This is what Fran believes in.

About the budget. Akron City Council has the power to approve and negotiate on behalf of residents in the city’s two budgetary cycles. While the Operating Budget covers mostly department and personnel expenses, the Capital Budget includes long-term investments and infrastructure projects. Fran has been attending and watching budget hearings for over 5 years, so while Fran has many thoughts, their main concern is public participation and budget transparency.

Public Participation. City Charter mandates that each year before a budget comes to council for a vote, they must have a public hearing before council, however, that process is muddled and inaccessible for residents to be able to participate in a meaningful way to influence where their tax dollars are spent.

Transparency. In terms of transparency, while some documents are posted on a council portal, these bulky downloads don’t tell the full picture. Fran will work with the administration to host annual townhalls and educate residents on budget items by ensuring information is posted publicly on the city and council’s website.

About services. The city has a responsibility to provide excellent basic services. As councilor, Fran will keep you in the loop about services and changes, and work with the administration to ensure top-notch delivery.

Trash. City sanitation crews work hard to keep our city clean. As councilor, Fran will work with residents on any trash or recycling pickup issues.

Water. Akron provides water for not just our city, but many others close-by. Fran will advocate for clean and safe drinking water, equitable water bills, and continued sophistication of our water treatment systems. 

Snow. With the City’s new truck-tracking system linking with our 311 plowing requests, it’s possible to make snow plowing more efficient. Fran will share timely plowing information with residents and advocate for the many areas of the ward that are often left unplowed.

Leaves. Fran will make sure residents are well aware of leaf pickup dates and instructions, as well as if there are any changes to this information. 

Utilities. As councilor, Fran will prioritize affordability, clean energy, and good communication about rate changes.

About development. When it comes to development, people should come first, not profit. Our neighborhoods need development projects, but not at the expense of our health and safety, or the loss of our last remaining greenspace. Neighbors need access to fresh food, a variety of modes of transportation, internet connection, and spaces to gather at all times of the day and night. But not all neighborhoods look the same, and Akron’s historic redlined areas must be met with new investment.

Tax abatement. The city’s 15-year tax abatement for development and home improvement gives incentives to a few, while not giving enough consideration for the many. As councilor, Fran will advocate, as our current mayor supported on the campaign trail, for a review and adjustment to this program.

Community development. As a former Ward 1 West Hill Neighborhood Organization Board member and frequent volunteer at North Hill CDC, Fran has seen the good that neighborhood-centered development teams can do to uplift folks, provide and restore housing, and bring hope to disinvested areas. However, the money isn’t flowing equally, while millions in private and public funding go to some CDCs, smaller CDCs are fighting over pennies. As councilor, Fran will advocate for more robust funding of smaller Community Development Corporations and neighborhood nonprofits.

Affordability. Development should not have the downstream impact of displacing neighbors directly or indirectly by raising costs of living, making life less affordable, or not matching the needs of the current neighborhood.

Bus stops. Ward 1 is a main thoroughfare for public transportation, bringing thousands of riders to and through the ward every day. However, some of our stops are less than welcoming. Fran wants to work with METRO to create weather protection for more stops and see if additional seating can be made for specific high-traffic stops.

Bike Lanes. While many have sharp opinions about bike lanes, Fran is a believer in the city’s Copenhagen-ize Plan to expand safe biking infrastructure. Fran is a cycler who wants to see protected bike lanes on all major roads in Akron.

About APS x Council. Akron Public Schools has its own government body and budget, much of which is constituted and overseen by the State of Ohio. While Akron City Council may not have authority over many matters relating to school business, APS and the City maintain legal and budgetary connections related to buildings, programming, and public safety.

Community Learning Centers. CLCs should blossom into true community centers, with clustered initiatives and more community programming. Giving students more opportunities and space to connect and hang out after school hours is important for the many who need it. 

Student homelessness. A staggering 10% of APS students are homeless. This gives APS and the City a clear mandate: expand affordable housing and continue to support programs like Project Rise.

School Resource Officers. SROs currently are constituted by a legal memorandum of understanding between APS Board and the City. However, the APD-SRO program concerns many teachers, parents, and students— particularly after the 2024 incident with SRO Zachary McCormick repeatedly punched a 16-year-old.

About the environment. A significant portion of Ward 1 is made up of green space, parks, and the Towpath. Fran’s job on council will be to support, advocate, fund, and fight for these assets.

Sustainable growth. As a background organizer at the heart of the fight against the city sale of a historic wetland to a private luxury developer at White Pond in Ward 4, Fran will continue to be vocal against luxury developers making a quick buck off our last remaining greenspace. Fran stand with Preserve the Valley and the fight against development at Theiss Woods, and will continue to track these areas while on council.

