There are 16 candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring for Dearborn’s City Council. Their names will appear on the August 8 primary election ballot. The top 14 will advance to the general elections on November 7.  The AANews asked the candidates two questions:

Q1. Why do you feel you are qualified candidate for the job?

Q2. What is one of the biggest challenges facing the city and what would you do to meet it?

…And here are their answers accordingly:

Susan A. Dabaja

Age: 40

Education: B.S. from University of Michigan-Dearborn, J.D. from the University of Detroit-Mercy, magna cum laude.

Profession: Attorney, Dearborn City Council President.

Family: Married with three children.

A1. I am a wife, mother of three children and active volunteer. As a nearly lifelong resident, I have spent my entire legal and public service career in Dearborn.  As Council president, I’m a proven leader with sound judgment, making difficult but fair and thorough decisions.  I will use my four years of legislative experience and firsthand city knowledge to ensure that government works for its citizens. I’m running because I’m qualified, experienced, prepared and I have a steadfast commitment to serve.

A2. Public safety, neighborhood services, and economic development have been priority issues. I will continue to support legislation/resolutions that maintain our standard for public safety, ensuring proper funding and training for police/fire. As Council president, I’ve been a strong advocate for increasing funding for inspectors to maintain clean neighborhoods. During my tenure, Council eliminated paid parking, serving as a catalyst for the economic boom happening today. I will continue to support these issues, while focusing on improving connectivity between all parts of our city.

 

Mike Sareini

Age: 45

Education: J.D. from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, B.A. in political science and psychology minor from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Profession: Salesman and attorney.

Family: Married with five children.

A1. I have served as a councilman for the past four years and I have never shied away from controversial issues or asking the tough questions. That includes overseeing our city’s general operating budget of $117 million, ensuring resident concerns are addressed and city services are of highest quality. I understand the responsibility that comes with managing public dollars and have made myself accessible to our residents and pride myself as always responding to their needs.

A2. 69 cents of every tax dollar is allocated to our wonderful public safety. This brings the challenge of providing superb service while holding taxes in line so taxes are not a burden to Dearborn families. We need to better budget so every penny is used efficiently in regards to all public services, including recreations, parks and waste management. We also need to find ways to save taxpayer dollars overall and increase economic development in the city.

 

Brian Charles O’Donnell

Age: 44

Education: B.S in biology, MBA in leadership studies.

Profession: District business manager for the state of Michigan.

Family: Married with two children.

A1. My last two terms on council have taught me a great deal with regard to how the local government works, but also when it does not work. Prior to my council terms, I was a trustee of my neighborhood association, a city beautiful commissioner, and the vice president of the Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Associations. These previous responsibilities coupled with my recent experience, education and desire to improve Dearborn make me a very qualified candidate.

A2. City government needs some adjustments to reflect our changing population. The city is not a business, but there are some parallels between the two. Just as in any business, there needs to be a means of communication and understanding between the business and customer (citizen). One challenge, although a positive one, is to ensure we maximize The Ford Motor company Mega Investment to ensure the entire city will benefit, not just certain pockets or populations.

 

David W. Bazzy

Age: 59

Education: MBA from Wayne State University.

Profession: President and COO of Kenwal Steel Corporation.

Family: Married with three children.

A1. I have lived in the city for 59 years and have listened to the community and what their expectations for the city are. My background is in business, combined with my experience on the recreation commission, zoning board of appeals, charter commission, and the City Council. This gives me well balanced community background in both business and the interests of the citizens at large.

A2. The biggest challenges are to finish the downtown areas and the Southend and east end corridors, along with creating safe, clean, viable neighborhoods for families to raise their children. Creating a safe environment for children and families in both the districts as well as the neighborhood parks and city facilities makes for a community people want to live, play and shop.

 

Robert A. Abraham

Age: 50

Education: B.A. in accounting from Hillsdale College; certified public accountant (CPA) from state of Michigan.

Profession: President and CEO of a Michigan manufacturing company.

Family: Married with three children.

A1. As an incumbent Councilmember with almost 16 years of experience, combined with a strong professional career in accounting, finance and technology and a willingness to help people and help our community makes me uniquely qualified for re-election in 2017.  Moreover, honesty and integrity should not be overlooked in any trusted position like City Council.  As a third generation life-time Arab American Dearborn resident I understand the city, the people, our heritage…and how to move forward.

A2. The public safety of our residents, as well as the safety of our police officers and Fire fighters remain the highest priority. We must have a safe city with excellent police and fire. Our community must never be willing to comprise this standard.  The challenge is to balance “public safety” with the rest of the priorities in the city:  recreation, libraries, the Historical Museum, public works, veterans and the cultural arts programs.

