AKRON, Ohio - With two-year terms expiring soon and a need to unite, Akron City Council elected new leadership at a special meeting on Monday night. Council Vice President Margo Sommerville, Ward 3, was unanimously voted council president, stepping into the role Ward 8 Councilwoman Marilyn Keith has held for the past two years.

Keith, who said she will consider running again in the future, said she had the votes to retain her position but relinquished it because it was the best thing for council.

"Council's been a little fragmented lately and possibly she could bridge the divide," Keith said of Sommerville. "I gave my best and it was such a terrific experience for me and a wonderful opportunity. I love my ward but, boy do I have a better scope of the city now."

The unanimous vote was a positive indicator, said Sommerville, whose father, Marco Sommerville, served on city council for 25 years, 12 of which were as council president. He is now deputy mayor of Intergovernmental relations and a senior advisor to the mayor.

"It's a sign moving forward that hopefully there will be some more coming together, and really bridging the divide so that we can focus on moving agendas forward," Sommerville said.

In the past few months, council has been strongly and publicly divided on some issues. In September, discussion over changing the city's Columbus Day holiday to Indigenous Peoples' Day erupted in angry shouting, in a scenario many viewed as a racial divide.

"There is a majority and there is a minority," Sommerville said. "I'm kind of a person in the middle that can bridge the gap."

City council will continue conflict management counseling at the University of Akron that Keith initiated in September, following council's outburst.

"The conversations have been positive," Sommerville said. "Anything that is going to help keep us talking and bring us to a better understanding of one another, we have to keep up."

Moving forward, council also needs to focus on issues like gun violence, improving housing and increasing the population, she said.

Also in a unanimous vote, At-large Councilman Jeff Fusco was elected vice president of council, taking over Sommerville's seat. Fusco said he plans to keep a close eye on what comes out of the Statehouse and Washington D.C.

"It's a continuous attack on urban areas," he said. "A number of issues we're going to be confronting adversely affects cities."

Locally, Keith did a solid job as council president, he said.

"Marilyn got us through some really tough times on council, successfully," he said, pointing to her role in getting the city income tax increased.25 percent in November. "I'm looking forward to working with all of council to make sure 2018-2019 and beyond is very successful."

City council's president pro-tem, a spot currently filled by Donnie Kammer, Ward 7, will be taken over by Ward 10 Councilman Zack Milkovich next year.

Council voted had to vote three times to fill the pro-tem positon.

The first vote resulted in five votes for Milkovich, six for Kammer and two for At-large Councilwoman Veronica Sims. A second vote yielded the exact same outcome. After a 10-minute recess, council resumed and Kammer withdrew his nomination, made by Ward 6 Councilman Bob Hoch. With the final round of voting, Milkovich won the seat with eight votes.

Although Sims wasn't elected to the president pro-tem, she was named chair of the city's economic development committee by the committee on committees, which took about 15 minutes in a separate chamber to decide committee positions.

"I think we're in a good place," Sims said. "We have new leadership, there's a lot to do and I think everybody here is looking forward to a good year in 2018."

Changes to city council committees for the upcoming two-year term include:

Sommerville will replace Keith as chair of the committee on committees

Keith will replace Sommerville on the public safety committee

Keith will replace Sommerville as chair of the rules committee

Keith will replace Simms as chair of the public service committee

Sims will replace Sommerville as chair of the economic development committee

Keith will replace Sommerville on the budget and finance committee

Tara Mosely-Samples, Ward 5 will replace Russel Neal as chair of the public utilities committee

Keith will replace Sommerville on the budget and finance committee

Keith will replace Mosely-Samples as chair of the housing committee, and Mosely-Samples will replace Fusco

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