Ban Fracking. Environmentalists may be shocked to know that the City maintains mineral rights leases for private oil and gas companies to frack on local and sometimes public land. In 2021, residents shut down a bill authored by then-Mayor Horrigan and Councilor At-Large Jeff Fusco for a mineral rights lease near LaDue Reservoir, to a company owned by a campaign donor and former city councilor. The city reportedly has capped all wells that it owns, including some on national park land. As councilor, Fran will keep tabs on mineral rights leasing and be vocal against all oil and gas fracking.

Carbon Tracking. Years back, the City used to track its carbon footprint. Under Horrigan, that priority slipped. As councilor, Fran will work with the administration’s sustainability expert to restore that tracking. 

Parks. While we have a parks committee on council, they rarely meet. This is an untapped opportunity to expand resources, highlight key issues, bring stakeholders to the table, and make more of a policy and legislative effort on the issues of greenspace, park improvements, and sustainability. Fran will also advocate for equity in recreation, by supporting improvements to parks and facilities in disinvested neighborhoods. The 1969 Akron Civil Disorders Report spoke frankly about investment, and it rings true today: “City services within the City of Akron have been (and still are) inadequate in certain areas, particularly those in which the residents are predominately [B]lack.”  

Reuse. Ward 1 residents love our city recycling program and our glass recycling hub at the dog park. Many residents also enjoy the compost porch-pickup program run by Rubber City Reuse and Summit E-Waste’s scooter program. Fran will advocate for continued support for opportunities to recycle and reuse, as well as for education initiatives, like Keep Akron Beautiful’s partnership with the city that successfully cut curbside recycling contamination in half, saving the program.

Innerbelt. Descendants of those displaced by the disastrous Innerbelt project should be compensated for their loss. Innerbelt planning must seek to recognize the destruction done, work to heal wounds, and build back community with those most impacted at the forefront.

Safe Abortions. In November 2023, Ohio residents’ approved Issue 1 guaranteeing the right to abortion and other reproductive rights into an Ohio state constitutional amendment. The people of Ohio used their voices and Fran believes this is a positive step forward in protecting people’s right to body autonomy and self determination.

Immigration. Akron's identity and economy has been shaped by immigrants and former refugees. Amid population decline, pro-immigration policies brought growth. The immigrant and former refugee community helped keep Akron afloat during the 2008 recession, building jobs and business. Fran is committed to supporting our immigrant and refugee neighbors by advocating for resources and representation.

LGBTQ+ Rights. As an advocate within LGBTQIA+ community, Fran will continue to fight against state and local legislation that infringes on fundamental rights, including the rights to love, marry, express affection, use the restroom, dress, and identify as we choose.

Workers’ rights. Fran is endorsed by ASFCME Ohio Council 8 — the union representing public employees at the City. Fran believes in worker’s rights, will advocate for safe and equitable working conditions for public employees, and will prioritize public employee or union labor contracts before outsourcing. 

Board Appointments. There are a dozen or so boards, committees, and commissions that council retains or shares appointment powers for. Fran is dedicated to recruiting new and diverse representatives for these bodies, and work with the administration and bodies to find adequate funding and support to conduct their business. Fran condemns political plays by a minority conservative voting bloc on council, that has denied appointments to the police oversight board and caused drama while appointing to the housing board.

About health. All Akronites deserve to live a long, beautiful, healthy life. Fran trusts science, doctors, and nurses. As a councilor, Fran will seek advice from health professionals in order to vote knowledgeably about legislation. 

EMS. Changes in city EMS contracting and a shortage of paramedics has put strain on the Fire Department to meet the uptick in call volume over the last two years. Fran will advocate for resources and funding for medical first responders, and advocate for a continued public health system.

Medical debt. In 2023, former Ward 1 Councilor Nancy Holland worked with local health advocates to pass legislation and funding for a medical debt relief program that would serve Akronites drowning in payments. While this program and funding has faced issues getting off the ground, Fran supports this initiative.

Infant Mortality. According to the Summit Health Department, “Black infants are two times more likely to die before their first birthday compared to White infants. … Black mothers are twice as likely to receive prenatal care too late (by their third trimester) or not at all, when compared to White mothers.” Fran will support Full term first birthday, funding that closes the racial health gap, and programs that support newborns and their parents. 

City gender care. Currently, city employees benefit from a transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage. Fran supports this and the growth of equitable healthcare for public employees.

Conversion therapy. In 2022, Akron Council passed legislation to ban conversion therapy — which targets and tries to “make straight” LGBTQIA+ people. This legislation deserves teeth, and Fran supports the Malik administration’s intent to criminally prosecute practitioners.

Sale of Summa. The sale of Summa, a nonprofit and top-job producer for the county, to a venture capitalist firm HATCo raises red flags about the future of the employer and healthcare provider. Fran will continue to keep their eyes on the progression of this sale and work to call out the VC if the takeover harms doctors, nurses, employees, services, and patients.

About housing. Amid a continued housing crisis, council has failed to deliver positive change for years. Akronites deserve safe, affordable, equitable housing, and council needs to step up to the plate. 

Stats. 

• 60%+ of Ward 1 rents their homes. 50%+ Akronites rent. 

