One of the things I hate about our mayor, more than anything, is how visionless he is.
His biggest goal is the get the population to 250,000 people. We're in the 190s now and I'll take a bet that our population decreases in the 2020 census.
Letting people build houses tax free for 15 years is not going to cut it when your schools suck and people are getting shot left and right.
You have to do something to stand out. You also need to love the people you have. 190,000 is just fine.
My first idea is to make Akron the "Recovery City." We're the home of AA. EVERYONE should come to Akron to get away from their stress and recover from whatever addiction ails them. We would offer the most diverse, cutting edge recovery methods in America.
But that's just a small part of my larger vision.
No one would be more progressive than Akron. If someone else has it we'll have it too. But eventually all innovation in progressive thinking would start here.
Here's just a small sample of what I'm talking about.
- $15 minimum wage
- We defund the police and give the money to mental health professionals who work along side police.
- All police officers are required to carry insurance like doctors and nurses.
- Rainbow is our official city color and our new city flag.
- Plastic roads
- Rubber roads
- Decimalization of sex work
- Decriminalization of all drug use
- No jail time for parole violations
- No library book fines
- Free access to the zoo for all Akron residents
- Free bus access to people below the poverty line
- Ending the 15 year tax free home building program
- Tax free startup businesses for 15 years.
- 4 marijuana plants per house permitted
- 30% of all marijuana businesses must be African American owned.
- Stainless steel public toilets
- Pot hole patching contracts for small and startup businesses. 30% must be African American.
- Fire hydrant painting contracts for small and startup businesses. 30% must be African American.
- Free public phones on all major streets.
- Free condoms and feminine hygiene products throughout the city for those on SNAP.
- If a large company is getting a tax break it must have 30% of it's executive suite be African American.
- Akron will enforce the most progressive affirmative action system in America in all of it's public jobs.
- There will be 4 safe injection sites in the city.
- There will be a homeless tent or tiny house village in every ward.
- Innovative housing ideas will be highly encouraged.
- We will stop tearing down houses and offer them to low income people to renovate and own.
- Houses with children cannot have any utilities turned off.
- No utilities can be turned off between December and March.
- Evictions will be greatly reduced and rare.
- There will be city-run health insurance offered to all Akron citizens not able to get Medicare or Medicaid. Cost will be based on income.
- Communal living will be encouraged.
- City gardening and farming will be encouraged.
- If you have an idea we want you to try it out here in Akron.
- Starting a business in Akron will be incredibly easy and incredibly supported.
This list isn't meant to be exhaustive. It's just meant to be a starting point.
The only way we're going to stop our clear death spiral is through innovation. Being progressive is being innovative.
This is the Akron of the future.