 

Kenneth C. Paris

Age: 61

Education: Not provided.

Profession: Corporate Security at AAA Michigan, nearly 40 years as police and command officer with Dearborn Police Department, public safety at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Family: Married with two children and two grandkids.

A1. I am a Dearborn resident over 50 years. Served 40 years (including command positions) with Dearborn Police and UM-Dearborn Public Safety. I am the current chair of the Dearborn Traffic Commission. I will bring a needed law enforcement perspective to address challenges facing our city. I have the experience and professional background to understand those challenges. I understand the needs of keeping public safety staffed, equipped and trained to protect residents and property.

A2. One of the top concerns of residents is the lack of traffic enforcement. It is a serious public safety concern that needs to be addressed. I support planning and budgeting for a dedicated number of police officers to enforce serious traffic violations. Enforcement should be based on sound data from professional traffic and crash studies, engineering, consultant analysis and citizen complaints. Other challenges include infrastructure, development and fiscal responsibility.

 

Rifaat Hacham

Age: 23

Education: Associate’s in Business From HFC and economics degree from U of M-Dearborn. Certificate in identity theft prevention.

Profession: Entrepreneur / Businessman.

Family: Single with no children.

A1. Serving my community is not a job but a duty. My experience in the workforce and leadership in opening multiple successful small business puts me in a position to lead and bring my business and leadership experience to my city. The key to a striving city is its local inner economy and its public safety. When we have a strong local government that supports growth, there is no doubt that we can be the best city for people to come to and start a family and retire in our beautiful city.

A2. One challenge is the diversity of businesses. We need to lure new ideas and business concepts into our city. Approaching tech companies and medical research companies and other diverse companies and giving them incentives to be in a city that’s home to the largest auto manufacturing company in the world and 20 minutes away from another country. We are in dire need to develop our shopping and night life districts of the whole city and bring in more retail and bring in classy and safe night life business.

 

Leslie Herrick

Age: 53

Education: B.A. in public relations from Wayne State University cum laude; Associate’s in Arts from Henry Ford College; Dearborn High School graduate.

Profession: Public relations and marketing communications.

Family: Single with one child.

A1. I am running to make Dearborn a “destination city” for all residents to enjoy and to attract new businesses, residents, and visitors. My unique experience working on the front lines in City Hall and for the public schools, as well leading projects that bring diverse community partners together to benefit residents and businesses (like homecoming and the city wide student art show), give me the expertise and vision to serve our citizens well.

A2. The biggest challenge: How to best use our tax dollars to benefit residents and businesses. I will work to develop diverse business districts and reallocate funds to provide a 4.6 percent residential property tax reduction, invest in long-term infrastructure improvements and maintenance (including roads and pools), maintain top fire and police services  and enhance arts & cultural programs for residents to enjoy and to attract visitors to spend time and money in our city.

 

Ramez Haidar

Age: 52

Education: B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering.

Profession: Electrical engineer, volunteer commander with Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

Family: Married with four children.

A1. I am running for the Dearborn City Council to help preserve our city’s rich history & secure our future.  My goal is to be a voice for all residents and ensure they have access to quality resources and opportunities to flourish and succeed. I am passionate about helping our city, reduce its crime rate and ensuring we have enough police officers, firefighters, EMTs and support staff. With my engineering skills and law enforcement experience I can be an important asset for the city to help make the right decision when representing our city residents.

A2. Police: it is a priority to make sure our city has enough police and fire personnel.  Property taxes: City Council should review property tax charges in comparison to other cities and ensure that residents are getting the quality services they deserve as a result of the property taxes being paid.  Substance abuse: I am committed to providing support for substance abuse prevention and intervention programs and engaging youth in understanding the legal and social impacts of substance abuse.

 

Nada Al-Hanooti

Age: 26

Education: BA in political science from the University of Michigan-Dearborn; MA in women and gender studies from Eastern Michigan University.

Profession: Substitute Teacher.

Family: Not provided.

A1. I have a BA in Political Science from University of Michigan-Dearborn and a MA in women and gender studies from Eastern Michigan University.  When I was just 12-years-old I became active with local politics. Since then, It has been my goal to become a community servant. I believe that the Dearborn City Council will provide that opportunity for me.

A2. Being a 26-year-old Arab American woman running has its challenges. This campaign has allowed me to prove to the public that my age and gender is not a disadvantage, but an advantage. I hope I can encourage young women, such as myself, to overcome these barriers and become politically proactive in our community.