• 25% of Akronites pay more than 50% of income toward rent.

• Homelessness has grown 300% since 2022, according to Point in Time Counts.

• 3 in 5 homeless families in Summit County are Black or African American.

• Akron is the eviction capital of Ohio, and — if not thousands — of eviction cases are filed yearly.

Housing Committee. Council’s Housing and Neighborhood Assistance Committee has only met 9 times in the last 3 years. This committee, chaired by At-Large Councilor Fusco and including the current appointee to Ward 1, has failed to deliver meaningful housing legislation and policy change, amid multilayered housing, eviction, and affordability crises. As councilor, Fran will push hard for this committee to meet regularly and work with the administration to deliver on the change we need.

Housing Inspection Code. In 2022, the City and community groups came together to host an Eviction Prevention Summit. Quickly after, council leadership scrambled to put up 

Ban sweeps. In 2024, the City of Akron conducted 37 homeless encampment sweeps, where the nuisance department is either called in or of their own accord seek to remove unhoused neighbors from private or public land, often not providing extra resources or connecting folks with housing groups. In 2022, Fran worked with community groups and a legal team to call out the city’s likely consent decree violations that restricted them from destroying unhoused people’s property during sweeps. Fran believes that the city should follow the law of the consent decree, ban sweeping, and fund the expansion of beds and shelters.

AMHA. The Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority’s public housing waitlist is 40,000 families long, with rising numbers of elderly people and special needs populations. AMHA’s housing choice voucher waiting list has 20,000 families on it. Fran will continue to advocate and work for public housing, vouchers, and fair housing by AMHA.

Protections. Akron’s non-discrimination laws include protections for those facing discrimination in housing. The Akron Civil Rights Commission enforces these laws by conducting investigations, holding hearings, and making judgements. As a former Commissioner, Fran wants to bolster funding and resources of the ACRC so that they can meet rising needs— to deliver on real justice for those facing discrimination in housing.

Shelter Beds. There are 1,600 shelter beds in the county— this is not enough. For the last several years, the city has budgeted the same amount of funding for shelters. This does not reflect the desperate need for funding to care for a growing unhoused population. 

Ending Homelessness. The city is working with nonprofit partners to put together a plan for ending homelessness. Fran will continue to be vocal about the need to end homelessness, expand funding for shelter beds, decriminalize and destigmatize homelessness.

Citizens’ Police Oversight Board. 62% of Akronites voted in favor of Akron Ballot Issue 10, which placed a provision into our Charter to establish a citizen police oversight board (CPOB) to investigate complaints and misconduct and make policy recommendations. The road from it passing to today is fraught with political plays by a conservative minority on council — from moves to block appointees to the board, to blocking the board from appointee interviews, to council passing rules that watered down their powers to investigate. There are some on council that don’t want the board to exist and do everything in their power to stop reforms. Fran is a frequent attendee at oversight meetings, has worked closely with the board on a variety of issues, and is in favor of empowering and strengthening the board’s powers and authority.

Police Union. The fraternal order of police and city of Akron are bound together by a contract. This contract is a core reason why accountability measures are weak. Fran supports the CPOB being at the bargaining table and agrees with the board’s recommended changes to the union contract. 

Misconduct. The City of Akron should have a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct. Continuing to allow officers with high rates of use-of-force incidents and misconduct to remain in employment is a danger to citizens and the City.

Alternative response. Akron’s SCOUT co-responder program is a model that seeks to better respond to mental health emergency calls. However, the program is in its early stages. Fran supports alternative emergency response programs.

About public comment. Akronites have a right, per the City Charter Section 33 and Council Rules, to address city leadership at public meetings. However, in the wake of major public backlash after a police killing and a housing issue, council passed legislation to restrict public comment at their meetings. These restrictions have made council less accessible and less accountable. 

Restore and expand public comment. Council has the power to restore public comment at its meetings. Fran believes that anyone should be able to address council without a signup, that written comments should be accepted, and that there is no 30-day or 10-person limit on commenters.

Ward meetings. It is a common expectation that council’s 10 ward councilors host monthly meetings for the public. However, having attended dozens of the meetings, Fran can tell you that they are not advertised well enough, have low attendance, and can often be rambling and unengaging. Fran has a vision to bring more people together for ward meetings, to make them more educational and interactive, and to make them more like a townhall mixed with a community party. Fran wants to bring in expert speakers, have music and food, highlight neighborhood projects, and educate people on the current issues before council.

Stop cutting neighbors out. In the past five years of regularly attending Akron City Council, Fran has had their mic cut off during public comment; helped citizens sign up for public comment only for their form to be lost, denying them the ability to speak; witnessed 45 citizens get kicked out of chambers, many stripped of their right to give public comment; listened to a mayor asking council how much public participation is “too much and how much is enough” after neglecting public input in the White Pond development; and taken off work to attend a two-hour committee meeting only to have their request to speak refused. This is not how a public body and leadership should behave.