WKSU News: Crowded field will compete to be Akron's next mayor

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Crowded field will compete to be Akron's next mayor Six Democrats and one Republican bring varying levels of experience to the Rubber City by WKSU's KABIR BHATIA	Reporter Kabir Bhatia

Tom Sawyer (left) was Akron's Mayor in the mid-1980s, just before Don Plusquellic. Summit County Councilman Frank Comunale (right) is touting his business experience in the race.

Courtesy of KABIR BHATIA

Six Democrats and one Republican are vying to succeed Akron Mayor Garry Moneypenny, who resigned a week into the job after saying he acted inappropriately toward a city employee. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports on who filed to run before today’s deadline.

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Summit County Councilman Frank Comunale, Akron City Councilman Mike Williams and former Mayor and current State Sen. Tom Sawyer are some of the Democrats on the primary ballot this year. Political Scientist Steve Brooks is with the Bliss Institute at the University of Akron, and says Councilman Williams has the most name recognition among local voters.

“Frank Comunale has less recognition outside of the specific areas where he works. He has been less connected to city government than the other two. But when we're talking about executive experience and running an entire city, that local aspect may not be as important.”

Brooks adds that the number of Democrats filling to run in the primary probably has more to do with the departure of long-time Mayor Don Plusquellic.

“No matter what the chaos has been, I had suspected there would be a number of candidates, especially on the Democratic side. Because there were a lot of people who think they would like to do that, but as long as you had as strong as Mayor Plusquellic to run against, it really was not quite worth it.”

Rounding out the Democratic side are Clerk of Courts Dan Horrigan, marketing expert Sage Lewis and frequent City Council speaker Natural Hunka Kaboom. Just one Republican filed to run, attorney Ed Sipplen.