AKRON, Ohio — Akron appears headed for a new generation of leadership, with Ward 8 Councilman Shammas Malik winning the Democratic nomination for the city's mayorship Tuesday night.
No Republicans were declared eligible for the primary, meaning the only way Malik will face opposition in the general election is if a candidate launches a write-in bid. At any rate, he would be the heavy favorite in November, as Akron has not elected a GOP mayor since 1979.
"You've sent a message — you've said it very loud and very clear," Malik said in a speech to supporters after the race was called. "Thanks to the people in this room and across our whole city, change is coming."
With all precincts reporting, results from Summit County showed Malik earning roughly 43% of ballots cast. The second-place finisher, Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville, finished 17 points behind.
Malik, an Akron native and relative newcomer to the political scene, launched his mayoral bid while serving his first term on City Council. With incumbent Dan Horrigan deciding not to seek a third term, the race became dominated by the 2022 police shooting death of Jayland Walker, which caused an uproar in the community both before and after a grand jury decided not to criminally charge the eight officers involved.
With the endorsement of both the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer, Malik's campaign centered around social and economic justice, pledging to enact "proactive and effective models of policing" while addressing what he believes are the root causes of crime by ushering in things like more affordable housing and better health care. He has also declared his administration "will not defund the police," and also promised to either renovate or replace the aging Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center.
"Last September, we started this campaign with an idea: That Akron is an amazing place that has everything it needs to reverse decline, to succeed, and to thrive, if only we can agree on a shared vision for where we're going and how to get there." Malik told supporters after the race was called. "We are going to be more strategic, we are going to have priorities that remain consistent — in year one, in year two, in year three, in year four, and beyond."
Polls taken just before the primary showed Malik in a three-way battle with progressive fellow Councilmember Tara Mosley and Sommerville, who had the support of Horrigan and former mayors Don Plusquellic and Tom Sawyer. Sommerville also had a slight edge in campaign donations, although Malik held his own and actually had more cash on hand as of last month.
"I congratulate Shammas Malik on his win to serve as Akron's 63rd Mayor," Horrigan said in a statement. "My administration is committed to setting our next Mayor up for success by offering a smooth transition as we get closer to 2024. The work for me and my team has never stopped, and we will continue to work hard for Akron just as we always have."
Despite the clear path to City Hall, Malik will not officially be the "mayor-elect" until the votes are tallied on Nov. 7. Anyone who wishes to run as a write-in candidate must declare their intent to do so by Aug. 28.
Besides the mayoral election, Akron also held primaries for all 13 of its City Council seats (again, no Republicans were eligible). Some notable results included:
- Ward 4: Incumbent Russel C. Neal Jr. lost to former health care administrator Jan Davis by 125 votes.
- Ward 8: Former Deputy Mayor James Hardy handily defeated community activist Sage Lewis in the race for Malik's current seat.
- Ward 9: Kenmore neighborhood activist Tina Boyes bested former city employee Susan Culver in the race to succeed the retiring Mike Freeman.
- At-large members: Council Vice President Jeff Fusco and Linda F. R. Omobien both held on to their spots, but incumbent Ginger Baylor lost to U.S. Army veteran Eric Garrett by less than 400 votes.