It took four rounds of voting, and multiple Akron City Council members changing who they voted for, before applicant Mark Greer came from behind and reached the seven-vote threshold necessary to fill the at-large council seat vacated by Jeff Fusco in March.

While the round-by-round tallies of the paper ballots were announced as they were counted — applicant George Johnson remained one vote shy of a majority in the first three rounds before Greer overtook him in the fourth — it was not publicly disclosed which council members voted for which candidates. Nor was it clear who changed their votes along the way. 

On Wednesday, Signal Akron obtained the 48 separate ballots submitted by council members on Monday evening. An examination detailed a swing of support and consolidation toward Greer and, along the way, some unexpected results. 

Signal Akron reached out to the five City Council members — Brad McKitrick, Sharon Connor, Tina Boyes, Eric Garrett and Phil Lombardo — who changed who they voted for at some point in the process — to ask why. (Lombardo did not respond by publication time.) 

City Council Members Bruce Bolden, Johnnie Hannah, Donnie Kammer and Margo Sommerville voted for Johnson in each round, while Jan Davis, Linda Omobien and Fran Wilson backed Greer in each round. 

City of Akron Law Director Brian Angeloni explains the rules affecting additional rounds of voting after no candidate for Akron City Council received a majority of votes. Mark Greer was the eventual winner, with a vote of 8-4.
City of Akron Law Director Brian Angeloni explains the rules affecting additional rounds of voting after no candidate for Akron City Council received a majority of votes. Mark Greer was the eventual winner, with a vote of 8-4. (Doug Brown / Signal Akron) Credit: Doug Brown / Signal Akron

Council members say they marked the wrong candidates on the ballot

Two council members with inconsistent choices voted for candidates they did not intend to, marking an “X” in the box next to the name of the candidate on the line above who they actually intended to vote for. The ballots, which were printed on letter-sized paper, featured the names of each of the 17 candidates on separate lines, listed alphabetically by last name, with the text aligned to the left side of the page. The boxes for people to indicate their selection were aligned to the right side of the page. 

One of the mistaken ballots came in the fourth and decisive round, unintentionally adding to Greer’s surprise margin of victory over Johnson. McKitrick told Signal Akron he had been distracted by what he described as “chaos” from attendees and chatter from mayoral staffers sitting behind him. 

Instead of marking an X in the box corresponding to Johnson’s name, he accidentally marked an X in the box corresponding to the candidate in the line above Johnson. The candidate above was Greer, whose name is the closest to Johnson’s alphabetically. What should have been a 7-5 victory became an 8-4 victory. 

McKitrick said he realized he made the mistake when he was one of two council members tasked by Council President Margo Sommerville to oversee the clerk’s tabulation of the ballots that round. He said he chose not to address the error then because it wouldn’t have changed the outcome.

George Johnson, who was one vote away from winning the vacant at-large seat on Akron City Council in previous rounds of voting, shakes Mark Greer's hand after Greer secured a majority of votes in round four. At left is N.J. Akbar, who was also an applicant for the job.
George Johnson, who was one vote away from winning the vacant at-large seat on Akron City Council in previous rounds of voting, shakes Mark Greer’s hand after Greer secured a majority of votes in round four. At left is N.J. Akbar, who was also an applicant for the job. (Doug Brown / Signal Akron) Credit: Doug Brown / Signal Akron

Boyes also voted for Johnson in the first three rounds before voting for Greer in the fourth. But she told Signal Akron her fourth round vote was not a mistake — had it been, Greer’s 8-4 victory in that round would have come from a council split 6-6, given McKitrick’s mistake. Boyes intentionally picked Greer after realizing Johnson’s support was never going to reach the necessary seven votes, she said. 

Connor was the other candidate who told Signal Akron she voted for someone she didn’t intend to vote for, though she didn’t realize it until she was contacted by Signal Akron on Wednesday. 

Connor’s mistaken vote was not as consequential as McKitrick’s, though the reason behind the error was similar. Connor voted for Greer in the first two rounds but selected a candidate named Maria Golden in the third, before accurately selecting Greer in the fourth. The lone vote for a candidate not previously discussed during the meeting led to audible confusion from some council members and people in the audience who seemed antsy for an outcome. 

Akron City Council Member Linda Omobien hands her third-round ballot to Clerk of Council Sara Biviano.
Akron City Council Member Linda Omobien hands her third-round ballot to Clerk of Council Sara Biviano. (Doug Brown / Signal Akron) Credit: Doug Brown / Signal Akron

“I just figured somebody made a mistake,” when the third-round tallies were announced, Connor said on Wednesday.

Golden’s name was listed one line above Greer’s. The “X” Connor marked next to her name was intended for Greer, she said.

Council member Eric Garrett backed former City Council Member Tara Mosley Weems in round one before switching to Greer in the final three rounds after he realized Greer, who he also supported, was the only realistic option to beat Johnson. 

Garrett and Johnson clashed more than two years ago when City Council was debating rules for the new Citizens’ Police Oversight Board — Johnson, at the public comment podium, passionately backed the police union and Garrett sought a stronger civilian oversight mechanism.

Council member Phil Lombardo backed Mosley Weems in rounds one and two before backing Greer in the third and fourth. He did not respond to a request for an explanation. 

The results by round (7 votes needed to win)

Round 1: George Johnson – 6 votes; Mark Greer – 4 votes; Tara Mosley Weems – 2 votes.

Round 2: Johnson – 6 votes; Greer – 5 votes; Mosley Weems – 1 vote.

Round 3: Johnson – 6 votes; Greer – 5 votes; Maria Golden – 1 vote.

Round 4: Greer – 8 votes; Johnson – 4 votes. 

The vote tallies by council member

Bruce Bolden: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Johnson

Tina Boyes: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Greer

Sharon Connor: Greer, Greer, Golden (mistake), Greer

Jan Davis: Greer, Greer, Greer, Greer

Johnnie Hannah: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Johnson

Eric Garrett: Mosley Weems, Greer, Greer, Greer

Donnie Kammer: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Johnson

Phil Lombardo: Mosley Weems, Mosley Weems, Greer, Greer

Brad McKitrick: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Greer (mistake)

Linda Omobien: Greer, Greer, Greer, Greer

Margo Sommerville: Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, Johnson

Fran WIlson: Greer, Greer, Greer, Greer

Government Reporter (he/him)
Doug Brown covers all things connected to the government in the city. He strives to hold elected officials and other powerful figures accountable to the community through easily digestible stories about complex issues. Prior to joining Signal Akron, Doug was a communications staffer at the ACLU of Oregon, news reporter for the Portland Mercury, staff writer for Cleveland Scene, and writer for Deadspin.com, among other roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hiram College and a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University.