There’s been a lot going on this month, some good and some very discouraging. Let’s start with the good, City Council appointed Mark Greer as your new Council- at-Large Representative to fill Jeff Fusco’s seat. Many of you know Mark as the Executive Director of the Bicentennial Commission, ( he spoke at a Ward 8 meeting in 2025). Mark has a solid background with the City, he’s jumped in feet first and I’m sure he’ll do a great job. Hopefully he’ll stop by our May 20th Ward meeting to say hello.
With all the rain, I’m getting a number of high grass calls and emails. Please remember, you can call 311 or enter them on the my311 app and get quicker response, but I’m still happy to help out if you’d like. And on a tragic note, there was a shooting at the Noisy Oyster on May 4th, resulting in fatality for one of the 2 individuals who were shot. The Noisy Oyster had nothing to do with this, and they closed for 5 days following the incident. Let’s keep all this impacted by this incident in our thoughts and prayers. I joined number of neighbors from Parkway Estates for dinner there last Wednesday to show our support for Roger and his crew. I hope you’ll gather some friends and grab a bite at the Noisy Ouster soon to support a great local restaurant.
Gun violence is incredibly difficult for a community. No one should feel unsafe while spending it,e with friends or enjoying a night out. We seem to read about another shooting daily, especially those involving kids with guns ( like at Summit Mall earlier this month). We have to find a way to calm folks down and teach them to talk first Instead of pulling out a weapon.
Our May Ward Meeting is Wednesday night May 20th, from 6-8pm at the Northwest Family Recreation Center on Shatto. As always APD Officer Aaron Brown will update us on safety issues in the Ward, and Summit County Judges Joy Malek Oldfield and Jennifer Towell will go over their newly launched Pro Bono Collaboritive offering free legal help for Summit County Residents. Lastly Linda Crites, COO of the Akron Zoo will tell us about the new Giraffe Conservation Center and what’s on tap for summer at the Zoo. I hope to see you Wednesday evening!