AKRON, Ohio — As Akron Mayor Shammas Malik marked 100 days since taking office while also celebrating his 33rd birthday on Wednesday, he delivered his first State of the City address.
The 2024 speech took place inside the Akron Civic Theatre. The former city councilman was elected mayor as a young reformer, and made that image a key part of his message Tuesday night.
"The reason I'm excited for Akron is all of you," Malik told those assembled. "It's the energy for change that we are building together. Tonight, I want to focus on that change, because when I think about the state of our city, I think about a state of change."
Malik began his first term in office in January after winning the November election. Here's a rundown of what he had to say:
SEARCH FOR POLICE CHIEF
Malik knew he would have to find a permanent police chief to replace the retiring Steve Mylett, but last month announced only internal candidates would be considered for the position due to limitations of the city charter. This has raised concerns in the community, both because of a lack of diverse internal candidates as well as a desire to bring in an outside voice to remake the police department.
In his speech, the mayor called this change "unwelcome and very frustrating news" and further expressed his desire for a change to the charter. However, he is not willing to wait for such a change (which would have to be approved by voters in November) while only having an interim head of the police force.
"We need a permanent police chief who can lead the department, who can implement a vision, who can make decisions in a way that acting chief simply cannot," Malik said. "In my opinion, having an acting chief for over a year will delay and make everything else we want to accomplish more difficult."
Brian Harding has been acting chief since Mylett stepped down.
POLICE REFORM
Malik has called for "systemic change" in law enforcement, particularly since the police shooting death of Jayland Walker in 2022. On Tuesday, he announced a big change to department policy, confirming that officers "will no longer conduct vehicle chases for equipment violations alone."
"Officers will retain the discretion to chase for traffic violations, but this is a commonsense change that will eliminate some unnecessary chases," he explained. The chase that eventually led to Walker's death began because of a broken tail light.
The mayor said practices for chemical spray and crowd control will also be reviewed, and he vowed to work closely with the Citizens' Police Oversight Board. Regarding the first-responders themselves, Malik touted "the highest amount of APD officers in 20 years and the highest number of firefighter-medics in 30 years" in his recently approved budget.
EDUCATION
Under Malik, the mayor's office plans to be more involved with Akron Public Schools, including hiring Richelle Wardell as education and health strategist. A goal of Malik himself is to provide children with universal pre-Kindergarten services, although he admits it "won't happen overnight."
"We are committed to working with all of our pre-K providers in the community to achieve our common goal: that every family in Akron has access to quality, affordable early learning, setting the foundation for liefling learning and prosperity."
OTHER INFORMATION
Malik has also voiced support for a larger city workforce and an approach of "treating them as people first." The mayor says he attended 190 community events in his first 100 days, and plans to hold more forums and gatherings in the future.