Bruce Bolden, former Akron Ward 1 council member, selected for Ward 8 seat 

Bruce Bolden, a former Ward 1 council member, was selected unanimously by Akron City Council to fill the vacant Ward 8 seat Monday evening. 

His nomination was moved forward to the full council meeting by Akron City Council’s screening committee earlier in the day.

Bolden said he is most excited about having the opportunity to help people. When he was a council member in the 90s’ all he had was a flip phone, and no computer. The access to today’s technology will “open lines of communication,” he said. 

“I’m passionate about doing this. I have a background of understanding how the city works. It’s changed, and technology has changed, but the general services that the city provides are still the same.”

Bolden, who was the Ward 1 council member from 1991 to 1997, was one of 21 candidates for former member James Hardy’s position. He has served on Akron’s Board of Zoning Appeals since 1998 and is the current chairperson. 

Bolden also served as a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Summit County, Keep Akron Beautiful and the Leadership Akron Alumni Association. He currently works as the local account executive for XPO Freight in Parma, Ohio, which, he said in the application letter he submitted to City Council, would give him the flexibility needed to be a council member.

In the letter, Bolden also expressed his commitment to serving the Ward 8 residents and providing them with timely responses to their concerns. 

“I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to Akron’s continuing growth and development,” he said. 

Bolden told Signal Akron that Ward 8 residents can expect responsiveness and that he will work on their problems.

“I’ll be brutally honest with them in many times, whether we have a chance to do something to help them or not, and I’ll try to give them options if we can’t,” Bolden said. 

The screening committee included council members Margo Sommerville, Jeff Fusco, Tina Boyes, Sharon Connor and Eric Garrett.