AKRON, Ohio — On Tuesday, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced that he will not be running for a third term in 2023.
What You Need To Know
- The Mayor of Akron announced that he will not seek third term in 2023
- Dan Horrigan said in a release that his reasons are his own and without regret
- Several people have announced that they will be running for the position
In a press release, Horrigan said, “My reasons are my own, and they are without regret. It is the honor of my professional lifetime to serve as Akron’s 62nd mayor.”
Several people have already announced that they are hoping to replace Horrigan as the city's next mayor, including Akron Deputy Mayor and Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Marco Sommerville.
“He has been a great mayor. He got to be mayor at a very difficult time,” Sommerville said. “I remember telling him I was just so sorry that all of these things were coming down on him, the pandemic, Jayland Walker and various other things that have happened during his tenure the last eight years.”
Sommerville has been involved in city politics for many years and said he is now ready to step into the city's top leadership role.
“I know this city inside and out. I love this city,” Sommerville said. “I know about economic development. I’ve been involved in trying to bring businesses here. We have traveled abroad, been very successful with bringing companies back here.”
Sommerville is not the only one vying for the mayor's seat. Ward 8 Councilman Shammas Malik has also thrown his hat in the ring.
“We have a really big question ahead of us, which is 'What direction do we want the city to go in?' ” Malik said. “We are still losing population. We are facing really significant youth violence. We have really difficult poverty. We have highest eviction rates in the state, if not the highest. And so we really have to, this is a moment for a ‘gut check’, to ask where do we want our city to go.”
Both of these candidates were born and raised in Akron and both acknowledge that the city has been through a lot over the past several months following the fatal shooting of Walker by Akron police officers and gun violence throughout the community.
“So this is a really difficult moment, that’s the message that I am trying to bring forward. I think it's relevant, that we can all be a part of the solution,” Malik said. “It doesn’t matter your race, your political beliefs, it doesn't matter your age. We can all be a part of the solution.
The primary election will be in May 2023 and the general election will be in November 2023.
We reached out to Mayor Horrigan’s team but they declined to do an interview.
The mayor says he plans to complete his current term through December 2023.
