their seats around the Akron City Council horseshoe starting Jan. 1.

On Monday, they were sworn in during a ceremony at Akron City Hall.

The Beacon Journal spoke with the five incoming council members about how they plan to approach their four-year term on City Council.

All of them spoke about the need to address certain problems that Akron is facing — gun violence and economic disparity, for example — as well as their plans for approaching their new roles.

Eric Garrett Sr., at-large

When Eric Garrett Sr., military veteran and founder of the Beyond Expectations Barber College, assumes the at-large council seat being vacated by Ginger Baylor, the first thing he said he's going to do is begin building relationships with fellow council members. He is only one of 13 members and knows he will need help to bring the change he wants to see.

Long-term, he hopes to address Akron's gun violence problem. He's reached out to Clerk of Council Sarah Biviano, requesting legislation from the past year relating to gun violence and homelessness.

Garrett's son was carjacked at gunpoint during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic. In July, his son was again caught in the crossfire during a drive-by shooting that occurred on Hardesty Boulevard that left a man wounded. The crime still hasn't been solved.

"I am just so blessed as a father, my son didn't get hit," said Garrett.

He also wants to make Akron a more attractive place for people to live.

"Whether it's creating job opportunities or better housing, veteran homes as a disabled veteran myself, just figuring out ways to get more people into our city," he said. "So the long-term goal is to get our population back over 200,000 people and then also increase wages."

Garrett decided to run for a seat representing the entire city as a way to show his children that one person can make a difference.

"Any time you see opportunity to help make your country better, to stop people from losing faith, you just have to jump in and help out," Garrett said.

Jan Davis, Ward 4

Collaboration is important to Ward 4's new representative, Jan Davis, who narrowly unseated incumbent Russ Neal.

The first thing she said she'll do is establish good working relationships with her fellow council members.

"It's okay for us to differ, that's healthy," she said. " But (there is) too much chaos going on at City Council."

Experience in her personal life and professional career — first as an employee for Summa Health and now at Huntington Bank — taught her that change is hard and requires working with others.

She wants to help Ward 4's residents feel like they matter to the city.

"As I was out doing my campaigning, a lot of residents felt that they were not being heard, or they were not being included," said Davis.

She's begun building a five-person team focused on economic development and safety along Copley Road. New investment in the corridor won't happen overnight, she said, acknowledging it might take more than one to term accomplish.

"I'm not going down there to make a career. I'm 70 years old," she said. "So what I can get done in four years, I'm gonna work hard to get done."

Johnnie Hannah, Ward 5

Johnnie Hannah, 75, is taking over representation of Ward 5 from Tara Mosley, who did not seek re-election and instead ran unsuccessfully for mayor.

Transparency and accessibility, he said, will become hallmarks of his tenure on council.

"I would like to make sure that my name is synonymous with Ward 5," said Hannah, "which means that the residents will be able to reach out to me with their concerns, I'll be able to address them or I will be able to lead them into the direction of a city government that will address their concerns."

Hannah, a Vietnam War veteran and owner of Mollie's Sweet Treats N Things on East South Street, said his first goal is to oversee the completion of the revitalization of Morgan Park, which had fallen into disrepair in recent years.

The overhaul is nearly complete, and the park will be open again in July, Hannah said. He's been working closely with the Akron Parks Collaborative to complete the project.

Equitable citywide economic development is his long-term goal.

"I'm going to work with City Council to see that Ward 5 gets their share of the grants that's coming into the community and make sure that my residents have a portion of whatever the other wards are getting," Hannah said.

Securing affordable housing and jobs in the ward are essential, he said, to reducing the area's high crime rate and gun violence because residents are more likely to take pride in their surroundings and care for their community.

He wants to be able to solve people's problems.

"If you listen to what your residents and constituents are saying," Hannah said, "then you'll be able to come up with a solution or find a solution to their concerns."

James Hardy, Ward 8

James Hardy, 39, is taking over mayor-elect Shammas Malik's Ward 8 seat.

Building relationships among himself, his colleagues and the residents of Ward 8 is among Hardy's immediate priorities upon taking office.

He'll reach his constituents using monthly ward meetings and digital newsletters — and by visiting Ward 8's small businesses.

Hardy previously served as Mayor Daniel Horrigan's deputy mayor for integrated development and first chief of staff. He also served as president of the Akron Board of Education. In 2021, Hardy stepped away from Horrigan's administration to take his current position as the senior program officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

His decision to rejoin City Hall originates from the increasing violence in word and deed he's seen in the community — vitriol that divides the city, solving nothing, while the housing stock deteriorates and people move elsewhere.

"In my opinion," he said, "the gun violence that we're seeing in our community is a direct result of the impacts of poverty, and of a society that is, has largely walked away from a lot of our communities as a result of racism, classism, etc. That said, while we work on those bigger issues, people are dying, and our neighbors are dying, their children are dying."

He hopes to use his voice to offer bold solutions to the city's gun violence epidemic, economic instability and a lack of safe affordable housing.

Hardy aspires to work with the school board to improve the district.

"We need a whole of government approach to to address these issues because I don't foresee the state of Ohio or the federal government or anyone else coming in to help us," Hardy said.

Tina Brode Boyes, Ward 9

In the race for Ward 9, Tina Boyes defeated Republican Micah Townshend.

With Boyes assuming the office vacated by Mike Freeman, her first steps will be to connect with Ward 9 residents. She wants to begin building neighborhood groups that can identify and relay concerns back to her so that she can search for solutions.

"You know, it's a little nebulous," Boyes said, "but I'd really like to figure out how we can strengthen the social fabric of our neighborhoods."

Long-term, she hopes to improve the relationship between her ward and the schools to ensure better educational opportunities for people in neighborhoods like Kenmore and Firestone Park.

Housing, she said, is an issue, too, as is gun violence and safety.

"I've worked 20 years in nonprofits," Boyes said, "and I've seen how public-private partnerships can work — and I really want to work with the administration and also social service agencies in the city to help neighborhoods."

Previously, Boyes worked as the executive director of the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, vice president of marketing and communication at Akron Community Foundation, and served on the city Planning Commission.

Boyes, 49, said she hopes to use her experience as a coalition builder to bring people together.

Akron, she said, is at a historical crossroads. While the prospect of representing Ward 9 during this pivotal moment is equally "terrifying and exhilarating," Boyes is humbled to have the opportunity.

"I hope I make my neighborhood my city proud," she said.

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New Akron City Council members talk gun violence, economics, more