Democratic candidate Fran Wilson defeated nonpartisan candidate Acacia Reynolds in Akron’s Ward 1 City Council race with more than 86% of the vote. Reynolds garnered just more than 13% of the vote with 100% of precincts reporting.
At an Election Night party at Akronym Brewing in downtown Akron, Wilson celebrated their win with constituents, other local candidates and small business owners. In 2027, they said they’ll have to run again for the seat.
“And I’m happy to do so,” Wilson said. “I personally live in an area of Ward 1 that has seen generational disinvestment. … I’m very passionate about us getting a seat at the table and finally getting dollars in our neighborhoods. This is slow and steady work, but I’m excited and I’m grateful for the opportunity to run. Campaigns are an awesome opportunity to ignite the ward.”
As a queer and nonbinary progressive community organizer, spending time in Akron City Hall is nothing new for Wilson. They regularly attend City Council meetings, write a weekly newsletter about council issues and served as an Akron Civil Rights Commissioner investigating discrimination cases.
In the weeks leading up to the election, Wilson said if they won, they wanted to build stronger, safer and more affordable neighborhoods in Akron, to increase funding to care for Akron’s unhoused population and to advocate for police reform and against police brutality.
Removing some of the restrictions placed on public comment during Akron City Council meetings is another top priority for Wilson once they take office, they said prior to the election, as well as helping residents understand the city’s budget process, opposing local oil and gas fracking and providing more funding for organizations that support Akron’s neighborhoods.
On May 6, Wilson defeated incumbent Sam DeShazior and Emily Durway during the Democratic primary. They previously served as the Democratic Ward 1 Precinct K representative and work in international public relations and policy, with a focus on U.S.-China relations, as well as working as a restaurant server. They are in the process of earning a law degree from The University of Akron.
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Wilson’s opponent — nonpartisan candidate Acacia Reynolds — did not return a call for a comment on Election Night.
Ward 8 council member Bruce Bolden retains seat
In Akron’s Ward 8, which spans most of Northwest Akron with portions of the Merriman Valley and Wallhaven neighborhoods, incumbent Democratic candidate Bruce Bolden ran unopposed and won with 100% of the vote.
During his campaign, Bolden said if he won, he wanted to implement traffic-calming devices to reduce speeding in Ward 8 and to promote economic development and support of small businesses in the ward, especially in the Merriman Valley.
On Election Night, Bolden spoke with Signal Akron about his win at the polls and his plans to put the brakes on Ward 8’s speeding problems.
“That’s been a little tough as we had $500,000 in the budget for traffic-calming devices and there’s apparently been a change in plans from the administration and how we do that,” Bolden said, adding that he’s hoping to get budget numbers “to see what happened with that money, where it went and where it was spent.”
He also said economic development in the Merriman Valley has already begun with the opening of The Rabbit Hole in the former R. Shea Brewing location and the Parkway Estates area getting an upgrade to its park.
“You’re going to see a lot going on in that neighborhood,” he said.
On July 29, 2024, Akron City Council unanimously appointed Bolden to fill James Hardy’s vacant Ward 8 seat. Bolden was the Ward 1 council member from October of 1991 to December of 1997. He also served on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals from 1998 to 2024.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron and has worked for XPO Freight since 2022. He has also held numerous leadership roles on local nonprofit boards and has worked for both small businesses and Fortune 200 companies.