Akron voters have spoken, and Shammas Malik is projected to move forward on the ballot to the general election on the road to mayor, according to unofficial Summit County election results.
RELATED: See all the Northeast Ohio results from the May 2023 Primary Election here.
Malik, a Democrat, won’t face any opposition in November from Republicans, and unless a write-in candidate files by Aug. 28, he will be the sole option for mayor on the general election ballot. He received 43% of the vote in the primary election Tuesday, with 100% of precincts reporting, according to Summit County Board of Elections data.
Akron voters considered Ward 8 Councilman Malik among a slew of other candidates — Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs Marco Sommerville, District 4 Summit County Councilman Jeff Wilhite, Keith Mills, Mark Greer and Joshua Schaffer.
When the next mayor takes office, they will have replaced Dan Horrigan, who has served as mayor since first swearing-in on Jan. 1, 2016. He was re-elected in 2020 but chose not to seek a third term.
Horrigan never provided specifics on why he sought to leave office, stating last year, “My reasons are my own, and they are without regret. It is the honor of my professional lifetime to serve as Akron’s 62nd mayor. It is my intention to complete my second term through December 2023 with the same vigor and integrity that I hope I have displayed so far. There’s still more work to be done."
RELATED: Voters in Akron will likely select next mayor in Tuesday's primary election
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