Note to readers:
The following item is a written record of the Ward 4 Akron City Council meeting from March 25, 2026, compiled by Akron Documenter Fenna Blue. It is not a reported story.
Documenters are residents who are trained to observe and document local government meetings. Their notes are edited before publication for clarity and accuracy — unless quotation marks are used, all text is paraphrased.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalakron.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.
Summary
- Ward 4 Council Member Jan Davis hosted her ward meeting at the Lawton Street Community Center. The meeting included a presentation by Mialon Morris who is running for Summit County Court of Common Pleas; Denico Buckley-Knight, the Youth Opportunity Strategist for the City of Akron mayor’s office; employees with Akron’s Innovation Team, who discussed sustainability as well as climate and wealth equity in Akron; Vyrone Finney, a housing specialist with Akron Municipal Court; Summer Hall, the Cultural Engagement Coordinator for the City of Akron, who spoke about a variety of community initiatives, including a free laundry day; an employee from METRO RTA, who spoke briefly about travel training for anyone who is new to using the bus system; Evelyn Rizzo with Akron Civic Saturday; and Abby Drennen, a resident participating in the Akron Parks Challenge.
- Each of these presenters spoke at length about their various causes and services, which include helping some of Akron’s most underserved residents.
- Davis spoke about her role as a City Council member. She said she is working very hard on a variety of initiatives, but much of it is slow-moving and not highly visible to the public.
Documenter’s follow-up questions
- Why is council talking about youth vs. programming to engage adults? Especially when we consider that there is a very low rate of attendance at all City Council meetings. Why do we never talk about getting adults engaged in the community?
- Denico Buckley-Knight spoke about a 10% reduction in violence achieved by his goals set as the youth opportunities strategist, but how are these goals maintained after they are achieved?
Youth strategist aims to reduce violence, increase engagement
Denico Buckley-Knight, the Youth Opportunity Strategist for Akron, spoke at the meeting. Buckley-Knight said he believes he has the coolest job, identifying what the mayor’s office can do for youth and young adults to ensure a better Akron. They rolled out a plan in 2023 based on data to achieve the goal of reducing youth violence in the city by 10%. They achieved the goal in 2025. They identified three areas: arts and enrichment, college and career readiness, and sports and wellness.
The City of Akron was identified by the Wallace Foundation as one of several communities doing great work. Based on their work, they received a grant and have a year to plan what they want to pilot. Their 2026 strategies in East Akron include data from the police, juvenile court and the health department. Their focus will remain on East Akron.
They will partner with a variety of nonprofits, focusing on Esports. Lawton Street will be the first community center to have a room for esports. It is a pilot program starting this summer. The focus is on middle school students because there is currently a gap in opportunities for esports for them. Eventually, they want every community center in Akron to have an esports room. They hope to encourage Akron youngsters who are interested in esports to be able to continue even at the university level.
Suggested Reading
Akron Innovation Team speaks on sustainability
Members of the Akron Innovation Team spoke about sustainability, climate equity, wealth equity and climate justice. They detailed the concept of energy burden — the amount that one spends on gas and electricity. If a resident spends 6% or more of their income on heating and cooling their home, they are considered energy burdened. If a household or a person spends 10% of their income on heating and cooling their home, they are considered severely energy burdened.
The innovation team chose three contiguous neighborhoods to do research and received 165 responses. They found that in these neighborhoods, more than 50% of the population was severely energy burdened.
Overall in Akron, 30% of the population is energy-burdened, the presenters said. They are looking to hear from residenets who have not been previously heard by the city. They are hosting an energy solutions information event on April 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Akron Urban League. Dinner will be served, and participants will receive a gift card for attending.
The team also talked about the tree canopy in the City of Akron. Having more trees in the city often correlates with a lower rate of violence, they said. There are currently multiple initiatives to plant more trees within the city.
Join the movement for transparency
Civic power can start with you! We train and pay Documenters to take notes at local government meetings and share them here. Learn more about becoming a Documenter.
Upcoming events include community potluck and free laundry services
Summer Hall, Evelyn Rizzo, Abby Drennen :
- The next Tumble Together, a free laundry day hosted by the city, will be held Thursday, April 23 from noon to 4 p.m. Anyone who attends can wash up to three loads of free laundry at the Wash House Laundromat at 950 E. Market St. in Akron. Detergent and food will be provided.
- Akron Civic Saturday is hosting the Longest Table Akron, a free community potluck lunch, on Saturday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date April 26). Local businesses can sponsor a table for free, but they are expected to be a leader of that table and facilitate the meal at that table.
- Abby Drennen is hoping to win the Akron Parks Challenge and install an accessible playground at Will Christy Park in Highland Square.
Body camera conversation ongoing with Akron Police
Davis expressed frustration at the tension over the body-worn camera conversation with the Akron Police Department. A resolution is before council to change the recording buffer on the cameras from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. She wanted to let her ward know that she has been very busy with her council responsibilities. She detailed plans for redevelopment of Copley Road with a goal to bring jobs to the neighborhood.
New businesses coming to Ward 4
She talked about the expansion of a few businesses, bringing 20 to 30 jobs to the neighborhood. The benefit of many of these jobs is that community members can live in the neighborhood and walk to these jobs, which also pay well. She spoke about negotiating the demolition of a CVS and a Church’s Chicken and perhaps bringing new development into those spaces.
Mialon Morris, candidate for common pleas court judge
Mialon Morris has been a practicing lawyer for the last nine years. She’s a native of Akron who gained her education in other states. Her mission was to come to Akron to inspire people similar to her and to practice and serve the underprivileged.
She is running for judge because she sees a high rate of recidivism and believes that the current judicial system is not identifying the root causes of criminal activity. She said she believes that, with a change in sentencing structure, she can help people who are convicted change their mindset and behavior so that they do not continue to cycle through the criminal justice system.
She is running for the Summit County Court of Common Pleas and encouraged residents to vote for her in the May primary election.
