Akron City Council Vice President Jeff Fusco is retiring Tuesday after 40 years in public service.
Fusco first started as council representative for Ward 10, the Goodyear Heights neighborhood, from 1986 to 1993. He successfully ran for an at-large council seat and later became deputy service director under longtime Mayor Don Plusquellic in 1997.
Fusco was famously appointed the city鈥檚 in 2015, when Plusquellic abruptly resigned and interim mayor Garry Moneypenny resigned after 10 days due to inappropriate contact with a city employee.
Fusco served as mayor for six months, then returned to city council.
Fusco sat down with 精东影业鈥檚 Anna Huntsman to reflect on his political career and his outgoing message for Akron.
What are the highlights of your political career? What are you most proud of?
"The first, and the biggest one, is to work side-by-side by so many great, so many smart people, so many good people who genuinely could possibly work in the private sector and make more money, but they serve the citizens of Akron. They鈥檙e public servants 鈥� and all the people that I've been able to meet, the constituents, the community. That鈥檚 been a highlight for sure.
Also, a highlight was that six months as mayor. I was very fortunate - I mean, I didn't ask for it. I didn't necessarily want it, especially in the moment 鈥� It was a trying time, whenever news came out that we had a mayor for so many years, and then had one for so many days, and then another within a short time frame.
[My] message then was, 'Just breathe, we got this,' in terms of Akron, in terms of being the mayor for the next six months, we have an election to go through 鈥� let鈥檚 do that, but in the meantime, we got this.
During that [six months] I think we did some meaningful things. We were able to settle a contract between the firefighter鈥檚 union and the city 鈥� a tenure disagreement in court. We settled that, got it done, moved on.
Another thing we had done was work with the EPA 鈥� to begin the transition from gray to green, with regard to our combined sewer overflow [system]. That means from basically concrete to grass and there's an example of that on Merriman Road. I walk by that all the time; that gives me a little smile."
Is 鈥楯ust breathe, we got this鈥� the sentiment you have now for the city, as you鈥檙e leaving?
"I think we all have experienced, and I don't know if it's COVID, I don't know if it's what we've seen, in terms of the rise of these social media platforms, I think they're all contributing to the angst that we have in our society and in Akron. We're not alone on this. That鈥檚 one thing, I believe, in my retirement that I'm going to try to help wherever I can in that way.
All of us, and even myself, have a lot of work to do, in order for us to 鈥� put down our swords and start out meetings with a hug, or something. It's going sound corny, but I believe as a community, as a nation, we really need to tone everything down and try to develop and work on our community spirit."
Did the rhetoric of the past few years factor at all into your decision to retire?
"I've been contemplating this, being an older person, for some time, and especially with my family involved, and that's the priority is my family 鈥� my wife, my children, and my grandchildren, and spending more time with them.
In these jobs where we serve as public servants, they can be pretty demanding on a family, and so I'm looking forward to the next several decades, hopefully, to be able to spend more time with them."
As you think back on your memories, are there situations where you wish something had gone differently, or you had done something differently?
"One is 鈥� whenever we had a tough debate, I guess, on, whenever a certain council representative wanted to eliminate Columbus Day. Many of us were blindsided by the proposal 鈥� and I think things were done, things were said, that I think from both sides that could have been avoided, and I'll include myself in that.
In further study, and being able to communicate and work with people and look, and read, and learn was that 鈥� we should do something here in Akron about that, and we came up with, I believe, a good solution 鈥� that solution being, we have Indigenous People Day, which I believe is the first Monday in October, and then the second Monday in October is, I believe it's Italian American Heritage Day.
It鈥檚 basically the whole month is what we've declared and that we should celebrate our diversity."
Despite council meetings that didn鈥檛 go so great, or times where people were not happy with you, you stuck around and served the city of Akron for 40 years. What drives you?
"I learned public service from my mom and dad. They were volunteers, and as a matter of fact, they would, in Goodyear Heights ... whenever I was growing up, they helped run the parades, they were on the boards of things, you know, at the church.
I remember going to these things all the time, all these events that would (go on) at the church, at the Boy Scouts, whatever, and my mom and dad would be the ones putting away chairs.
And I was always like, 'They're putting away the chairs, how come these other folks aren't doing that?' And that was the beginning of learning about public service 鈥� and taking on leadership positions in the community and being involved and engaged in your community, and that鈥檚 what's driving me in Akron. This is our home. This is where we're from.
Initially, the reason why I ran in 1985 was that my neighborhood that I was raised in, grew up in, and was passionate about, Goodyear Heights ... it was split into basically three different areas.
So, our representation lived in Ellet, North Hill and East Akron, but not in Goodyear Heights 鈥� They hadn't had a voice for 20 years. That was a driver for me in 1985.
And so, [I'm driven by] love of community, of neighborhood, and of the people who have supported you and been with you, and maybe the ones who don't support you necessarily, but you want to see them thrive, too."
What advice would you give to a young council member or someone who is new to public service?
"Do all of your homework. Read as much as you can. Listen as much as you can before you make a decision, and once you make a decision and you commit to that decision, you鈥檝e got to stick to your word.
The first month on council, I had committed to a colleague about a zoning issue. I didn't read; I didn't ask, I just said, 鈥極K, I'm with you.鈥� And so, what ended up happening was, later on, I had learned that it was going to replace some jobs in town, possibly some union jobs. I didn鈥檛 know that.
So what happened was, my colleagues, you know, being the young one, you know, they said, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檝e got to stick to your word. You can't back out on your word, because if you do back out on your word that you gave that colleague of yours, they'll never trust you again.鈥�"
Any other parting words for the city of Akron?
I'm hoping that, you know, maybe this could catch on or something: 鈥楢kron first.鈥� I think that could be a catchphrase for all of us.
During the Olympics, we all cheer for the USA 鈥� everything is put aside, all of our differences.
Maybe if we just think 鈥楢kron first鈥� and then move forward, that would be a good place to start.
Editor鈥檚 note: this conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
