DEARBORN HEIGHTS — In a post on her Facebook page dedicated to her position as City Council chairwoman, Denise Malinowski-Maxwell announced her candidacy for mayor.

Malinowski-Maxwell has served as the Council chair since 2018 and served as the mayor pro-tem from the time of Mayor Daniel Paletko’s death in December until the appointment of Mayor Bill Bazzi.

She studied information technology at Henry Ford College and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Madonna University.

While Malinowski-Maxwell volunteers for Meals on Wheels, she also volunteers with local Catholic churches, the Polish League of American Veterans, the American Legion Stitt Post and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Laskawa Post.

In her Facebook post, Malinowski-Maxwell said she is honored to announce her candidacy.

“As a lifelong resident of Dearborn Heights, community organizations taught me how important it is to be involved and give back to my city,” her post read. “This was embedded in me at a young age.”

Malinowski-Maxwell said that her top priorities will be health and public safety, improving city services and ensuring the city is fiscally responsible.

“My promise to the residents is to be transparent,” she said. “Throughout my service as Council Chair the last four years, I have listened to and respected the views of all the constituents while working tirelessly to provide solutions to issues brought forward by our residents. Our citizens deserve a say in how their government operates and I will ensure our city government is accessible and accountable. Government is better when residents and stakeholders are engaged and I will put an emphasis on improving citizen engagement.”

Malinowski-Maxwell said that she wants the community to continue to grow.

“I want Dearborn Heights to be a community where people want to live and raise their families, just like my parents did years ago,” she said. “We have a bright future, so let’s do this as one community. United.”