In front of a large crowd of sharply dressed supporters and city employees in the Akron Civic Theater on Wednesday night, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik ticked off a number of accomplishments in his first 100 days in office, laid out some of the city’s future challenges and announced some new programming as he gave his first State of the City address.
At the top of the list for those in the audience, based on the reaction inside the theater, was the announcement that as of 7 a.m. this morning a directive from Acting Chief Brian Harding bars Akron police from initiating chases after stopping vehicles for equipment violations such as broken tail lights or license plate lights. Chases related to traffic violations would still be at the discretion of officers.
The change comes after nearly two years of calls for reform following the killing of Jayland Walker by Akron police in 2022 – officers attempted to stop Walker after spotting a cracked tail light and burned-out license plate light.
Malik also said other reforms are in the works, including a revised policy on the use of chemical spray and crowd control tactics for protests. The policy will be written through a collaborative process involving the Independent Police Auditor’s office and the Akron Police Department, with opportunities for public comment.
Of 73 items on Malik’s 100 Day Tracker, he said 55 are completed and 18 are in progress. The mayor said he’s attended 109 events in 100 days and that people stop to talk with him wherever he goes, including in checkout lines at the 7-Eleven, gas stations and Mustard Seed Market, when he was just “trying to get some Chex Mix.” Yesterday was also his 33rd birthday.
One of the moments that resonated most with the crowd was Malik’s praise for two Akron police officers. Detective Larry Rhodaback performed CPR on an unconscious toddler and is credited with saving her life, and Officer Adam Semchee located and comforted a kidnapped boy. The pair garnered a standing ovation from the audience.
Downtown to get its own community development corporation
Malik announced that this summer, “we” are going to create a downtown community development corporation to attract businesses and jobs to the city core. He will be asking the “corporate community” to chip in.
Malik talked about the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center – home to the APD – and its deteriorating condition. He promised to make a decision on the future of the police station by June. As of last week, the city had received proposals for eight different sites, along with other city-owned locations, for a potential future APD headquarters. The city will be partnering with an architectural firm to figure out the best option, whether it’s to rehab the existing building, rehab a different building, or build new.
Highlighting the Greater Akron Chamber and the work of Steve Millard, its president and CEO, Malik brought up the polymer industry and said the city will continue to lobby for $40 million in state funding and $70 million in federal funding “to take our industry to the next level and for the Rubber City to finally become the polymer city.”
Malik mentioned the Akron Innerbelt Project: “It’s a historic scar on the city, but it’s an opportunity for a new beginning.” Using a federal Department of Transportation grant, the city is going to figure out “what’s next” for the area, talking “with residents, not to them.” On Thursday, the city will release a request for qualifications to identify a planning firm to figure out the area’s future.
Mayor says safety issues are his highest priority
Addressing gun violence in the city, Malik talked about the gun violence reduction team to “hold people accountable. Because “we cannot solve the gun violence you are seeing simply through policing,” Malik announced a “street team pilot program” that will launch this summer. The program will “hire and train credible messengers” to speak directly to at-risk young people and help them “see a brighter future” and “see the consequences of their actions.”
Regarding the search for a new police chief, Malik mentioned that he had started a national search last fall before he was sworn in. In January, that came to a halt as his law department discovered a law he says prevents him from hiring externally, which was “unwelcome and very frustrating news.… This has been the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in this job.”
Despite calls to pause the police chief hiring process to pass a charter amendment in November that would allow the city to hire externally, he said he’s going forward with an internal hire to more quickly work on “systemic change,” including the upcoming union contract negotiations. Malik will hold town halls April 20 and April 23 at Buchtel Community Learning Center with the two candidates: Deputy Chief (and Acting Chief) Brian Harding and Deputy Chief Jesse Leeser.
Malik announced in the fall that the city will launch “employee resource groups” for all city employees, focusing on women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ employees. They will be “employee led with support from our team. … These groups have been proven to help with employee engagement, retention and workforce development because when employees feel they can bring their full selves to work,” they are more productive and engaged and will stick around longer.
Malik said next year Akron will engage in “participatory budgeting for a portion of our expenditures” so taxpayers have a role in helping decide how city money is spent, especially for capital projects. An effort in Cleveland to pass a charter amendment, referred to as the People’s Budget, failed in November.
Reiterating that public safety is Malik’s top priority, he highlighted the SCOUT program, a new collaborative effort to respond to low-level 911 calls involving mental health concerns. Over the first month, he said SCOUT has responded to 85 calls for service, transporting 16 people for further treatment.
Malik emphasized a partnership with the Youth Success Summit for extracurricular activities for Akron kids. The program will launch this summer to “empower” after-school programs “that meet the needs of our youth.” Akron’s partnership “will allow us to not only invest in the future of our youth, but lay the groundwork for a stronger and more resilient community for the future.”
Akron will succeed or fail, he said, based on whether young people see a future for themselves here.
Watch the full address on the city’s YouTube page.
