Opposition mounts to Akron safety forces charter change proposed by Malik

Akron Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge No. 7 , Akron Fire Fighters Association Local 330 and Akron City Council leaders sent out statements Friday declaring their opposition to a push to pass a city charter amendment .

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s proposed charter amendment would change the way the city hires the heads of its safety forces so that the mayor has more clearly stated authority to consider candidates and can have a more "broad and diverse candidate pool," the amendment language says. Akron City Council rejected it last month, but it could pass in other ways .

One of those is a ballot initiative. The Akron NAACP is involved with a citizen-led coalition that is gathering signatures to put the charter amendment on the ballot before voters in November, city of Akron spokeswoman Stephanie Marsh said via email on Friday.

She added that the mayor's office is not directly gathering signatures.

The local NAACP chapter could not be immediately reached for comment on Saturday.

The FOP letter quotes Matt Walsh. Who is he?

FOP Lodge No. 7 President Brian Lucey signed an Aug. 9-dated letter titled “KEEP POLITICS OUT OF POLICING” that outlines opposition to how the mayor has decided to address safety force personnel issues, including by adding police and fire chiefs to his cabinet and by not including police and fire members in the charter amendment committee . The letter contends that the city skipped four qualified individuals for a recent promotion in the fire department.

The Friday FOP letter quotes political commentator Matt Walsh: “Once you start emphasizing anything other than merit, skill, and competence in the hiring process bad things will follow.”

The letter then states: "Mayor, please re-read that last line and share with your HR department."

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled Walsh as an “extremist” who “frequently demonizes LGBTQ+ people and promotes racist and anti-transgender conspiracy theories.”

In one example quoted by the SPLC, Walsh in April 2023 shared a video of Black men allegedly attacking a white woman with the caption, “You absolutely never see videos like this with the races reversed. Never. Doesn’t exist. At some point we need to discuss why this kind of violence literally always goes one way.”

SPLC, a nonprofit that gathers information about extremist groups such as white supremacist organizations and files lawsuits to promote civil rights, states on its website : “Walsh leads a campaign against gender-affirming health care that has targeted American hospitals with harassment and has advocated executing doctors who provide health care to transgender people.”

In an email to the Beacon Journal on Saturday, Lucey said using Walsh's quote in the letter had nothing to do with what SPLC categorizes as Walsh's extreme stances.

"The quote was used because we believe it accurately represents what is trying to be achieved by the charter amendment," Lucey said. "Four fire captains were skipped to get to the 5th candidate on the eligibility list. Walsh was credited because it was in fact his quote."

Local firefighters union also opposed to charter amendment

Akron Fire Fighters Association Local 330 also released a statement on Friday opposing the charter amendment.

The union's letter, signed by Local 330 President Kevin Gostkowski, states: "Since 1866, when J.C. McNeil became the first Fire Chief until the appointment of current Fire Chief Leon Henderson in 2024, every Fire Chief of this department has come up through the ranks."

The letter asserts that the city ignored a grievance that the union filed in May over how the city conducted the fire chief search, with Local 330 stating that it would like to see job eligibility extended to department personnel holding the rank of district chief and above.

In May , the city announced it would only consider internal candidates with a minimum of 10 years of fire and/or emergency management services command experience with a minimum of one year of experience at the level of fire deputy chief, thereby prohibiting district chiefs from applying or interviewing for the position.

Leon Henderson was sworn in as Akron's newest fire chief in June .

More: 'I just wanted to help people' Leon Henderson officially promoted to Akron fire chief

"When the recent Deputy Chief position became open, Local 330 sent a letter asking that the current eligibility list be abolished, and three more eligible candidates could consider applying," the Aug. 9-dated letter states. "This is found in the Akron HR policy handbook , page 21, Section 3. That request was denied. The city administration has had repeated chances to ‘widen the pool’ with their own rules and consistently does not."

The letter concludes: "Changing the City Charter should not be taken lightly, especially when it comes to Public Safety. The members don’t play politics when they respond to a 911 call. Don’t play politics with the leadership."

Marsh declined to provide comment to the Beacon Journal on the FOP and Local 330 letters.

Akron City Council leaders propose a lengthier review, November 2025 ballot measure

Akron City Council President Margo Sommerville, Vice President Jeff Fusco and Ward 6 Councilman Brad McKitrick stated in a news release that they "oppose the piecemeal approach to Charter Reform being proposed by Mayor Malik's ballot initiative."

In a written statement, Sommerville said the charter amendment committee should be expanded to have "less of us elected officials and more community members," as she stated when council struck down a proposed ordinance to adopt the charter amendment by a 7-4 vote on July 29.

Sommerville and Fusco both stated in writing that the charter amendment should be brought before voters in November 2025.

"Ask yourself, 'Should we spend more tax dollars on charter changes that will divide our city?'" Fusco wrote. "The ballot will be full of important races and initiatives this November. By taking our time and further studying the necessary Charter amendments, we could place changes on the ballot that will have Akron's undivided attention in November 2025."

As for McKitrick, he wrote: "We recently appointed a new Police chief and a new Fire Chief. We need to take the time to look at all the issues within the Charter and correct those issues all at the same time. If we are sincerely looking for transparency and input from others, we should proceed slowly and thoughtfully.”

Sommerville added that she has asked Malik to join city council "to undertake a full Charter Amendment Review Process and propose recommendations for placement on the November 2025 ballot."

Controversy over the the city charter began with the process to hire a new police chief earlier this year. Malik had said current charter language complicates consideration of outside candidates and blocks some internal candidates because of a requirement to promote internal candidates based on a seniority formula. While previous mayors have appointed external candidates without challenge, Malik said he could lose his job if he does not abide by the charter.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Opposition mounts to Akron safety forces charter change proposed by Malik