Why I’m running

I’m a fifth-generation Akronite, the son of an Akron Public Schools teacher and the grandson of a rubber worker. I was born and raised in Northwest Akron, but I’ve called Middlebury home for the past seven years. My work as an ER doctor has given me a window into the daily challenges faced by people in every corner of our city: I have seen how the impacts of poverty, housing insecurity, and gun violence can change lives and challenge families.

I have often proclaimed that Akron is the greatest city in the world (sometimes being met with a chuckle in response). I wouldn’t have been able to succeed in my life without the family, friends, teachers, and neighbors who chose to believe in and invest in me during my younger years. For that reason, I believe that I owe a debt of service to this community. I’m running for City Council because I believe in the unique ability of city government to solve problems for people.

I’ve chosen the slogan “For Every Neighborhood” to define this campaign. It is the synergy of our city’s 24 neighborhoods—and the people who make them what they are—that constitutes what makes Akron beautiful and great. I’ve set a goal to knock on 10,000 doors, across all 24 of Akron’s neighborhoods and all 10 of its wards. While I hope to earn votes by doing so, I also hope to meet many more of my neighbors, who have always shown me new reasons to be passionate about believing in Akron.