August 4 – National Night Out in Akron

Date: July 28, 2009

Contacts: Mark Williamson-Director of Communications: willima@ci.akron.oh.us

Billy Soule-Assistant to Mayor for Community Relations: 330 375 2660 or soulebi@ci.akron.oh.us

The 26th Annual National Night Out (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

Involved since 1984, Akron last year we had nine sites with 10 different activities.  This year will have a dozen locations.  Included are new sites in east and southeast Akron, Cascade Village, northwest Akron and West Hill. (The full list is attached as a PDF)

At 6:30 PM, a special “Healing” event sponsored by the Akron PeaceMakers will take place at Firestone Park Community Center to promote peace in that neighborhood and to pray for the Marshall family attacked on June 27 on Girard Street.

Most sites will feature music, games and free food.  All will provide information on safety, health and other issues of concern. City of Akron anti-crime signs will be available at all sites as well as Block Watch sign-up and information.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 10,000 communities and all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.  In all, more than 35 million people participated in NNO 2008

Akron City Council poised to let voters decide on updating recall requirements

From City Council web site: http://bit.ly/u6h4g

Akron City Council is taking the steps to raise the requirements for a mayoral recall in advance of the 2010 Akron City Charter review.

Council Monday night tabled until next week an ordinance which would allow voters in November to change the charter to require that mayoral recall petitions be signed by 20 percent of the city’s registered voters, as opposed to just 20 percent of those who voted in the prior municipal election.

Recall proponents were able to secure more than enough signatures to prompt a special election because of the low turnout in the last election in which Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic ran unopposed.

“There is a leak in this process and we are trying to patch it up so it doesn’t rain inside for now,” said Council President Marco Sommerville (W-3). “We need to ask if we should have any other reason to recall an elected officer besides the fact that you just don’t like him.

“I think clearly the process was abused.”

What will remain unchanged is a requirement that a recall petition be submitted with a 200-word statement explaining the grounds for removal. Council members said their constituents have complained that the recall proponents’ accusations that the mayor misspends city money on travel for economic development and has a brash personality did not rise to the level of removal from office.

“At every other door I’ve gone to in my ward I heard constituents complain about the fact that we wasted money on a recall based on nothing, with no charges ever proven,” said Ward 7 Councilwoman Tina Merlitti. “I look forward to having a full charter review, but we need to first listen to what the majority of the constituents are telling us. Seventy-five percent is loud and clear.”

Prior to the recall election, Merlitti requested a review of overtime requests from the city law department after it asked for $200,000 in overtime compensation for staff to respond to an unprecedented number of constituent public records requests, many from citizens backing the recall of the mayor.

Council will hold further discussions on the charter change ordinance during next Monday’s afternoon committee meetings in Council Chambers.

Council to give up raises

From the City Council Web Site: http://bit.ly/u0fVI

Council to give up raises amid city budget woes

Recognizing the city’s tight budget and looming layoffs, Akron City Council members have agreed to return their annual 2.5 percent pay increases.

Council President Marco Sommerville said Monday that he would introduce legislation confirming the body’s intentions at next week’s meeting.

“The mayor’s cabinet has already done it, and I think it’s only fair that Council does it,” Sommerville said. “Everybody on this Council agreed and I was glad to hear that.”

The raises equal about $750 for each Council member.

Noting that nearly 80 percent of the city’s budget is salary and benefits, Sommerville said that difficult times call for difficult decisions and sometimes, sacrifices. Because of the budget crunch, Council also is considering a city employee voluntary separation plan offered by Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic.

If approved, full-time city employees will be given the option to voluntarily resign or retire between Aug. 1 and 14. Those who participate in the separation plan would be paid a severance of 30 percent of t he first $50,000 in base annual salary, and 5 percent of the base salary that exceeds that amount. For instance, a city employee who earned $70,000 would receive $15,000 for the first $50,000 and $1,000 for the excess $20,000 – resulting in a total $16,000 payment.

Summit County passed a similar separation plan in the spring.

“In any business the largest portion of expenses is always salaries and benefits,” Sommerville said. “It’s going to be difficult to deal with these issues but they have to be dealt with.”

No plans for tonight?

Plan to enjoy the Firestone Park Summer Concert series at the Community Center!

http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/events/8709142.html

Gather the family and enjoy a summer evening concert under the stars. Concerts are from 7-9 p.m. For information call 330-375-2806.

