When Roy Pilot decided not to retain his seat on the Dearborn Heights City Council, a seat he was appointed to in July of 2010, Kathy Abdel-Hak, 46, responded to the number of people who asked her to run.

“There comes a time when you just have to do, a time when talk is not enough,” she said.

Kathy Abdel-Hak,

The co-owner of N.J. Diamonds in Dearborn Heights, Abdel-Hak has been a resident of the city for 18 years. She is a mother of four and grandmother of two, with 13 years of experience in following a budget and running a business. She says she has attended every city council meeting and budget session for the past year.

One of her main priorities if elected to city council will be removing what she sees as a “blight” on the city: unkempt businesses and properties.

“We can’t keep giving them 60 days, then 90 days, taking them to court, and bringing them back,” she said regarding those who receive fines for unkempt property. “Our city must shine, we can not leave real estate to look like this. Every effort must be made to correct this problem. If we need to change the way fines are given then so be it.”

Abdel-Hak also plans to take decisive action in correcting the serious problem of flooding from sewers that Dearborn Heights has experienced.  Abdel-Hak knows of over 300 homes that flooded with the last storm in the area. She alone has had her basement flood five times.

“Currently you submit a claim and if it is discovered that it was a city problem then you get a settlement,” she said.  “But what is happening is every year our water rates are being raised to cover [the settlements].” She wants a permanent solution, not a “band-aid.” She plans to implement a process of studying to discover where the problem is coming from, and then correcting it.

 She also wants to make corrections to the city website, which she says is not uniform and doesn’t reflect the city.

“If someone wants to come and open a business in our city, the first place they check is our website. We need to put our best foot forward.”

In addition to the graphical changes, in an effort for a more open government, Abdel-Hak wants to ensure that every commissioner has a page on the website. She also wants the agenda for the city council meetings before the meeting takes place, the same informational packets that the council members receive and information how taxpayers’ money is being spent in virtual, printable formats online.

“The taxpayer should understand what the council is voting on, why they are agreeing to pay out money, and to whom. This should be at the taxpayer’s disposal before the city council meeting.” she said. “As it is now, the public does not get to speak until after voting. The people should be engaged.”

She also feels that the government does not reflect the residents of Dearborn Heights. 

“Right now we have three or four Arab American employees. The are no policemen and no firemen,” she said. “We don’t have one Arabic-speaking police officer here. I would like to bring more Arabic speaking and Arab American city employees. We should reflect the residents.”

Abdel-Hak will face Ned Apigan and Robert Yahrmatter in the primary election for the seat.

Abdel-Hak’s campaign website, www.kathleenabdel-hak.com, gives a detailed list of these and other initiatives she plans on starting if elected to the seat.

“I don’t call myself a politician,” she said. “We don’t need another one of those. I want to get elected how I am now, a resident of Dearborn Heights, and in that seat, I will never forget that.”