The forum was sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association and swelled what’s usually an intimate monthly meeting of 15-20 people to more than 150.

Seated side-by-side at the Portage Country Club, Summit County Clerk of Courts Danny Horrigan, county Council Member Frank Communale and Akron Council Member Mike Williams set out to convince each one of those people to vote for him on Sept. 8.

But more often than not, the trio of Democrats’  positions coincided -- even to the point of using some of the same phrases.

Take Horrigan: “I’ve always had to build a collaborative approach, whether it was in the classroom, whether it was on council.

Then Communale: “We collaborate. We come together and come up with best practices.”

And Williams: “Nothing good happens in a vacuum. It is all of us working together that moves this community forward.”  

Proud years and changes
When asked directly, all three at least implied collaboration would be the key difference between the style of their administrations and that of Plusquellic, who abruptly quit two months ago after a series of run-ins with council.

Communale was most direct:

"Over a period of almost 28 years, he showed remarkable leadership, entrepreneurial skill sets and vision for the city. I think at the end, maybe the challenges of the office and other interests became more troubling than they once were. I don’t know. That’s my sense of it. What would I do differently? What I do best. Listen.”

Communale has helped run his family’s business. And that experience -- along with his volunteer work -- was a theme throughout most of his comments.

For Mike Williams – who ran against Plusquellic four years ago -- the theme was the role of those who also helped revitalize downtown, and attract and keep jobs in the city.

 “When we look back and history writes about Akron, these will be very proud years. The respect, though, for residents by the leadership will be the hallmark of my administration and we will work cooperatively together to move our community forward.”

A call for civility
Like all three candidates – Akron City Council is entirely Democratic. But council debates have grown acrimonious of late – even nearing a fistfight.

Horrigan -- an Akron ward councilman before becoming county clerk eight years ago – proposed a “civility accord” to ensure respect between his administration and council. He said civility has its practical benefits, as he learned with the rejuvenation of Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood.

“Most of these good plans that work, they start from the ground up. These were the businesses and the residents that came together and said, “Listen, the city needs to turn its attention here. So not only were we investing downtown, we were investing in neighborhoods.”

Impact of University of Akron troubles
The written questions -- which came from both the audience and the moderator – also touched on education, sewers, economics, police relations, immigration, and managing a city that’s gone through a lot of change and will likely go through a lot more.

Some of that change includes a $60 million budget problem at the University of Akron – which has partnered with the city to expand its campus, housing and presence downtown. Horrigan says he trusts the university leadership to solve the problems. And Williams said that’s crucial for the city.

“The University is critical to the health of Akron. It is part of that entire educational piece from preschool all the way to graduate school. So we have to continue to work with the University of Akron.”

But Communale said he’s troubled by an increase in fees for upperclassmen – and by the cost of higher education in general.   

Focus on neighborhoods and jobs
The three men all agreed that the city needs to find ways to get the EPA to agree to integrate greener – and in many cases cheaper – alternatives into Akron’s $1-billion-plus sewer overhaul. Williams insisted the city should fight efforts by the state to keep cities from using such projects to ensure residents get training and jobs.

All three also praised the impact of immigration on the city -- especially over the last decade as refugees from southeast Asia have revitalized once-crumbling northside neighborhoods.

And neighborhoods repeatedly made the candidates’ list of priorities – one of four for Communale.:

“Reinvest in safer and stronger neighborhoods. Invest in the right jobs. Improve our roads and infrastructure. And support education in the arts and volunteerism throughout Akron.”

A second debate featuring all three candidates in the Democratic primary will be Aug. 19, presented by the Akron Press Club.  The winner of the Sept. 8 primary will face the lone Republican candidate, Eddie Sipplen, on Nov. 3.