A new poll of likely voters shows there's a three-way lead in the race to become Akron's next mayor, which could be determined in just one week, following the Democratic primary results on May 2. No Republicans qualified to join the race, so whoever wins will likely be the final choice.
City Councilmembers Shammas Malik and Tara Mosley, as well as Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville are in a virtual tie within the poll's 5-point margin of error.
The other candidates running to replace current Mayor Daniel Horrigan are:
-Mark Greer, a former Small Business Program grant manager under Mayor Horrigan.
-Keith Mills, a intervention specialist at Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
-Joshua Schaffer, cell phone store manager.
-and Summit County Councilmember Jeff Wilhite.
But the poll, which was commissioned by the Akron Beacon Journal, the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, as well as Ideastream Public Media, found there are enough likely voters who say they're still undecided that it could be anyone's race.
We're going to start Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas" by talking to local reporters about the state of the Akron mayor's race.
Later in this hour, we'll meet the mayor of the city of Green, Gerard Neugebauer for the next installment of our Get to NEO a Leader series. Then, we'll talk to two entrepreneurs who are focusing on sustainability.
Guests:
-Doug Livingston, City Reporter, Akron Beacon Journal
-Anna Huntsman, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Gerard Neugebauer, Mayor, City of Green
-Emily Pek, Land Steward and Regenerative Farmer, Frayed Knot Farm
-Mandi Herrington, Owner and shepherdess, Eclectic Acres LLC
