DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The City of Dearborn Heights’ official list of municipality candidates  has been released, and there are not enough people in the running to warrant a primary election in any of the categories. This means all candidates will immediately advance to the November 5 General Election. 

In March, The Arab American News announced that Mayor Dan Paletko may see some opposition from Arab American local business owner Zuhair Abdel-Hak, who pulled petitions for the Mayoral race. However, Abdel-Hak appears to no longer be in the running, as his petition form was not returned in time for the May 14 deadline. 

That doesn’t mean the Dearborn Heights Mayoral Race isn’t going to be a competitive one. Current Councilwoman Janet Badalow will directly face-off against Paletko for the position on November 6.  Elected into City Council in 2001, Badalow says she would like to focus on eliminating the City’s $5.7 million deficit as Mayor, by making significant changes in spending. 

Mayor Dan Paletko says he’d like to focus on continuing to grow Dearborn Heights’ businesses as well as look into potential plans of merging police and fire departments with Garden City. 

Five candidates are in the running for four of the available City Council seats. One of them is Incumbent Lisa Farrens, who bid for a seat last year to fill in for Margaret M. Van Houten, who left a seat vacant when she was appointed to the 3rd Circuit Court. Farrens, a 13-year resident in the city, is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Michigan and has previously worked for Ford Motor Company and Detroit Diesel Company.

The second candidate running for City Council is Joseph V. Kosinksi, who has been a member of the City’s General Government Pension Board since 1984. He previously served a brief period on City Council in 2012, when he was appointed by the council to replace Van Houten, only to lose the seat to Farrens in the November 2012 election. 

Incumbent Margaret Horvarth  is also in the running. Horvarth, who has been a Dearborn Heights resident for 45 years and is a mother of six, has served on the council for over 20 years. 

Also in the running for a City Council seat is Former State Rep. Bob Constan. Constan served three terms as a Democratic State Rep and had previously been the former Chair Pro Tem of  Dearborn Heights’ City Council. He served in other positions including president of the Dearborn Area Bar Association and precinct delegate. Constan has also worked as an attorney with the Michigan Democratic Party on voter protection issues.

The fifth candidate in the running for a City Council Seat is incumbent Thomas A. Berry, who is seeking a third term in the position. Berry is Lebanese and remains the only Arab American on the City Council. He is a former business development manager at Belle Tire and a graduate from Fordson High School in Dearborn. He has since maintained a consistent presence in the Dearborn-Dearborn Heights community.

While there may be some competition for the Mayoral and City Council seats, the City Clerk and Treasurer positions will go uncontested. Incumbent Walter J. Prusiewicz is seeking a second term as City Clerk. He was appointed into the position in April 2011, before being elected in November 2011 to finish the remainder of the term. Incumbent John J. Riley, who has been City Treasurer for over 20 years, is running unopposed for that position for an additional four years. 

Despite no primary in Dearborn Heights this year, the City Clerk’s office is encouraging Dearborn Heights residents who are not registered to vote to do so at the City Clerk’s office located at 6045 Fenton. All residents must be registered to vote one month prior to the General Election.