AKRON, Ohio — When the sun goes down, the streetlights come on — at least most of them.

In Akron, a city leader noticed a trend of streetlights not working in his ward. Now he’s on a mission to resolve that.

What You Need To Know

  • Akron City Council member Phil Lombardo started this mission nearly seven years ago

  • Ohio Edison maintains 24,000 streetlights in Akron

  • A pink ribbon indicates a broken streetlight

Nearly seven years ago, Akron City Council member Phil Lombardo started on a mission to light up his ward. After getting a resident complaint about a broken streetlight, the councilman noticed a trend: there were hundreds of broken streetlights up and down streets around businesses and homes keeping the people he serves in the dark.  

“I'm responsible for over 216 streets, and there's 2,624 lights," said Lombardo, who represents Ward 2. “I'll see a streetlight that's burned out, and I have pink tape that I wrap around the pole. I'm noticing if there's any number on the pole so I can report that back to FirstEnergy. I'm noticing intersections that the pole is by, the light is by.”

Residents have a right to working streetlights but many factors like severe weather, vandalism and damaged equipment can contribute to why a streetlight is not working. Hannah Catlett with FirstEnergy said it’s not always an easy fix.

“We go out, we assess the light," said Catlett. “We take a look and see if we can make repairs immediately. And we do that if it's a bulb or a photocell that needs replaced. But sometimes, repairs can be more complex. Underground wiring may be involved, and that involves digging to get to those wires.”

Ohio Edison maintains 24,000 streetlights in Akron. In 2024, close to 4,000 streetlights were repaired. Most of those were done within five days of being reported. Lombardo said through his efforts, he’s gotten 1,600 streetlights repaired.

“Streetlights are really important to communities from safety and security to just making them, making communities a vibrant place to live," said Catlett.

Lombardo said he has no plans of stopping anytime soon. As long as this is his ward, he will make sure it’s lit up and keep tying the pink ribbon around broken streetlights.

To report a damaged or broken streetlight:

  • Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) and after the initial greeting, mention that you are reporting a streetlight outage
  • To report online, use this link to report the lighting problem

When reporting, be sure to include:

  • Your name and phone number
  • The address of the streetlight (nearest house or business address and the nearest cross street)
  • The number on the utility pole (if you can see it)
  • A description of the problem (e.g., damaged pole, broken light fixture, light is off at night, on during the day, or flickers)

If you are without power, do not rely on your neighbors to report it, as individual customer-reported outages help FirstEnergy pinpoint damage locations faster.