Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, 52 days into his term, outlined the status of his 100-day plan on Wednesday.
“The first 100 days present an opportunity to kind of set the tone for the entire four years of the administration,” Malik said at an early-morning press conference. The plan was developed with his transition team, which came together after he won the Democratic primary last year and became the defacto mayor.
The mayor’s office announced the launch of a “100-day plan tracker” on the city’s website to keep track of the 74 “goals” Malik set. The tracker will be updated weekly.
It outlines four main goals:
- Launching the “Together for Akron” agenda that deals with public safety, economic development, health, housing, the environment and education
- Building his staff
- Modernizing city operations
- Prioritizing communications and public engagement
Six goals on the tracker are complete, 61 are in progress, and seven will be started soon..
“This is our commitment to really holding ourselves accountable,” Malik said. “We talk about transparency and accountability a lot, but it’s important to live out that value.”
“A lot of what I talked about on the campaign was about vision. This 100-day plan is an attempt to do that.… It’s also an attempt to show that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can focus on some of the day-to-day operational work in improving our city services while also working on some of those bigger strategic initiatives that we’ve talked about, like universal pre-K, like infill development, more affordable housing, more housing of all types. I’m really excited to show people how we’re going to do that and continue to live out that value.”
On Wednesday, Malik highlighted key goals in each of his categories.
Public safety
Malik appointed Deputy Chief Brian Harding to be the Akron Police Department’s acting chief while the firm Ralph Andersen & Associates conducts a national search to fill the role. The mayor’s office previously announced a community survey for Akronites to have input about the direction of the department in connection with the search for the next chief.
The administration is planning changes to the police station and expects to have a decision about its future by June. They are deciding whether to renovate the headquarters at the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center or move to another building.
The city will launch a “co-responder pilot program” with the APD, Akron Fire Department, and the County of Summit ADM (alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services) Board to respond to mental health-related calls.
Malik also highlighted the goal of building a “community-based violence intervention ecosystem initially focused on credible messenger and hospital-based interventions” to pair with the APD’s existing “violence intervention efforts.”
Economic development
The administration is helping with the launch of a downtown Community Development Corporation and plans to launch the THRIVE – Targeted Help for Resilient InnoVative Entrepreneurs – program to help support small businesses, with a particular focus on Black-owned businesses.
Malik also wants to select the contractor for the “Innerbelt/Reconnecting Communities planning process” for which the city received a federal grant.
Health, housing and the environment
The administration plans to launch a “right to counsel” pilot program to provide legal representation to Akron renters facing eviction proceedings. A similar program already exists in Greater Cleveland.
Malik wants to support “infill development through partnerships with local CDCs, partner organizations, and private developers.” Infill development focuses on developing underused or vacant land to increase urban density and places new development near existing resources and infrastructure.
Malik wants to “reassess and reaffirm support for city efforts around maternal and infant health.”
The city is also planning to go after the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Sustainable Cities Grant.
Education
The city wants to support the Youth Success Summit, a new organization promoting extracurricular activities for Akron students.
Malik wants to “continue partnership with Akron Public Schools around improving access to Community Learning Centers.” The CLC program “is part of an aggressive, 15-year plan to remodel or rebuild Akron Public Schools and transform the buildings into ‘community learning centers.’”
The mayor also wants to support the “community-based effort” to establish universal pre-K in Akron and to build a new North High School.
‘Build the Team’
Malik said all of his cabinet members have been selected while he’s building a new “strategy team” to focus on his strategic initiatives and building up the rest of the city’s appointed staff.
He said he wants to focus on the more than 2,000 city staff members and hire more police officers.
Modernizing city operations
The city has already launched a new snowplow tracker map and the Akron 311 app.
On the 100-day plan website, the city highlights the launch of the water bill assistance program and the passage of the 2024 City Capital Budget.
Communications and public engagement
“This press conference right now is just one example” of Malik’s promise to conduct regular, livestreamed press conferences with the media.
Malik is also sending out regular email newsletters and is active on social media.
He’s been regularly attending town halls as well. He attended a town hall for the Citizens’ Police Oversight Board’s independent police auditor candidate Feb. 14 and Council Member Sharon Connor’s ward meeting Tuesday night, for example.
To view all of Malik’s goals, visit his “100 Day Tracker” website.
