Ward 1 Council Member Nancy Holland’s Jan. 5 letter, hand delivered to Council President Margo Sommerville and Clerk Sara Biviano, was succinct.
“This is to provide notice of my resignation as Ward 1 Councilwoman to Akron City Council, effective 4pm, this date.
It has been an honor to serve the residents of Ward 1, and to contribute to Akron’s modernization, through legislation and advocacy. The past few years have been deeply fulfilling in many ways; and while I have given this job my all, it is no longer possible to do so.
As Akron welcomes a new era of leadership, my sincere hope for our City is for peace and progress through community.”
Holland’s surprise resignation from Akron City Council, just days before the first council meeting of a brand new term, left an empty seat that council members now need to fill by Feb. 4.
People who have lived in Ward 1 for the last full year and who have a penchant for local politics can apply until noon on Jan 19. Submit your resume and a letter of interest to Biviano at sbiviano@akronohio.gov for the job, which pays $43,525.63 annually.
Council Vice President Jeff Fusco told Signal Akron that a committee will review and interview the eligible candidates who submitted resumes and letters before making a recommendation for the full council to vote on. The committee consists of Sommerville, Fusco, Phil Lombardo, James Hardy and Jan Davis.
“Last time around, I believe we had quite a few [applicants], and we interviewed all of them,” Fusco said. Holland took office in 2021 when she was appointed following Council Member Rich Swirsky’s death. “We’re going to interview all of them, and after that the committee itself will make a recommendation to all of City Council for the appointment.”
City Council is hosting a town hall for Ward 1 residents on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. at The HÜG Place (133 Merriman Rd.).
“Akron City Council is creating space to hear from the residents of Ward 1 as we transition to a new season of representation,” Council President Sommerville said in a statement. “We recognize that change presents challenges, but despite the challenges, we are embracing the opportunity to select a leader who will continue the legacy of excellent representation of which our residents are so deserving.”
Signal Akron heard from former and returning City Council members about what the new Ward 1 council member can expect from the job.
Jeff Fusco, at large
“I view[the job] as a stool with three legs on it. One leg is responding to constituents’ concerns, also known as complaints.
The second piece is working with community groups, and your connection with the community itself overall.
The third leg is what you do on the floor of Akron City Council, and the legislative piece which is really what you’re there for, that legislative piece and how you conduct yourself on the floor of City Council and the legislative body of work you can build over time. Those are the three pillars that I’ve always looked at….
“Every neighborhood has different views, different ideas, different wants and needs. Ward 1 is quite diverse economically, socially, across the spectrum. It’s somewhat of a microcosm of Akron itself. It’s a challenging area to represent – you have to balance. Ward 1 is very diverse. It’s not cohesive like some areas of the city are.”
Brad McKitrick, Ward 6
“Ward 1 is a big ward, it’s very diverse from the Highland Square community all the way up to an annexed area that goes clear up into Cuyahoga Falls. It’s quite a diverse ward…
“What we’re looking for is somebody that we’re not going to have a lot of turnover. It takes a bit of time to really get used to being on council and how to deal with things, deal with citizens’ complaints, know who to contact – the service department, water department, sewer, everything like that. If there’s a lot of turnover, I think service to the community kind of suffers….
“You can do as little or as much as you want. It’s kind of difficult if you have a full-time job. I retired from the fire department after 33 years and then decided to run for City Council. I served the citizens for 33 years through the fire department and decided I wanted to continue to serve, so that’s why I decided to run for City Council…
“I take it really serious. There are a lot of things I just take care of, myself, because sometimes things don’t go quickly through the city. I’ll give you an example: I had an 80-something-year-old resident who had a complaint when the city was picking up leaves, and she had some left that they somehow pushed up on their property. I just took two big construction trash bags, went over, raked up the leaves, put them in there, and took it away myself rather than waiting.
“It was better that way because it was going to be weeks and she was upset. It just boils down to how serious someone wants to take this. “
Donnie Kammer, Ward 7
“It is very demanding. I talk on the phone probably three to four hours a day, each day. I enjoy talking to my residents and it is very demanding. The city never sleeps – you’re on call 24/7….
“You’ve got to get up every day and move forward, call people, read emails, read the news so you’re on top of that. It is challenging at times. If you’re used to having a personal life, it’s tough to have a personal life.”
Russ Neal, formerly of Ward 4
“Ward 1 is one of the most organized communities in the city. Whoever’s going to represent that ward needs to be very well organized. It’s one of the most politically astute wards, you can’t buffalo them, they don’t blindly follow the party moniker….
“It’s a very critical ward to our city, like all of them are. But because of its political influence, because of its financial influence, its creative influence, its organizational structure, whoever represents that ward won’t be able to just pretend like they know what’s going on….
“As a legislator, your thing is about creating policy that protects and improves quality of life, and not just your constituency, but the city at large. That’s what most people don’t understand. To tell you the truth, a lot of my colleagues on council don’t understand that. “
Mike Freeman, formerly of Ward 9
“If they allow themselves – which I would encourage them not to – they could be at a meeting every night of the week. There are so many things that come at you from so many directions….
“It can become a full-time thing if you allow it. For me, there were some weeks where it was not much more than the Monday commitments and then there were some times of the year, when there are snowstorms, crime happening in certain parts of the ward, when every night you come home and could be on the phone for a couple hours….
“The other thing, too, is when constituents call, it’s not personal.”
