Rules changes proposed for council’s public comment period

Mayor-elect Shammas Malik, left, discusses a proposal being considered by the Akron City Council Rules Committee to change some of the rules governing the public comment period during Akron City Council meetings.
Mayor-elect Shammas Malik, left, discusses a proposal being considered by the Akron City Council Rules Committee to change some of the rules governing the public comment period during council meetings.

Signal Akron’s Doug Brown talked with President of Council Margo Sommerville about some proposed changes to the public comment period, where speakers can sign up to address council for three minutes. The changes are on hold for now, with some council members expressing concerns about limiting the number of speakers per meeting to 10, with no one allowed to speak at more than one meeting every 30 days. 

Watch the discussion in the Rules Committee meeting, which begins around 1:13:30 into the video stream on YouTube.

Akron City Council passes ceasefire resolution

Akron City Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Since Oct. 16, when council passed a resolution supporting Israel and condemning the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, activists have filled council chambers demanding a similar resolution addressing Israel’s actions in Gaza and their effects on its civilians.

 LeBron James Museum to open

The LeBron James Museum inside House Three Thirty is set to open Saturday – here’s what to expect and how to attend related events, from Culture and Arts Reporter Brittany Moseley.

New website for the city

The home page of the City of Akron’s new website.

The City of Akron launched a new website this month, with an updated and visual interface that’s more accessible and user friendly. Take a tour yourself at akronohio.gov.

First meeting notes from Documenters 

Check out the first meeting notes from Akron Documenters Jackie Jantzi and Rick Bohan. They both took notes at the Nov. 13 Akron City Council meeting and documented the large public comment portion of the meeting, among other things.

Akron Documenters are building a new public record with their notes from Akron and Summit County public meetings – we’ll be sharing their notes in this newsletter and on our website as we expand the number of meetings we attend.

Join us! Click here for more information or to sign up to become a Documenter.

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.