Akron's Mayor Administration Recap

I hope you’ve enjoyed time with family and friends over the last week amidst the holiday season. As we head into 2025, I’m reflecting on everything we experienced together as a community in 2024.

It’s been a very busy year here in city hall. Our team has worked to roll out new initiatives, programs, and policies designed to make our city government more open, collaborative, and ultimately more effective. We’ve released the snowplow tracker and 311 app; we’ve helped stand up Youth Success Summit as the new backbone support organization for youth-serving non-profits in our area; we’ve started the SCOUT Program (which involves a fire medic, an APD officer, and a mental health professional responding to some calls, something I talked about a lot on Council); we’ve taken key steps in setting up a new Street Team Pilot program modeled on effective practices in other communities (in which credible messengers will work with young people at-risk of becoming involved with violence); and much, much more.

We’ve worked on improved delivery of city services, while also seeking to be more strategic about how our city focuses on the key issues that will determine Akron’s future - public safety, education, economic development, health, housing, and the environment. One key example of that is our city government’s financial support for the polymer industry cluster, which has secured more than $90 million in federal, state, local, and private corporate funding. 100 years ago, to be in the rubber industry, you had to be in Akron. My hope and belief is that we can take that legacy and make the sustainable polymer industry that backbone of our community’s economy for the future, something we desperately need, something that can create real opportunities for everyone.

We’ve also witnessed tragedies, including the June 2nd shooting and other acts of gun violence, the chemical fire on Rosemary Boulevard, and several use of force incidents that have caused pain in our community. I’ve tried to meet these challenges head on – explaining my decision-making at each point and seeking to listen to many perspectives. In all things, whether it was a highlight or a struggle, I’ve tried to do it transparently and candidly with you, our residents.

As we begin the second year of our administration, I have a lot of resolve and hope for Akron’s future. Each day in this role has been an honor and a privilege, and I will continue to treat this work with seriousness and focus, working alongside an amazing team of 2,000 public servants, focused on serving this city.