Becoming Akron’s Ward 1 councilperson wasn’t something Fran Wilson initially planned to do.
Prior to being sworn in on Dec.1 as the new Ward 1 councilperson, Wilson said that five years spent attending council meetings and getting increasingly involved in the community showed the importance of the role and how it’s “a great way to represent neighbors.”
Standing on the cusp of the moment, Wilson was “equally excited and jaded,” noting there’s been good and bad legislation passed through council.
“I am very excited about representing my community and representing Ward 1, and working hard for my neighbors,” said Wilson, “but I’m also coming in very clear-eyed about politics and the problems of City Hall.”
Wilson defeated DeShazior and Emily Durway in the May primary election and went on to win against independent candidate Acacia Reynolds in the November general election.
Ward 1 spans from central to northwest Akron.
Though they ran as a Democrat, Wilson’s politics are different than those of mainstream Dems. Wilson aligns with the Working Families Party, a “Democrat-adjacent” organization Wilson believes does a better job representing everyday people.
Wilson is eager to bring LGBTQ+ representation to council — something Wilson said is “long needed,” especially given the discriminatory attitudes levied against the LGBTQ+ community nationwide and at the state level.
Wilson is the second out-LGBTQ+ person elected to City Council in Akron.
“We are experts in discrimination towards our community,” said Wilson. “Having people and voices like us at the table help inform public policy leaders about how we can be more inclusive and just represent everybody in our community.”
Throughout the campaign, Wilson was outspoken about giving more people a voice in city government. First in the crosshairs, said Wilson, will be looking at “and hopefully revising some of the rules” impeding residents and council members from adequately representing their communities.
“My eyes are definitely on public comment,” said Wilson, “and how power dynamics are at work in City Council leadership.”
City Council says farewell to Samuel DeShazior
At its Nov. 24 meeting, council bid farewell to Samuel DeShazior, who was appointed to council in 2024 after Nancy Holland’s abrupt resignation following her reelection. The body unanimously passed a resolution thanking him for his service as Ward 1 councilman.
His fellow council members wished him well, highlighting his long history with the city, both as someone who boosted Akron’s economy, and, as Ward 4 Councilwoman Jan Davis put it, “a well-rounded and loving human being.”
DeShazior worked from 2014 to 2019 as former Mayor Dan Horrigan’s deputy mayor for economic development. In 2019, he was appointed as the director of business retention and expansion in the city’s Office of Integrated Development, where he served through completion of Horrigan’s final term.
Previously, he managed the Akron Global Business Accelerator, now known as the Bounce Innovation Hub.
Even before that, DeShazior was the director of business development of the Akron Regional Development Board — now called the Greater Akron Chamber.
“We’re going to miss you, my friend,” said Ward 8 Councilman Bruce Bolden. “I appreciate all you do, I really appreciate your friendship.”
At the end of his remarks to council, DeShazior highlighted the importance of unity amid strife.
“We got some problems,” he said. “We do. But we have to have the ability to come together if we’re going to make our community better.”
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fran Wilson sworn in as Akron Ward 1 councilperson
Reporting by Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
