More than a month after the deadline, Akron now has a fully seated civilian police oversight board.
City Council confirmed attorney Brandyn Costa to the board during a special meeting Thursday with 12 members voting to confirm and none against. Councilman Russ Neal abstained.
Last month, council confirmed eight members to the board but failed to reach a consensus on the ninth candidate, Imokhai Okolo, another young, Black attorney. Some council members had concerns about a social media post in which he called police “pigs."
Council President Margo Sommerville said the perspective of a young, Black man was crucial for the board, and the final seat was reserved for a Black male between the ages of 18 and 35.
Costa, who is 30, not only fits that demographic, but has relevant experience needed for the board, Sommerville said.
“Brandyn really defines why we were fighting so hard to make sure this seat was reserved for, someone who looked just like him,” Sommerville said. “A Black male who understands all police are not bad; there are some great police officers, but there is some work that needs to be done.”
Costa is an attorney at Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs and serves on the board of Keep Akron Beautiful, an organization that works on litter cleanup and other beautification projects in the city. According to his LinkedIn profile, Costa interned at the City of Akron in 2012.
He graduated from the University of Akron’s law school at the same time Okolo did. They were roommates.
“We were just the young Black kids in law school, you know. We got close with one another, studied together, we’ve been good friends ever since, and now we’re all working at big firms,” Okolo told Ideastream Public Media.
Sommerville added that Costa and Okolo have similar backgrounds.
“[Costa] really just shared, you know, some stories and a unique perspective that both of them share, just being a Black male in Akron, right, and having some real fears that most Black young men in Akron do have,” Sommerville said. “That’s not that different than Imokhai’s views.”
Okolo agreed that Costa is a great fit for the board.
“I’m very much happy that it’s Brandyn and not someone who’s just going to be bought and sold by the administration, the [Fraternal Order of Police] or whatever; who really has a voice of their own, [is] able to be critical, able to see a situation for what it is and speak up when necessary,” Okolo said.
While it took several meetings and multiple votes for council to attempt to confirm Okolo in February, the process to confirm Costa was quite the opposite.
Council reopened applications to the board last week and received 21 new applications, Sommerville added. They conducted interviews Wednesday and subsequently called a special meeting to seat Costa the next day.
The review board is holding its first meeting Friday to elect officers and establish rules and procedures.
The board wanted to have all nine members present for that meeting, so Sommerville said council tried to expedite the confirmation process.
“We’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to allow this group to begin to do the work. They’re going to begin the work on tomorrow,” Sommerville said.
The board will review complaints against Akron Police. The first meeting will be open to the public in council chambers at 2 p.m. Friday.
