Dan Horrigan

Akron mayoral candidate Dan Horrigan talks to a meeting of Ward 1 residents in North Hill.

(John Harper/Northeast Ohio Media Group)

AKRON, Ohio -- Dan Horrigan, the Summit County clerk of courts now running for Akron mayor, wants to see more bike lanes, better relationships in City Hall and more consistent urban renewal.

Horrigan spoke at a Ward 1 meeting in North Hill, where he is from and where he was first elected to Akron city council in 1998. It was the first time Horrigan, who thus far has averted public questions about city policy, shared an idea of what his mayorship would look like.

Horrigan will face Democrats Frank Comunale, Mike Williams and Tom Sawyer in the Sept. 8 primary election. Candidates have made hurried plans to join the race after Don Plusquellic quit the job in May after 28 years.

Horrigan is now considered a favorite to replace Plusquellic after Plusquellic's successor, former council President Garry Moneypenny, resigned after a "too-personal" encounter with an employee in his office. Moneypenny's immediate successor, Jeff Fusco, is instead running to keep his at-large City Council seat.

Horrigan started off by drawing a line between himself and current political conflict in council, where contention and political rifts have escalated after Plusquellic's departure. Instead Horrigan kept his comments specific said its important for a mayor to be cordial with council members

"I don't think there's a more important relationship downtown than a mayor should have with his other elected body," Horrigan said.

That was part of a two-sided coin Horrigan repeatedly called collaboration.

One side of Horrigan's coin: The mayor should maintain relationships with other politicians in the city, Horrigan said. In response to a later question, about why fire and police are outsourcing their training programs, Horrigan said he's not afraid to ask people on the outside.

After congratulating a school board candidate, Horrigan said: "If you want to make the schools better, listen to the teachers."

He later pivoted on a question about predatory banking practices in North Hill, which is experiencing a renaissance from the work of refugee immigrants from Nepal and Bhutan.

"As big as the city is, you can't turn a blind eye anywhere," Horrigan said. "Economic development is still a key. I don't know if they are did urban renewal before, but you can't just let it go."

The candidate talked about "marshaling" money from federal and state assistance programs to continually refresh urban clean-up and renewal programs.

On a final note, Horrigan said he loves bike lanes.

"When I don't fall I feel great," Horrigan said. "I know they have added a lot of bike lanes. I have seen them in other cities where they literally have dozens or hundreds of bike lanes."