AKRON, Ohio — Akron City Council had a deadline to appoint a police oversight board by Monday, but they failed to meet it.

The biggest reason why the board was not appointed is because of one candidate, Imokhai Okolo, who did not get the support of all the city council members. The council needed nine votes in favor, but only received eight.

What You Need To Know

  • Akron City Council's deadline for police oversight appointment deadline was Monday, but they did not meet it 

  • The vote was 8 to 4 in favor of the board, but it needed 9 votes

  • The hangup is one candidate, Imokhai Okolo

  • Council is going back to looking for a new candidate 

Some council members were upset about social media posts that Okolo posted after the Jayland Walker shooting. Margo Sommerville, Akron City Council President, said Okolo was just expressing his feelings.

“Young people go to social media, right? It’s an engagement platform. And unfortunately there were council members who were holding him… to me, unfairly,” she said. 

She said she was in full support for Okolo to be a part of the board, but now he won’t be.

“Imokhai Okolo was just the perfect candidate to have a seat around the table for the citizen’s review board. I mean, his resume was unmatched,” she said.

The question still remains as to what happens next. Somerville said while it’s unclear what the next step is, but they will be searching for a new candidate.

“We are being very intentional in terms of going back through our applications and looking for another Black male 18 to 35 that we can bring back before council to see if we can reach the nine votes and consensus on,” she said.

Somerville hopes the police oversight board can help bring the community and the police department together.