Will Akron Elect Its First Out Non-Binary Councilmember?

Akronites will have the chance to elect the city’s first out non-binary councilmember on May 2.

Community organizer and first-time candidate Fran Wilson, who is queer and non-binary, is among nine Democrats running for three open seats in the city’s council race. They are also the youngest candidate.

Wilson says there is appetite for change in the city, and their platform of housing justice, police accountability and government transparency – among other issues – has struck a chord with voters.

“We have over 330 grassroots donors, and in the first finance reporting period, we out-fundraised seven of our eight opponents. It’s a very exciting thing as a newcomer to Akron politics,” they said.

If elected, Wilson will not only be the city’s first out non-binary councilmember, but also the second out LGBTQ+ person elected in the city’s history.

We spoke with Wilson about their campaign, their community work, and their decision to return to Akron years after feeling like an outcast there drove them away. Being back in the city, they say, “has been a blessing every day.”

Tell us about your life in Akron. What do you do for a living? What do you do for fun?

Half of my week consists of working for a public relations agency, and the other half I devote to local organizing work in my neighborhood and across town on lots of different issues – from policing and public safety to housing efforts and mobilization around City Council issues. For fun, I love to get out in our local national park. I’m a cyclist and big into walking, so I take full advantage of the wonderful natural resources we have here in the Akron area.

According to your website, you moved back to the area in 2019 after experiencing some challenges. What were those challenges and how have they shaped your political views?

I left Akron when I was 18 because I didn’t feel accepted as the person I was discovering myself to be. I found myself in south-central Kentucky for a number of years, and that’s where I began life as an organizer.

I got involved in the Fairness Campaign in Bowling Green, Kentucky, fighting for renters’ rights and employment rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. I was in the room when they voted our community’s rights down, and I realized how much power there is on the local level. That really lit a fire under my ass to get more involved.

When I moved back to Akron in 2019, I was down and out and trying to make a fresh start. Akron became that for me. I never thought I’d return, but the culture has changed significantly, and I’ve found such a brilliant community here. It’s been a blessing every day since I landed back.

Why Akron City Council at-large, and why now?

I’ve helped a lot of young people run for office, but I never thought I’d run myself. Being on the ground in the neighborhood where my family has been for four generations changed that. I saw firsthand the housing issues and poverty issues, the result of redlining and displacement.

I organized alongside the Justice for Jayland movement and joined the fight against out-of-state criminal landlords getting millions of dollars of tax abatements to develop over historic wetland properties and frack by our city. Our City Council has failed to deliver in so many ways, and we need young and queer voices at the table to correct course. There’s a lot of excitement here in Akron for things to change, which is why our message has resonated so much with voters.

If elected, what will be your first order(s) of business, policy-wise? 

I’ve gone to City Council every single week for the last several years. First and foremost, we need to look at how accessible we are to the public. We have council rules that are restrictive to council access, are restrictive to public participation, and do not help the public in understanding what’s going on and how we are functioning as a legislative body. I want to make sure our public meetings are accessible and easy to participate in.

There is also a housing crisis in our city. Our shelters are bursting at the seams. We have tens of thousands of people waiting on housing choice voucher lists. We as a legislative body need to take firm action and make sure Akronites have a safe and healthy place to live. We need to double down on our investment in affordable housing, bolster housing inspections and hold landlords who are negligent and criminal accountable.

Additionally, we have a police department that has been, for all intents and purposes, policing itself. We have complaint and misconduct processes that do not look out for Akronites who have been unjustly prosecuted, beaten, abused, followed and neglected by Akron police. If we aren’t real about these issues, we will continue to see the marginalized and over-policed in our community beaten and killed and swept under the rug.

Non-binary representation is currently scant in Ohio politics. Why in your view is increasing this representation important?

We need queer voices at the table now more than ever. We see in our state politics and on the national level that rights for queer individuals are being stripped away. We need members of our community in local and county office and on our school boards to advocate fiercely for the basic needs and rights of all marginalized populations.

As a former Akron Civil Rights commissioner, I advocated for a more accessible complaint process for discrimination in housing and employment and helped get our records back into compliance. I look forward to continuing that advocacy when I am elected. 🔥

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• To check your voter registration status, preview ballots or locate your Summit County polling place, click here.
• To learn more about Fran Wilson and their campaign, click here.