What role should Akron mayor play with schools? Candidates answer this, other questions

Transparency, collaboration, affordable housing and supporting businesses of all sizes were among the topics addressed by several Akron Democratic mayoral hopefuls at a business forum Friday morning.

The forum, sponsored by Impact Ohio and the Greater Akron Chamber with others, was part of a day-long Akron Regional Conference that also featured U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik and an afternoon panel on the polymer industry.

For an hour at the University of Akron's InfoCision Stadium, the focus was on the race for the next mayor of Akron. Four of the seven candidates were invited: Akron City Ward 8 Councilman Shammas Malik; Akron City Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley; Akron Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville and Summit County Councilman Jeff Wilhite.

Sommerville, who had a close family member die on Thursday night, was unable to attend.

Akron Chamber CEO Steve Millard said the chamber would not be endorsing a candidate. There will be other events for chamber members to question the other three candidates vying for mayor, he said.

2023 Akron mayor's race:Seven Akron mayoral candidates share their plans if elected

Friday’s event was one of at least eight mayoral forums or debates being held by various organizations ahead of the May 2 primary.

The sole Republican mayoral hopeful, Jim Isabella, will not appear on the May 2 primary after his candidate petition was rejected by the Summit County Board of Elections.

At Friday morning’s event, the three Democratic candidates fielded questions from Millard and then questions from the audience that mostly focused on economic and business issues.

But the candidates were also asked their opinion on the recent controversy involving Christine Fowler Mack’s resignation as superintendent for Akron Public Schools.

At least two candidates said her departure was a failure by an overbearing school board. Several community leaders have expressed similar frustrations.

Meanwhile, the Akron Public Schools' five employee unions have backed the school board and placed the blame on Fowler Mack.

More:'Our children deserve better': Akron leaders blame school board for superintendent departure

More:Akron Public Schools unions back school board following superintendent's resignation

Here are several of the questions asked of the candidates and highlights of how they addressed them. Candidates were invited to answer each question in a different order.

What makes you the right person for mayor?

Malik: Akron has a bright future, but requires a more coordinated and collaborative way of working together, he said. “For the past six years, I've worked first as a lawyer for the city and now as a councilman and helped push forward real solutions, including Issue 10, which helped create change and will create trust between police and the community, which was passed by voters last November.” Malik also said he has worked to help solve the eviction crisis and pushed for more dialogue on how the city uses the $145 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The city needs safety, good schools, good jobs and stable housing, he said.

Mosley: “Residents want someone who is going to listen to them. They have ideas that they would like to see happen in their communities, and they just want to be a voice and agent for change that the city needs,” said Mosley, who has been on council for nine years. The main focus needs to be on children, public safety, housing, economic development, and mental heath and addiction issues, she said.

Wilhite: He said he has the needed leadership experience as a small-business owner who has served in a variety of public and private roles for 30 years. Wilhite said he would have an open door as mayor and listen to business owners and what they need. He wants to build upon Elevate Greater Akron, an economic development plan for Greater Akron. The labor force, which is totally different since COVID-19, also needs to be addressed as well as sustainable and affordable housing, he said.

Sommerville: Millard read a statement from Sommerville in his absence. Sommerville said his experiences as a business owner, Ward 3 councilman, council president, planning director, deputy mayor and member of volunteer boards “taught me to listen to our community and their concerns and then to create detailed plans of actions to address those needs. My priorities are your priorities, making sure Akron is an affordable community for everyone, especially our seniors, ensuring safety with accountable policing, supporting education and workforce training, modernizing city operations and services and fighting for Akron’s neighborhoods, wherever that fight may be from Columbus to D.C.

“We share the same ideals of collaborative economic development and opportunity for all and we know that many populations have been left behind. Addressing this is a key priority for my administration. We have to continue and expand our relationships with the important organizations educating and training our workforce, like Stark State, Akron schools and University of Akron.”

Where have you been most pleased with investments from federal stimulus dollars, and how would you address a hypothetical additional $25 million to $50 million?

Wilhite: Dollars were successfully used to help businesses stay open and keep families whole during COVID, which had no road map, he said. Going forward new dollars should be in workforce development. “As COVID changed the world, it certainly changed the work environment,” Wilhite said.

Federal stimulus dollars:How did Akron City Council get cut out of approving ARPA spending?

