This week, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) announced its endorsements for the August 6 primary elections. 

The group endorsed seven candidates for Dearborn City Council and three candidates, who are running for mayor in the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck and Dearborn Heights. 

Dearborn will elect seven city council members, a mayor and a city clerk in 2013. 

Over the last three months, AAPAC has been conducting a series of endorsement interviews with candidates competing in the upcoming primaries.  Not all candidates who were interviewed received endorsements. 

AAPAC only endorses candidates who submit a written request, asking for its endorsement.  Candidates must obtain two-thirds of the vote to get endorsed.   

AAPAC vice president and local attorney Ali Hammoud stressed the importance of voting in local elections. 

“Local elections directly affect your schools, police, fire, parks, libraries, pools and much more. Local millage’s can affect the City’s budget and can have a dramatic influence on the City’s public services and safety.  Most citizens don’t have access to the president or Congress, but you can walk into every city council meeting and voice your concern, or opinion and eventually vote for who is going to represent you on these important daily objectives,” Hammoud said.   

He says that AAPAC members are working hard to get the candidates elected. “The membership is excited and energized to get the vote out and educate our constituents about the city council race and the importance of Arab Americans voting, and voting in big numbers,” Hammoud said. 

He says that the community can help the group by educating themselves and others in the community about the candidates that the group has endorsed, and to get everyone they know to vote. 

“Please vote, and help your family and relatives vote,” Hammoud said. 

After careful consideration, and much debate, AAPAC members voted to endorse the following candidates: 

Dearborn City Council candidates: 

Ahern is a community volunteer. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is married to Dr. Joseph Helminski, a college English teacher. In 2005 she served as a precinct delegate. In addition, she is a Treasurer for the 12th Congressional District Democrats of Michigan and treasurer for the 15th Congressional District Democratic Organization.  

Baydoun is a life long Dearborn resident and local attorney and counselor at Meridian Law Group.  He is also founder and president of Baydoun Consulting. His wife, Noha, is a life long Dearborn resident as well and a PhD candidate at Wayne State University.  Their daughter, Eman, is two-years old. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Baydoun studied law, full-time, at the University of Toledo. He is also a graduate of Fordson High School. 

Dabaja is a lifelong Dearborn resident. She is a graduate of Edsel Ford High School and received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.  She also earned her law degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy, School of Law, where she finished first in her class, magna cum laude.

Her entire professional career has been spent practicing law in the City of Dearborn. She is a specialist in family and business law. Susan and her husband, Mike, are the parents of three children, Claudia, Joel and Adam.

Melton is the father of three young children. He has been the Director of Law Enforcement at the Wayne County Sherriff’s Department for 25 years. He is also a life long Dearborn resident. 

Mike Sareini is a life long resident of Dearborn, Michigan. Sareini is the son of the late Tom Sareini, owner of the Village Café, previously located on Greenfield and Rotunda Drive, which serviced the community for over 25 years, and current Council President Pro-Tem Suzanne Sareini. 

Sareini and his wife, Dalal, have five children – Toufic, Houssain, Aliah, Suzanne and Hassan. Sareini graduated from Fordson High School and went on to earn his Associate’s Degree from Henry Ford Community College in 1993. Sareini began his career in automotive sales at Jorgensen Ford in 1995 and continues to work there today. 

He eventually went back to school to complete his education and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science and a minor in psychology.  He is also a graduate of Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. 

Tafelski is currently a member of the Dearborn City Council. He was sworn in as Council President in January 2007 and again in January 2010.  Prior to his election to the city council, Tafelski also served on the City Planning Commission, from 1999 to 2001, and the City Beautiful Commission, from 1998 to 1999.

He is a life long Dearborn resident, who graduated from Fordson High School in 1988.  He attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992. He has three young sons.

 

Kristyn Taylor 

Taylor moved to Dearborn in 2008, and afterwards completed her Masters at Eastern Michigan University in Integrated Marketing Communications.  She is also a graduate of Wayne State University Law School.

She is currently employed with the employment and immigration law firm of Joseph Kallabat & Associates, P.C. in West Bloomfield.  

Mayor for the City of Detroit 

Napoleon was born and raised in Detroit. In 1995, at the age of 43, he was appointed Chief of Police; the youngest in Detroit history and the youngest of any major U.S. city. 

In 2001, Napoleon retired from the DPD to join the largest African American-owned real estate firm in America – Capri Capital – as executive vice president of business development and outreach for Capri’s multi-family housing sector. 

In 2004, Napoleon was appointed Assistant Wayne County Executive, responsible for government relations, labor relations and homeland security. He was appointed Wayne County Sheriff in 2009, retained in 2010, and re-elected in 2012. 

Mayor for the City of Dearborn Heights 

Paletko is currently the mayor of Dearborn Heights. Paletko has a long history of public service. Before winning election to the Michigan House of Representatives, Mayor Paletko was a longtime member of the Dearborn Heights City Council.

Mayor Paletko is retired from Ford Motor Company, where he was a financial manager. He is a certified public accountant and holds degrees from the University of Michigan, University of Detroit and Wayne State University.   He has two daughters, Marie and Ann.

Mayor for the City of Hamtramck

City resident and Yemeni American Dr. Abdul Algazali is currently serving his second term as council president and mayor pro-tem. He’s reportedly the first Arab American in the City’s history to hold the positions. 

Because of his background in local government, Dr. Algazali stands a good chance at becoming the first Yemeni and Muslim American mayor of Hamtramck.