Akron Life December 2023

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[ Managing Editor | Kelly Petryszyn | kpetryszyn@bakermediagroup.com ]

One for All

Shammas Malik is working to be the people’s mayor in Akron.

out with the people is that he is grounded, and he gets that from the strong example set by his mother. “She was really down to earth. She didn’t ever get caught up in chasing people’s approval,” he says. “There’s a community meeting, and I’m putting away chairs. The mayor should be willing to do every job that anybody else does.” Malik and his team tirelessly worked to campaign throughout every city ward, knocking on thousands of doors and meet ing with hundreds of people. He is driven to get the pulse of what the people want and the changes that need to be made. “Whether in a nice neighborhood or they were in a more difficult neighborhood, people are talking about safety, making sure their kids had a good education and pros pects,” he says. His ability to relate to everyone might be what got him elected and is what shapes his platform of equity as well as his vision of a diverse cabinet. “It’s always important to try to be looking for that thing you can connect with some one on,” he says, “so you can step in their shoes and try to understand people.” I related to him talking about seeing his friends leave Akron. I went to Kent State University, and naturally, people go their separate ways after college, but it stung every time a friend moved away. Northeast Ohio has always struggled with brain drain and being a place people leave for seem ingly grander prospects in bigger cities. Malik left to attend The Ohio State University and Harvard Law School and to do internships in Washington, D.C. — but

he came back. Luckily, some of my friends did too. We’ve always had the elements to live a fulfilling life here, and we just need to keep improving them. Malik sees you and every one else as a part of Akron’s story. Perhaps for the first time, we can all feel reflected in Akron and truly remember why it is home.

Informed citizens were firing off many well-formed questions to then-presumptive Akron mayor Shammas Malik, and it was clear by his responses that he had a different, more hands-on approach than most politicians. Speak to some of the ideas you have to cre ate jobs so people will want to come to Akron, stay in Akron and move to Akron , said one resident at the Sept. 14 Yours and Mine Akron United Communities Civics Organization meeting at Robinson Community Learning Center. “I went down to the Goodyear airdock. They took me up on the roof. I’m afraid of heights. A company that is funded by Google, Lighter Than Air, is building air ships in that building, and it’s going to bring hundreds of jobs here by building the largest airships in the history of the world,” says the 32-year-old Northwest Akron native and resident. “This is happen ing right here. I’m not saying everyone can work at Lighter Than Air, but these are the kinds of things we can pursue.” Malik is not just a figurehead. He goes out into the city, talks to all types of people and sees what’s going on firsthand so he can determine how to address it. Read about his vision for Akron and jour ney to being the youngest and first mayor of color in Akron in our feature, “The Equalizer,” on pg. 22. Akron is on the brink of one of the big gest changes it’s seen in years, and it’s an exciting time when a younger, more diverse generation is leading our city. One of the things that pushes him to be

[ Managing Editor Kelly Petryszyn is an adventure seeker, forever a dreamer and an avid supporter of #TeamFiona. ]

Akron mayor-elect Shammas Malik, photo by Meghan Winkler

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DECEMBER 2023 | akronlife.com