Category: Initiatives
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The Main Lesson Helping Is Teaching Me
A homeless person messaged me recently (I hadn’t talked to her in MONTHS.)She said she needs her mail and a phone she had sent to my office immediately or she was going to “Report” me. These encounters are where the learning in life is most important for my personal journey. “No good deed goes unpunished”…
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Akron Movement
I quicky put some ideas together for something I’m calling the Akron Movement. I am SO into the idea of getting people to engage with politics and realize that they have the power to make the world what they want it to be. Additionally, there is a deep level of hopelessness in rust belt cities…
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Why do you care about people?
I’m growing to hate larger and larger swaths of people. People that are irate for having to wear a mask even though there is a good chance it would protect our elderly and sick from dying. People that will blindly stand with police even though we can all clearly see that police are getting away…
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Why I really want you to vote for the marijuana bill…
There is one prevailing reason most people I know don’t like Issue 3 that will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 3: It creates a monopoly. In fact, here is the text you will read on the ballot: Issue 3Grants a monopoly for the commercial production and sale of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposesProposed…
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Day 100 – Guess who’s a Gigabit city. It’s not Akron. – On the road to mayor
The awesome news that Hudson is now going to officially be a Gigabit city came over yesterday: Hudson starts up high-speed gigabit internet service – Your Business – Ohio Hudsons city owned and operated Velocity Broadband as of Tuesday started offering internet connections up to a gigabit per second 1,000 megabits per second. To give you…
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Day 90 – A Zero Waste City – On the Road To Mayor
I read with great interest the New York Times article on zero waste communities. I am a firm believer that in order for Akron to grow and become a place young people want to live we must move forward bravely and boldly. We must become a beacon of light and inspiration for what 21st…
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Fully Support Fight for $15
I am in complete support and will advocate for the Fight for $15 cause. We cannot live in a world where people work full time and can’t live. $15 minimum wage is realistic and fair. If you believe the government spend too much money helping people with food and living expenses you should support Fight for…
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The Socks On Every Feet Program
I have gotten to talk to a lot of homeless on this path to being mayor. These people, often forgotten or looked over, are intensely passionate about the City of Akron and it’s representatives. You might suspect that they are entirely self-indulgent or only caring about their own personal issues. You would be wrong. The…
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Day 46 – The Voice of the People – On The Road To Mayor
We had a really great talk on Facebook today about what the focus of the campaign should be. A major focus for me is the ages old infrastructure of the 2 party system. We live in the United States of the 2 Party System. They hold all the keys. They make all the rules. …
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Legalized Squatting & Tent Cities
The International Squaters Symbol Homelessness is a very real problem in Akron. If you have a better way of solving it I’m all ears. But I have an idea: What if prequalified homeless were given the opportunity to move into an abandon house or building? They would agree to stay off drugs. They…
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Plastic Roads
Dutch company, VolkerWessels, has recently come out with a new concept: PlasticRoad. As the Rubber Capital of the World and the Polymer Capital of the World we should be leading this initiative. Akron should be the first city in the world with polymer roads. Here are some features of this road: Can handle -40 degrees Can easily…
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The 1000 Business Challenge
As soon as I’m mayor we will begin a challenge to get 1000 new startup businesses in Akron in the first 2 years I am mayor. People will be able to submit their business ideas and then these people will be assigned to business advocates that will help make these into real, fully functioning businesses. …
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State & Federal Mass Transit Funding
We need to look very intensely at what grants and funds are available for mass transit and bike routes. We likely don’t have a lot of extra money in the budget for these things. But there is very likely money available that we could use.
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The Urban Garden Initiative
Akron already has some really cool urban gardens. We need to look at all the places we can put more urban gardens. Green space is critical to slowing water runoff during storms. We can let the community vote on the most beautiful gardens.
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The NEO Mayors Consortium
All local mayors should be invited to meet online quarterly and in person yearly. Different cities can host the consortiums to foster collaboration and innovative leadership strategies for the 21st century. We all have similar issues. We can learn and grow from each other.
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The Pothole Incubator
The pothole issue in Akron is beyond ridiculous. I propose we turn this into an innovation opportunity. Let the Polymer School tag the potholes and test different materials for filling potholes quickly, effectively and affordably. Let the community submit ideas for pothole abatement. We’ll pick the best of these and test and track them as…
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The 770
There are over 770 cities in the United States that have the same combined sewer system issues that Akron has. I will head up an online community for all of these cities to come together to discuss their experiences and issues. We are stronger together than apart.
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Sage Lewis for Akron Mayor – There is an alternative.
From WKYC: “Unlikely Candidate” “The Mystery Cowboy Candidate” My campaign is simple: You don’t have to accept the way things are. There is an alternative to the same old same old. You can be whoever you want to be. That’s the right of everyone in Akron, Ohio USA THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE. More is coming…
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Loosen Restrictions On Food Trucks
photo from: Akron Food Truck Friday | TeaTime with the Mad Artist I evolve my businesses based on one fundamental law of business: You can’t stop progress. Food trucks are the current evolution of the restaurant business. I love restaurants as much as the next person. But I also love food trucks. We need to continue…
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Akron Will Post Its Checkbook Online
I recently came across this story: Stow first in Summit County to put citys checkbook online Through the states OhioCheckbook.com website, taxpayers are now able to view every dime Stow spends — from office equipment to asphalt providers to legal fees — in a searchable database. Akron will do this when I’m mayor! We…
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Akron Sewer System Isn’t A Problem. It’s a HUGE Opportunity
If there is one thing people seem to be afraid of it’s: How is an outsider with no political experience going to be able to handle the multi-billion dollar sewer system problem? The more I think about it, the more I think I might be able to handle it better than career politicians. Everything in…
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Akron Will Become An Entrepreneurial Center of America
This is the initiative I am most excited about. And it’s the initiative I have the most experience with. We have a declining population. We have brain drain. We have a lower than Ohio average median household income. All of this is fixed with jobs. Small businesses are the leading creator of new jobs in…
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Self-Imposed 2 Term Limit
I declare right here, right now that I will not run more than 2 times for Akron Mayor. If aliens possess my body and I somehow get mad for the hunger of power please use this post to do everything in your power to stop me from running. I will also do everything I can…
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Immediately Tie the Mayor’s Salary To The Median Household Income
This is a quick and easy one that I’ll do on day one as Akron Mayor. I will make the salary of mayor double whatever the median household income is. Want more money as mayor? Figure out how to raise the median household income in Akron. According to City-Data the median household income in…
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Internet is not a luxury. It’s a fundamental right.
You don’t need a big study to prove that kids who have Internet access at home will have a significant edge over kids who don’t have Internet at home. We need a way to get Internet access in the homes of every kid in Akron. Now, you need to understand something about me. I…