These eight people want to be the next mayor of Akron. See who has filed to run for office

Seven Democrats and one Republican are running to be the next mayor of Akron.

The eight candidates met the Wednesday filing deadline to appear on May 2 primary ballots with an R or D beside their names. Candidates seeking to run as independents have until May 1 to declare their candidacies.

The signatures filed by the eight partisans Wednesday must be certified by the county election office by Feb. 13.

For the Republicans, the lone candidate is former conservative talk show host Jim Isabella. (However, the Summit County Board of Elections subsequently determined he did not have enough valid signatures)

In the Democratic primary, the will candidates include two sitting members of council (Shammas Malik and Tara Mosley), a deputy mayor (Marco Sommerville), a city employee who resigned last week (Mark Greer), a sitting Summit County councilman (Jeff Wilhite), a teacher (Keith Mills) and a cellphone store manager (Joshua Schaffer).

With Mayor Dan Horrigan not seeking reelection for undisclosed personal reasons, the seven Democrats will square off in May with the winner advancing to face Republican Isabella in November.

All eyes will be on the Democrats, who've controlled City Hall for decades. The two members of council in the race have, in turn, created competitive contests to replace them on council in January.

Here are the mayoral candidates, starting with the Republican.

Jim Isabella

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Isabella, who left WNIR FM radio early last year after signing an undisclosed separation agreement, told the Beacon Journal that he never intended to run for mayor when he moved back to Akron in December.

But he hopes his loyal fans can help the GOP do something they haven't for 40 years: run Akron City Hall.

In recent election cycles, the Republican Party has thrown little more than an endorsement, and virtually no money, to its candidates for mayor. Attorney Eddie Sipplen, who left the national party when Donald Trump took control, had to fundraise outside the local GOP apparatus in the last open election for mayor in 2015. Josh Sines, who died in 2021, also ran without financial support from the local party in 2019.

“The odds are very much against me, and I know that. But I feel like I have nothing to lose,” said Isabella, 64.

His supporters "are looking for the guy to break the stranglehold,” Isabella said of Democrat control of Akron City Hall, “and a guy who really can speak his mind freely.”

Mark Greer

Greer is the last to join the race, having disclosed his intentions by filing his candidacy paperwork in the final hour Wednesday.

Greer was speaking with election staff and unable to give an interview. Up until last week when the city of Akron said he resigned, Greer was the mayor's small business program manager. Prior to that economic development role, Greer administered the city's Great Streets Program, which supports businesses in neighborhood economic districts with grants and technical support.

The 39-year-old Akronite lives in an apartment downtown.

Shammas Malik

Malik, 31, is a first-term councilman who has established a track record in his short time in politics as a strong fundraiser and campaigner.

He handily defeated a well-known challenger in 2019 for the open Ward 8 seat covering Northwest Akron. And he had more cash on hand than any member of council heading into this election cycle.

The Harvard-educated attorney — now in private practice — previously worked in Horrigan's law department. Malik shared a mutual endorsement with Horrigan in 2019, though the two have disagreed on major issues in the past three years.

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During the pandemic, the councilman debated the mayor's opposition to a moratorium on water utility shutoffs. In 2021 after the city began receiving $145 million in federal pandemic relief funds, Malik joined a minority on council who opposed what they viewed as blanket spending authorization for the mayor. Last year, he was the most outspoken advocate on council for a voter-approved charter change that created a civilian police review board.

In January, Malik began releasing the four planks of his vision for Akron, which apply a theme of collaboration to issues of safety, education, economic development, health and housing.

Keith Mills

Mills, 41, first ran for public office at age 29, vying for a ward council seat in 2009 while living in North Hill. He and his wife, whom he married the next year, have since moved to West Akron to raise their three children.

Mills is a head coach in the esports program at Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where he works as an intervention specialist at Collinwood High School. He moved to Akron from Barberton when he was 8.

"Just growing up in Akron," Mills said of his desire for change at City Hall, "it's always the same guys, same mentality in office."

He said people are tired of the lack of civic engagement and fed up with incremental improvements that haven't added up to anything that feels like real change.

If elected, Mills said, he'd explore ways to lower sewer bills, especially for people who can't afford them on fixed incomes. His campaign, he said, also will focus on addressing dilapidated houses, better customer service and possibly running internet in Akron as a public utility.

Tara Mosley

It's been Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley's lifelong dream to serve in the highest office of her city.

“That's always been my objective my entire life, is to be the mayor of Akron,” Mosley, 52, said in October.

"I'm sure most of the council would be interested — those who actually want to see significant change in the city," said Mosley, who expressed a desire to wait for Horrigan to make his decision before postponing her decision until after the national midterm elections.

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Mosley, a former bailiff in the Akron Municipal Court, has served one of the city's most diverse and lowest income areas for eight years on council. The East Akron resident has made and tested alliances in her two terms as an elected official, at times challenging Mayor Horrigan's policy proposals while still securing his endorsement for reelection in 2019.

In 2018, Mosley ran for lieutenant governor with Dennis Kucinich, who lost the Democratic nomination to Rich Cordray. A spot on the populist ticket earned Mosley more respect from progressive liberals who already appreciated her vocal support for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former state Sen. Nina Turner.

Joshua Schaffer

Joshua Schaffer, 36, is a cellphone store manager who’s been blocked from campaigning on public buses, University of Akron buildings and the mayor of Akron’s official Facebook page.

“Well, when you're an average Joe working a full-time job, you got two days off a week,” explained Schaffer. “And, hopefully, there's an event one of those days.”

Schaffer tried passing out campaign literature last winter but was told by legal counsel at UA that electioneering is not permitted indoors. Last spring, he was told campaigning would not be permitted on Metro RTA buses.

Schaffer’s comments on the mayor’s Facebook page disappeared last year. He was told the forum was no place for supporting or opposing political candidates. Schaffer got his attorney involved and made the case that the official social media accounts of public officeholders are tantamount to public space, where the First Amendment protects free speech.

Marco Sommerville

An embalmer and longtime owner of Sommerville Funeral Services, Marco Sommerville previously presided over City Council and the Akron NAACP.

Sommerville, 70, cut his political teeth on Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign. His name came up in 2015 as the city scrambled for a leader after the abrupt resignation of Don Plusquellic, who had appointed Sommerville planning director in 2012.

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"My commitment to this city, the continued growth of our economy, and the well-being of everyone who calls this great city home is unwavering," Sommerville said in a release announcing his decision to run for mayor. "It is for these reasons that I announce my candidacy for the 63rd Mayor of Akron.

Horrigan endorsed Sommerville on Oct. 6.

Jeff Wilhite

A former board member at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and founding executive director of the Summit/Akron Solid Waste Management Authority, Wilhite brings three decades of service in public office or private nonprofits focused on the environment, education, housing and business.

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"I've spent my entire professional career being involved in this community, seeing things come and go, seeing things that worked and things that didn't work," said Wilhite, a former vice president and former president of County Council. He also served with Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic as deputy mayor for administration and deputy planning director from 2000 to 2006.

"It’s time to give back," Wilhite, 62, said. "And I feel passionate about that. I want to make sure the city stays on a positive trajectory."

Before his appointment to County Council in 2016, where he's since been elected to stay, he ran for an at-large seat on Akron City Council in 2015. He's currently the executive director at Family Promise of Summit County, a provider of housing and homeless services.

Wilhite said he would focused on, among other things, boosting homeownership and supporting businesses still recovering from the pandemic and its lingering effects.

"There’s just a whole lot of good that goes on in the community and we’ve got the resources, and can attract other resources," he said.

Reach reporter Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron mayoral candidates: See who's running for mayor in 2023 election