Council passes peddling law
By Stephanie Kist
DOWNTOWN AKRON — A June 8 hailstorm that struck areas of Ellet, Firestone Park and South Akron prompted one Akron City Councilwoman to propose legislation regulating “peddlers” at the July 30 meeting.
The legislation in turn spurned debate among Council members.
Councilwoman Tina Merlitti (D-Ward
7) presented the ordinance to Council’s Public
Safety Committee during the afternoon committee meeting,
saying, “I come here before you because my neighborhood
is under attack.”
She said there has been a barrage
of door-to-door salespeople since the June 8 storm attempting
to sell roof and siding repairs; in addition, other
door-to-door sales have been increasing.
“We don’t know who
is in our neighborhood going door to door, and we don’t
know what the quality of the product is that they’re
selling and where they’re going to be six months
from now, when someone’s roof is leaking or the
siding is falling off of their house,” she said.
The legislation differentiates
between “peddlers” — for-profit commercial
salespeople — and “solicitors,” which
includes representatives of nonprofit or religious organizations,
as well as politicians.
Neither types of parties will
be permitted to go door-to-door between the hours of
sunset and 9 a.m. Further, each individual peddler will
be required to register and obtain a license before
going door-to-door.
No peddler will be permitted
to knock on a door of a residence with a “no soliciting”
sign displayed.
Councilman Bruce Kilby (D-Ward
2) took issue with the legislation on several fronts,
saying politicians should be permitted to knock on doors
after sunset.
“Sunset is like 15 to 20
minutes before it’s really dark — it’s
called twilight,” he said. “I don’t
see any problem with that.
I’ve always done that, and I will continue doing
that. If I get arrested, so be it, but that’s
the way I campaign.”
While Merlitti said she has been
working with the law department on the legislation for
about six weeks, a few Council members were hesitant
to pass the legislation on the first day they saw it.
However, July 30 was the last
Council meeting before summer recess, and most Council
members were in favor of passing the new law immediately,
instead of waiting until they reconvene Sept. 10.
“This weekend, three different
guys knocked on my door. These guys are here now,”
said Committee member Garry Moneypenny (D-Ward 10).
“A lot of them probably will be done by September,
when we’re back.”
Moneypenny suggested passing
the legislation with the intention to revisit it after
summer recess, if necessary. Committee member Michael
Williams (D-at large) also suggested amending the legislation
to include a “sunset provision,” or expiration
date, so there would be data to examine at the end of
a specific period before permanently enacting the law.
However, that evening, the legislation
was presented to Council as is without a sunset provision,
ruffling Williams’ feathers.
“I want to place on the
record my objection,”
he said. “We left this committee meeting with
the understanding that a sunset provision was going
to be added to this legislation. Matter of fact, the
law department was instructed to go and put that legislation
together. And then sometime in a nonpublic setting,
a decision was made contrary to that. So I wish that
to be on the record that there was a meeting or some
discussion or a decision was made that affected this
legislation that was not in a public forum.”
Kilby also continued to voice
opposition.
“It’s a silly law,”
he said. “It’s not going to do anything.
Who’s going to enforce it? The police can’t
even enforce the laws that are on the books.”
Council President Marco Sommerville
(D-Ward 3) stepped in to tell Kilby he’d made
his point and obviously didn’t have the votes
he was after, and to remind Williams that legislation
can be, and has in the past been, revisited later by
Council and amended or eliminated.
Several Council members rose
to voice their support of the law.
Councilwoman Renée Greene
(D-Ward 4) said peddling is prevalent and harmful with
or without bad weather.
“It doesn’t just
come from a hailstorm,” she said. “It comes
every spring when the weather is good [and]
somebody’s knocking on your door leaving leaflets
and antagonizing seniors about getting repairs done.”
The ordinance passed with a 10-2
vote, with Williams and Kilby voting against. Councilman
John Otterman (D-at large) was not at the meeting. The
new law takes effect Aug. 10.
In other business, Council approved
changes to the downtown Community Entertainment District.
There now will be two districts — the “Northside”
and “Southside” districts — each with
15 liquor permits that will be assigned to particular
businesses, rather than individuals.
Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth said
the permits available to the districts are nontransferable,
easier to obtain, less expensive and cover all types
of liquor permits.
Paul Testa’s Northside
Lofts now will be included.
He said two restaurants —
including Chrissie Hynde’s — and a small
grocery are planned for the development.
Council also approved a new contract
for Akron Fire Department union members that provides
for 3 percent raises each of the next three years. The
new contract was offered by a conciliator, which the
city and bargaining units are bound to accept, and is
similar to the new contract approved July 23 for Akron
Police Department officers. Council
will recess for the month of August and Labor Day. The
next scheduled meeting will be Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in
City Council Chambers on the third floor of the Akron
Municipal Building, 166 S. High St. in Downtown Akron.
Committee meetings are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
that afternoon.
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