Dabaja.

DEARBORN-Attorney Susan Dabaja celebrated a milestone on Tuesday, Nov. 5, coming in first place in Dearborn’s City Council race, immediately making the first time candidate the City’s council president, after a tight race that had her and current city council president, Tom Tafelski, neck and neck until all of the City’s 56 precincts had been counted.

With 9, 398 votes, Dabaja came ahead of Tafelski, who only trailed behind by 32 votes, landing him in the runner-up spot. At one point in the evening, with 55 of the 56 precincts counted, Dabaja and Tafelski had been tied with 9,299 votes each. A precinct at Miller Elementary School, on the City’s east side, was the final precinct to be counted, pulling Dabaja ahead with a victory.

With seven seats open in the city council race, five other candidates also celebrated victories. First time candidate Mike Sareini came in third place, with 8,723 votes. Sareini is the son of longtime councilwoman Suzanne Sareini, who announced earlier this year that she will be retiring at the end of the year.

The remainder of the positions will be filled in by incumbents; coming in fourth place was Brian C. O’Donnell with 7,929 votes, while David W. Bazzy trailed right behind with 7,809 votes. In sixth place was Robert Alex Abraham, with 7,477 votes, while rounding out the top seven was Mark C. Shooshanian, with 7,407 votes. 

In no surprise, Dearborn residents also re-elected Mayor Jack O’Reilly, who received 13,883 votes, far ahead of Edward Binkley, who received just 3,102 votes.

Dearborn residents also approved a Dearborn School District Bond proposal, as well as two Henry Ford Community College proposals. 

Below are the results for Dearborn’s municipality elections;

         MAYOR

          John B. O’Reilly, Jr.  .  .  .  .  .  .    13,883   80.90

           Edward Binkley.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     3,102   18.08

           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       175    1.02

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    17,160

        CITY CLERK

           Kathleen Buda .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    12,347   75.24

           Khalil Dakhlallah.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     4,026   24.53

           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        37     .23

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    16,410

          COUNCIL MEMBER

           Susan A. Dabaja  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     9,398    9.85

           Thomas Patrick Tafelski.  .  .  .  .  .     9,366    9.81

           Mike T. Sareini  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     8,723    9.14

           Brian C. O’Donnell  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,929    8.31

           David W. Bazzy.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,809    8.18

           Robert Alex Abraham .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,477    7.84

           Mark C. Shooshanian .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,407    7.76

           Patrick A Melton .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,021    7.36

           Tarek M. Baydoun .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     6,280    6.58

           Sharon Dulmage.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,601    5.87

           Kristyn Taylor.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,315    5.57

           Jane Ahern .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,225    5.48

           Colette Richards .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     4,231    4.43

           Stephen S. Dobkowski, Jr. .  .  .  .  .     3,551    3.72

           WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        95     .10

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    95,428

          DEARBORN SCHOOL DIST BONDING PROPOSAL

           YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    11,525   68.75

           NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     5,239   31.25

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    16,764

          COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROPOSAL 1

           YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    12,219   71.53

           NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     4,863   28.47

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    17,082

          COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROPOSAL 2

           YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    10,315   60.53

           NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     6,726   39.47

                   Total .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    17,041