Akron, Ohio, City Council Nixes Public Comments Via Email

(TNS) — Beginning Feb. 8, City Council will no longer read emailed public comments during its virtual meetings, and is instead requiring Akronites to leave a voicemail if they wish to address council.

The change was initially not publicized by the city aside from a message on council’s homepage Wednesday stating that “the previous public comment email is being retired at this time.”

After cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer left emails and phone calls with the Akron press office about when and why the decision was made, Council President  Margo Sommerville  issued a brief news release.

“Traditionally, members of the public would come to Council meetings on Monday nights and share their comments in person,” Sommerville said in the release. “Since that is not possible during this pandemic, the voicemail option is the best alternative. This gives residents an opportunity to still speak to Council in their own voice.”

Since City Council began holding virtual meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic, residents have been able to submit a public comment by leaving a voicemail at 330-375-2566 or emailing publiccomment@akronohio.gov. But beginning Feb. 8, however, that will no longer the case.

“We value public comment, so that’s why we shifted to email submission [during the pandemic],” Sommerville told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. “We then got technology to be able to do voice recordings, which is really nice because people have the ability to call in and we can hear their voice.”

Sommerville said that the decision to eliminate the reading of emailed public comments had been in the works “for some time” and was not due to lengthy public comment periods.

In January 2020, City Council added new requirements for people wishing to address council, including submitting a form with their subject matter, name and address prior to the start of the meeting. The changes passed 12-1, with Ward 4\u2032s  Russ Neal  dissenting, during a meeting which itself did not have a public comment period, despite the council website stating there would be one.

But the changes weren’t in effect for long, since City Council began meeting virtually in March and Akronites began emailing and calling to submit remarks, rather than appearing in person.

During virtual meetings, Deputy Clerk of Council  Sara Biviano  would read the text of emails aloud and then play the recorded voicemails. When controversial issues have been before council, including the proposed developments in Merriman Valley or proposed fracking under city-owned land at LaDue Reservoir, the public comment periods have been notably long.

On Monday, public comments were read and played for about an hour of the two-hour council meeting, most of which were about the fracking at LaDue.

The city’s decision to do away with emailed public comments has been concerning for some Akronites, including members of the Akron chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“City council has been hammered by the community about their decision to lease mineral rights to our land for a fracking deal with a company cozy with the city administration,” Akron DSA tweeted. “They’ve decided to remove another vital way to submit public comment via email to try and further separate themselves from accountability and action.”

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