Directions to Firestone Park: 1480 Girard St. From I-77 use Exit 123B, west on Wilbeth to S. Firestone Blvd. Turn right and follow to intersection of North and S. Firestone Blvd. (Concerts in grassy area at Community Center)

And don’t forget to show your support by purchasing a “Summer Concert Series Patron Button” this year. For a $5 donation you will help continue to provide quality entertainment to the Akron community. Buttons can be purchased at all concert sites.

Pit bulls

Do you have problems with pit bulls in your neighborhood? Akron has strict laws on insurance and care of these dogs, some of which is outlined in this pamphlet.

http://bit.ly/jWWN8

If you would like to report any issues, please call 311 or email me the address where the dog resides.

July 23 Ward 7 Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended last night’s Ward 7 meeting covering the timely topic of juvenile crime and the horrible attack that happened on Girard Street after the Summer Celebration Fireworks. We had record attendance, which shows how much our community cares about the safety of our neighborhood.

We were pleased to have several talented guest speakers including The Honorable Linda Tucci Teodosio, Juvenile Court Judge; Lt. Edwards, Captain Sullivan, and Officer Chriss from the Akron Police Department; Pastor Steve Marshall; and representatives from Victims Assistance. They were able to offer important observations on the attack based on their experience.

As a result of the meeting, we were able to obtain new and helpful information toward finding the people who instigated this attack. The most important task now is to find the suspects, so please contact me if you have any information:

The description of the main aggressor is as follows: Black Male, 170 pounds, 17 to 19 years old. He had braids in his hair with red and white beads and may have had braces on his teeth.

Thank you again to our speakers and to those who attended the meeting, and I hope it will lead to some closure on this awful incident. Once again, my sympathies go out to the families that where injured.  We will continue to do everything we can to find the suspects and bring them to justice.

The topic is juvenile crime at the July 22 Ward Meeting

The next ward meeting is this Wednesday, July 22nd at 7 PM at the Firestone Park Community Center.  We will talk about juvenile crime and the horrible attack that happened on Girard Street after the Summer Celebration Fireworks.  Speakers will include the Akron Police Department and Juvenile Court Judge, The Honorable Linda Tucci Teodosio.  Other community leaders will also be there to listen and take questions.

The Summer Celebration is an event meant to bring the community together.  It is sad that the incident on Girard has caused such division in our community.  My sympathies go out to the families that where injured.  We are doing everything we can to find the suspects and bring them to justice.

The description of the main aggressor is as follows: Black Male, 170 pounds, 17 to 19 years old. He had braids in his hair with red and white beads and may have had braces on his teeth.

Firestone Park Concert Series

Join our neighborhood for tonight’s concert at the Firestone Park Community Center!

1480 Girard Street
Akron, OH

Council response to cuts in library funding

Council to governor: Don’t balance budget at expense of libraries

Akron City Council expressed its support for the state’s public libraries Monday, June 30 in passing a resolution urging Governor Ted Strickland not to balance the budget at the expense of a public resource that residents have come to rely on for decades.

Full article on Akron City Council web site: http://bit.ly/Rde1k

Update from the Ohio Attorney General

From the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, Richard Cordray:

My office recently filed an amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court supporting an effort by the city of Cleveland to hold criminal trials of high-volume real estate wholesalers who fail to appear in court when facing housing code violations.

The case, City of Cleveland v. Destiny Ventures, LLC, arises from the city’s efforts to hold banks and other corporate property-owners accountable for the large numbers of vacant properties they own and fail to maintain, contributing to the deterioration of our neighborhoods. At issue in the Ohio Supreme Court is whether holding a trial in a corporation’s absence is unconstitutional because it violates the Sixth Amendment.

We have argued that it is properly constitutional to put an absent corporation on trial when it fails to appear in response to a criminal summons. In fact, 27 other states have statutes or rules similar to Ohio’s law, and none has been found constitutionally problematic. This is one of the only tools available to hold lenders and real estate wholesalers accountable for the masses of vacant properties they neglect. Their behavior is devastating many Ohio communities, worsening the damage already caused by the foreclosure crisis.

Oral arguments in the case are expected to be heard in September or October. To read the brief, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/amicusbrief.