Mark Greer

One thing life has taught me is that every journey led from the heart will always lead you to the best of God’s plans and purposes. This run for mayor is no different. From the beginning, this campaign was a continuation of the purpose and calling on my life: to serve and build communities, to value the neglected, to lift the downtrodden, to open opportunities, change the status quo, and bring our forgotten neighborhoods out of the shadows into the forefront. This journey has never been about me. That is why I can continue, boldly, unscathed, hopeful, and more determined than ever.

I am proud of not only the race we ran, but how we ran it. Our campaign helped set the tone and shape the agenda for the mayoral race, from the issues we advanced, the policies we promulgated, and the people we championed. We did this without any dirty politics, no back room deals, just honesty, integrity, authenticity, and courage.

There was a time in my life when I could not speak fluently. A speech impediment made simple conversations seemingly insurmountable, and public speaking nearly impossible. To cope, I chose to withdraw from social interactions, stay on the sidelines, and keep my mouth shut even when I had something important to say. I learned what it was like to be voiceless. Overlooked. Underestimated, and ignored. And because of this, I purposed within myself that when I overcame these challenges I would never forget nor neglect the voiceless among us. I would speak for them. Fight for them. And win for them. It is this pledge that propels me day by day, step by step…journey after journey. And while the outcome of this race was not what I envisioned, my view of the horizon has grown brighter.

I am eternally grateful for the love, prayers and encouragement of my wonderful mother, Eula Greer, and family, the hard work and perseverance of my campaign manager, Justin Lepley, and our amazing, stellar team of volunteers and supporters, who gave so much in our joint mission to bring real change to all of Akron. So many of you have reached out to me over the past day offering words of encouragement and gratitude. Please know that I see them all, and am both humbled and sincerely thankful, more than you will ever know. I also want to congratulate Shammas Malik on his election victory.

As we look forward, never forget that the road less traveled is the one that leads to our greatest destinations. And the path, though rocky, will lead to the mountaintop.

-Mark U. Greer