Robert Otterman, whose political career spanned more than four decades and who was known to some in Akron as “Mr. Nice Guy,” died Friday after a lengthy illness.
He was 83.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan requested that city flags be placed at half-staff.
“His dedicated life of public service is a model for all of us to follow,” the mayor said in a prepared statement. “Bob will be missed.”
Mr. Otterman, a Democrat who served as an Akron city councilman and state representative, began his political career in 1969.
At the time, he was teaching U.S. government at Ellet High School and he took his students to see Ted Kennedy at Akron-Canton Airport. After the visit, his students urged him to run for the Akron City Council Ward 6 seat, which represents the city’s Ellet neighborhood.
He won and for years juggled his job as a teacher — and later, school counselor — with being a politician.
His son, John Otterman, who also served on the Akron council and in the state legislature, described his father as a “kind soul.”
“He was a kind, kind gentleman and very knowledgeable about government,” he said.
The first legislation that he introduced at the city dealt with banning horses on sidewalks.
“I took a ribbing on that one,” Mr. Otterman told the Beacon Journal in 2011. “I was getting complaints from residents in the neighborhood who had to clean up after the horses.”
One of the biggest victories in Mr. Otterman’s career was defeating a plan to build a mall in Ellet in the early 1970s, his son said.
“That’s forgotten but it’s probably the single biggest accomplishment — besides his working with kids — that he was able to achieve,” he said. “The community is what it is today because of that.”
In 2001, Mr. Otterman was elected to the state legislature. He stepped down in 2007 to take a job with Summit County serving as a liaison with senior citizens.
While at the legislature, he was in the minority and didn’t enjoy the experience as much as being on the council.
“I think it was too political,” Mr. Otterman told the Beacon Journal in 2011. “You couldn’t get things done.”
He also returned to City Council representing Ward 6 but lost in a Democratic primary in 2011.
It was only the second time that he was defeated in his lengthy career. He also lost in a bid for Akron mayor in 1983 when he ran against then state Rep. Tom Sawyer.
Akron at-large Councilman Jeff Fusco said Mr. Otterman was helpful to new council members.
“He showed us the importance of knowing the city, state and schools inside and out, it was amazing to me how much he knew,” Fusco said. “Bob epitomized what a councilman should be — working with his colleagues on council, working with the community and the administration to get things done. He was beloved by the community.”
Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Otterman joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Korea. He received the Purple Heart and was a member of the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.
He was a graduate of the University of Akron, and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school.
In a 2011 profile in the Beacon Journal, Mr. Otterman said he’d like to be remembered as an “officeholder” — not a politician — who worked “with the community to make things better.”
“I’ve been very happy,” he said at the time. “If I had it to do over again, I would do the exact same thing. … I feel very good about my career.”
In addition to son John, Mr. Otterman is survived by his wife, Barbara; daughter, Robyn Russell, and five grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn, in 1997.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.