by Nick Castele
The three candidates running to become Akron’s next mayor tried to make an impression with voters last night in a debate at the city’s Urban League.
This is Akron’s first mayoral race in decades without an incumbent—after longtime mayor Don Plusquellic resigned, his successor did the same, and the city’s third mayor of the year said he wouldn’t run for the job this fall.
Two Democrats and one Republican are now vying for the mayor’s office.
Democrat Mike Williams has served on Akron City Council for 27 years. Williams reminded voters last night how frequently he challenged the administration as a councilman. He promised a more inclusive kind of governance.
"We have come out of a very dictatorial style of governing," Williams said. "And frankly, the citizens of Akron should be the ones who set the priorities for what programs they want to see.”
He said he’d take a different tone with the Environmental Protection Agency, too, in work on a sewer project that’s long been caught up in court. Republican Eddie Sipplen—an attorney—said the project showed a disconnect between people and the government.
"The very first thing that I will do is put the city’s checkbook online," Sipplen said, "so that anybody with a smart phone, iPad, can get down to checkbook level detail."
Democrat Daniel Horrigan served as a city councilman before taking over as the Summit County Clerk of Courts. He said he’d stay in tune to what businesses need.
"Unemployment isn’t bad, but teen unemployment is through the roof," Horrigan said. "And that causes some of the other issues that affect our city. So when it comes to specific plans, my economic development team and my planning department are going to be knocking on doors. They’re going to find out what these local businesses need."
Voters will choose between the two Democrats in the Sept. 8 primary, and will vote again in the November general election.