 

Regan Ford

Age: 36

Education: Not provided.

Profession: Entrepreneur.

Family: Married with two children.

A1. As an entrepreneur, I would bring a unique perspective to the Council.  I’m not an attorney or accountant, and I don’t sit at a desk.  I am a doer.  I have spent my entire adult life bringing people to the table, working with diverse personalities, negotiating contracts and solving problems.  Also as an independent community leader, I have proven my dedication and service to our community.

A2. Our biggest challenge is overcoming wasteful spending in City Hall. We taxpayers pay more than our fair share of taxes, yet we are routinely forced to make sacrifices while our tax dollars are given away or spent on unpopular projects and salary raises for the mayor. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods are neglected, our swimming pools demolished and our services slashed.   As your next councilman I would put politics aside and put taxpayers first.

 

Erin Byrnes

Age: 31

Education: Master’s in education from City University of New York, B.A. from the University of Michigan-
Dearborn, graduate of St. Alphonsus High School.

Profession: Lead at Democratic Engagement and America Reads at the University of Michigan.

Family: Single with no children.

A1. As the chair of the City Beautiful Commission, I organize neighborhood clean-ups that bring students, business owners and residents together.   I will focus on creating positive, visible change in our neighborhoods, parks and business districts as a City Council member. My work as an educator gives me experience responding to community needs in a way that enhances quality of life, and I am committed to representing the hopes and concerns of all Dearborn residents.

A2. Planning for Dearborn’s future to ensure economic and community growth is an important issue.  I will focus on expanding our public gathering spaces, attracting retail that meets residents’ needs and investing in technology that protects our environment. Ensuring that Dearborn is attracting talented first responders and staff to manage daily operations will be key to mapping out a positive future, along with making our city accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.

 

Michael Sean Green

Age: 47

Education: University of Houston.

Profession: Business owner in the hospitality industry.

Family: Engaged with one child.

A1. I feel I am qualified for the position because of the wealth of experiences I have with the Federal Housing Commission, the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council and my military background.  Each of these roles has taught me different aspects to include budgeting, leadership, working with government and working with diverse groups of people.

A2. One of the biggest challenges facing our city is the lack of trust our citizens have in its civic leaders.  I believe that with my background of integrity, honor and being a man of my word, I can restore faith back into the community.  A faith so that everyone believes that equality, fairness and an unbiased government is what is in place in our city.

 

Fayrouz Bazzi

Age: 40

Education: B.A. from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Profession: ICU Nurse at Oakwood Beaumont Hospital, owner of transportation and logistics business.

Family: Single with one child.

A1. I have been unique in putting forth a platform that deals comprehensively with the issues, widening the debate. We all bring our training and experiences. The work of City Council requires someone who gathers information, is process oriented yet creative, collaborative. As an ICU nurse, I deal with life and death decisions daily, working in that way. Not all decisions City Council makes are matters of life and death, but they do affect all of us.

A2. Dearborn needs a clear vision of what we want and what we can be. Every single issue relies on that: Taxation, property values, housing, services, beautification, safety, health, drug abuse, budget, education and training, economic growth. We have to assess comprehensively, with public input and departmental input. Earlier efforts (such as “Vision 2016”, authored in 2010), while commendable, must be improved upon. We require an effort now that is more inclusive, fair and growth-oriented.

 

Sharon Dulmage

Age: Not provided.

Education: Registered nurse from Henry Ford College, Detroit College of Business, Central Michigan University.

Profession: PACE Home Healthcare, nurse on a contingent basis for Great Lakes Caring Hospice.

Family: Widowed with three children.

A1. I have 22 years experience serving as a Trustee of Dearborn Schools and HFC. I served on the finance committee for 22 years and have experience with public funding and grants. The school district budget is larger than the city budget. The district experienced large growth and expansion during that time and I believe I was a good steward of tax dollars. In addition, my community involvement experience is vast and varied, serving from PTAs, service clubs, Chamber of Commerce, ethics committee and diversity committee.

A2. Public safety is a priority and I would ensure that resources be provided to support our police and fire departments. I believe we could improve upon customer service at City Hall by improving training for employees to put the “serve” back in public service.  One of the areas I think could be improved is providing more summer programs for youth, especially teens and finding a way to identify the elderly who need help. We need to market Dearborn better. We need to market the idea of “one Dearborn” and being a community of unity. We need to market it and we need to live it.

 

Ziad Abdulmalik

Abdulmalik did not respond to The AANews’ repeated requests in time for publication.