For subscribers:Nearly all Akron's ARPA funds to be out for bid or spent before next mayor takes office

Malik: City Council gave broad authorization to the mayor to spend ARPA funds, some of which Malik said he agreed with and some he didn’t. “I felt we missed an opportunity to have a shared vision as a community and build consensus about what those projects are going to be used for.” The city has done a great job in investing in housing with a rehab program for homeowners and a huge investment in new affordable housing, Malik said. Still, he said, the city has struggled to get money out the door and leverage public dollars for private funds. Workforce development and more use of the community learning centers is key, he said.

Mosley: Mosley also said she felt council should have had more say in how ARPA funds were used. Housing is key to the population and not enough funds were used for the rehab program, which had 2,000 applications with funding for 200. Mosley said she would put more money toward that program, especially starting “with our elders first and working our way down.” Money also needs to be put toward small-business entrepreneurs, who were left out of programming, she said.

What role does the mayor have to play with schools, especially in light of recent events?

Malik: Malik, who has been publicly critical of the school board, said “education is essential to the future of our community and it's so closely tied to our economic future, to safety in our communities.” He said as an Akron Public Schools graduate, “it hurts to see the dysfunction that is happening right now. It hurts to see a superintendent who was not given the opportunity to do her work, and I'm not saying she did a perfect job.” Malik said the mayor has to be a convener to bring all parties in a room and “let’s lean into these difficult conversations and figure out how we can move forward.”

Mosley: “The key we all need to remember in this are the children,” said Mosley. She said the incoming mayor should have a stake in the conversations but focus on the children and giving them a safe school environment, programs for trauma with counselors, and making sure teachers are given better pay to teach the children. But Mosley also said, “As one elected board, I don’t want to say I have a say in what other elected officials should be doing.”

Wilhite: Wilhite, who said he usually tries to take a diplomatic approach, said “the urgency is now” and “what has happened has set us back as a community for quite some time. What you have is a school board that wants to be superintendents. You have a situation where not enough people are stepping up and not understanding what’s going on in the community.”

“We should never ever treat a superintendent the way this superintendent was treated in the pubic eye. That was wrong on every single level. We as community members in this community have got to say loud and clear to that school board: ‘Enough is enough. You’re not the superintendent. Your job is to hire the superintendent, hire the treasurer,’ ” oversee the budget and support policy, he said. The board members should be ambassadors for the children in the community, he said.

More:Here are 8 mayoral candidate debates and forums ahead of the May 2 primary in Akron

What are our biggest opportunities for downtown Akron?

Mosley: The biggest priority should be in supporting small business downtown, said Mosley. "Downtown Akron looks beautiful and it's great if we have housing that’s built. But unfortunately we have businesses that are leaving, so we have to work both ends of it,” she said. “If you're moving somewhere because it's walkable and livable, you want somewhere to walk to.”

Wilhite: With downtown looking so nice and downtown housing at an all-time high, Wilhite said efforts need to be looked at for business buildings that have floors sitting empty. Repurposed uses need to be explored, he said. The future of the Innerbelt is also going to be important, he said.

Malik: A particular challenge Akron has is that downtown may look beautiful, but the perception isn’t good, according to Malik. "We're not as big as Cleveland, and we're not small and vibrant like Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. It's frustrating when Cuyahoga Falls is kind of eating your lunch on downtown ... We’ve got more people living here than ever, but we don’t have basic amenities,” including a grocery store and affordable child care for those who live and work downtown, he said.

What’s your plan to advance home ownership and bridge the gap for Akron residents who are 'housing-cost burdened'?

Mosley: “We need to hold landlords accountable," she said. "They’ve increased rents so high, and that is why Akron has one of the largest eviction rates in our state.” Mosley said barriers and obstacles to home ownership, such as an instant no for a bank loan, need to be broken down. Efforts to move people from renting to owning, including involving organizations to help people improve their credit are needed, she said.

Eviction crisis:Evictions near record high in Akron. Can anything avert this crisis?

Wilhite: Wilhite highlighted a pilot program of Family Promise of Summit County, which helps homeless families stay together and find housing and of which Wilhite is executive director. The program is buying homes through the Summit County Land Bank to renovate and make available through a transparent land contract with Legal Aid. There is also an eight-week program to teach people about home maintenance.

Malik: Malik said he is proud he helped build consensus for a right to counsel program, a proposal to help people facing eviction get access to a lawyer. Malik said the city has spent a lot of money building nice high-end projects on the outskirts of town, but the city also owns more than 1,000 parcels that haven’t been prioritized. Prioritizing those could bring “a much greater return on investment and revitalize these neighborhoods that are struggling” in addition to giving people access to affordable housing.

Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter orwww.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ.

To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Forum with three Akron mayoral candidates addresses economic issues