It wasn’t even close in the race for Mayor of Akron. Democrat Daniel Horrigan won 72% of the vote compared to Republican Eddie Sipplen’s 24%. It’s the first time since 1987 that someone NOT named “Don Plusquellic” was elected.
Sipplen is relatively new to politics but enjoyed the campaign so much he said he might try it again. Ideastream’s Mark Urycki reports.
Attorney Eddie Sipplen once ran for common pleas court judge and lost. But he says he didn’t want to run for Mayor until he and his wife prayed with their pastor about it.
“He said ‘God will give you a sign.’ And so when we decided that yes, we’re going to seriously consider it, the mayor resigned an hour a half later.”
Sipplen, an African American, did not have major policy differences with Horrigan. He said he wanted to make Akron better and added that he thinks Horrigan will do that. And yet he also told supporters “This is not the end. We now work our other plan for the next four years.”
"As General MacArthur said ‘We don’t’ go away. We’ll be back. We will be back.”
After 28 years in office, Democrat Don Plusquellic abruptly stepped down in May.
mark.urycki@ideastream.org