Akron voters have a choice to make next week. And it’s a critical one at a consequential time.
Yes, I’m talking about the vote for mayor.
If you’re a regular listener of WKSU or user of ideastream.org, you know that there are seven candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. No Republicans made the ballot, so whoever wins is likely to be the city’s next mayor beginning in 2024.
There’s a diversity of experience, age, race and gender. Ideastream’s news team has worked throughout the campaign to help you learn more about them. We co-hosted two debates, one where we asked our own questions, the other where the residents of Akron asked the questions. We put together a dynamic online candidate guide so you could learn more about them. And we commissioned two polls. The first was to get a better sense of the most important issues facing Akron. The second one, released this week: Who is your choice?
And the winner is….
Unclear. While voters have learned much more about the seven Democrats they’ll choose from, there's no single definitive frontrunner.
The poll shows it's a three-way race. Councilmember Shammas Malik is out in front, trailed closely by Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville, trailed closely by Councilmember Tara Mosley. The difference between the three is within the poll’s margin of error, and even more significantly, a third of respondents say they’re still undecided.
Simply put: This is anyone’s race, and every single vote in Akron can make a big difference.
As we have been doing all along, our team of reporters will be covering the race closely, fanning out on Tuesday to report the results of the vote. You’ll find robust reporting from us Tuesday night on our website and on Twitter. And on Wednesday, as you wake up, you’ll be able to hear the latest on the Akron mayoral primary and other key races and levies on "Morning Edition" and on the "Sound of Ideas."
We hope you make an informed choice for mayor, and then choose to be informed with Ideastream Public Media.
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