Public removed from Akron City Council meeting after vote on White Pond.
AKRON, Ohio — Police were asked to clear the audience from an Akron City Council meeting this week after fierce opposition to a planned housing development.
“There’s likely to be a lot of unintended consequences - some that we can predict and probably others that might be more severe that we can’t predict,” said Peter Niewiarowski. “Akron has a future which can be modern, healthy, attractive, and prosperous but we must be willing to embrace good opportunities such as this one when they present themselves,” wrote Mayor Horrigan. “It's not every day we have a developer willing to take a risk of this magnitude on our city, and every time we turn that opportunity away, we send a signal to others that we don’t want that kind of investment.
While many of the council members said they support the development proposal, some asked to allow more public comment before voting on the sale. The request was shot down, which persuaded some members to vote against the approval. “City council pushed us out of the people’s hall. I will never forget that moment. That was just terrible government,” said project opponent Fran Wilson. “Many people left and thought they were not able to give a public comment because of a dispersal order that was sent out. And that was just the culmination of months of problems.”
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