Dan Horrigan
Dan Horrigan (born 1963) is an American politician and educator, currently serving as the 62nd mayor of Akron, Ohio, having been elected on November 3, 2015, following eight years as the Clerk of Summit County's Common Pleas Courts.[1][2]
Dan Horrigan | |
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62nd Mayor of Akron | |
Assumed office January 1, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Jeff Fusco |
Personal details | |
Born | 1963 (age 56–57) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Deanna |
Alma mater | Kent State University (B.A.) University of Akron (B.Ed) |
Early life and education
Shortly after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Kent State University, Horrigan returned to school to earn an additional degree in Education from the University of Akron. Horrigan then taught social studies at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School from 1996 to 1998.[3]
In 1999, Horrigan left his position with the school to successfully run for Akron City Council. Horrigan represented Akron's Ward 1, including Highland Square and North Hill, from 1999 to 2007.[4] In his time as Ward 1 Council representative, he chaired the Public Utilities Committee and was a senior member of the Planning Budget & Finance and Parks & Recreation Committees.[5] In 2001, Horrigan brought together business leaders and residents to develop a comprehensive plan for the Highland Square neighborhood. The plan's vision led to a new library, new school, and new grocery store.[6][7]
Summit County Clerk of Courts
In 2007, the Democratic Party of Summit County selected Horrigan as the Clerk of Summit County's Common Pleas Courts, where he oversaw an office of 87 public employees.[8][3]
Akron Mayoral Election
Horrigan announced his candidacy for mayor on June 9, 2015.[9][10] In addition to economic revival, his campaign focused on a number of local issues such as finding affordable solutions to the city's sewage system issues, union contracts, downtown development, and increased citizen engagement. Following his victory on November 3, 2015, Horrigan became Akron's first newly-elected mayor in 28 years.[1]
Primary Election Results[11]
Candidate | Total Votes |
---|---|
Daniel Horrigan | 10,647 |
Michael D. Williams | 8,088 |
General Election Results[12]
Candidate | Total Votes | Percentage of Votes |
---|---|---|
Daniel Horrigan (DEM) | 29,436 | 72.33% |
Eddie Sipplen (REP) | 9,732 | 23.91% |
William N. Melver | 1,528 | 3.75% |
First Mayoral Term
Blue Ribbon Task Force
Following his election, Horrigan appointed a "Blue Ribbon Task Force" composed of local business and community leaders, to "look under the hood" of City government and make recommendations for its management.[13]
Early Initiatives & Policies
During Mayor Horrigan's first year in office, he led a variety of successful initiatives including: rebuilding relationships with the United States EPA; and working closely with Huntington Bank as it acquired FirstMerit Corporation.[14] Mayor Horrigan also followed through on a recommendation to appoint the City of Akron's first ever Human Resources Director, which required an amendment to the City's charter.[15]
Other successes for Mayor Horrigan during his first year in office included: hosting six town hall meetings within the community and meeting with every high school senior class within the Akron Public Schools, implementing cost-saving reform of retiree supplemental health benefits, securing approval of First Consent Decree Amendment resulting in $56.7 million in CSO savings; securing nationally competitive $5 million TIGER grant to redevelop Main Street and leading successful effort to bring Stark State Community College campus to Akron.[14]
Additionally, Horrigan was recognized by Cleveland Magazine's Community Leader Power 100 – List of most influential leaders in Northeast Ohio.[16] He joined the coalition of Mayors across the U.S. in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns.[17] In order to further his goal of improving the health of the community, Mayor Horrigan he partnered with Akron Children's Hospital-Akron Marathon Race Series, County of Summit and Summit County Public Health to launch a citywide 100 Million Steps Walking Challenge.[18]
Akron Mayoral Re-election 2019
Primary Results[19]
Candidate | Total Votes | Percentage of Votes |
---|---|---|
Daniel Horrigan | 10,993 | 78.50% |
Greg Harrison | 3,011 | 21.50% |
This was the first May primary in Akron in 70 years due to a voter-approved change in primary dates.
References
- "Dan Horrigan preparing to take over as Akron's first newly elected mayor in 28 years". Akron Beacon Journal.
- "Executive - Mayor's Office : City of Akron". www.akronohio.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- "Dan M. Horrigan Biography". Summit County Clerk of Courts. Archived from the original on 2016-02-19.
- "Akron mayoral debate preview: What you need to know about Dan Horrigan, Mike Williams". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Akron Roundtable, Dan Horrigan, City of Akron Mayor". Akron Kiwanis.
- "Mayor Daniel Horrigan — City of Akron, Ohio | CEOs for Cities". ceosforcitiesnationalmeeting.org. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Daniel M. Horrigan Biography|". Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- "Biography". Dan Horrigan for Mayor. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15.
- "New Akron Mayor admits inappropriate behavior". USA Today.
- "Summit County Clerk of Courts Dan Horrigan running for Akron mayor". Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- "Summit County Board of Elections 2015 Primary Results". www.summitcountyboe.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- "Summit County Board of Elections November 3, 2015 General Election Results". www.summitcountyboe.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- "Akron's Blue Ribbon Task Force releases findings, makes recommendations to new mayor". Crain's Cleveland Business. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Executive - Mayor's Office : City of Akron". www.akronohio.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- bjstaff. "Better city management through consolidating human resources". www.ohio.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Northeast Ohio's Power 100: Find out Who's on the List". Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- rarmon. "Akron community rallies against gun violence". www.ohio.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Akron wants residents to walk 100 million steps". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- "Summit County Board of Elections 2019 Primary Election Results". www.summitcountyboe.com. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Jeff Fusco |
Mayor of Akron, Ohio 2016–present |
Incumbent |