MONTREAL – The international Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative recently honored Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi as its 2024 U.S. Member of the Year. The award comes in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the organization’s mission of promoting access to clean, safe and affordable water for all residents of the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence basin. Mayor Bazzi serves as an active member of the organization’s board of directors and recently passed a local resolution in support of the economic transformation work to help develop the region into the world’s premier blue-green corridor.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s U.S. Member of the Year Award,” Bazzi said upon accepting the award. “As a long-standing advocate for protecting the health of our Great Lakes waterways, from the city of Dearborn Heights and neighboring municipalities on a local level, to the entire region on an international level, I am proud to partner with the dedicated officers, staff and volunteers of the Cities Initiative – as we share this mutual vision and vital commitment. Our clean streams, rivers and lakes are the lifeblood of our commercial success, our recreational enjoyment, and our safe consumption. I look forward to our continued collaboration and next steps toward solutions for life altering flooding and maintaining clean healthy waterways for all.”

This year’s conference, hosted by the Cities Initiative and held in Montreal, focused on the economic transformation of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin into a world-leading blue-green industrial corridor supported by the clean energy transition. Cities Initiative members, along with several U.S. and Canadian government and industry leaders, gathered to share ideas on attracting innovative sustainable industries into the region and supporting the further development of an integrated low-carbon transportation network – along with vibrant and resilient waterfront communities.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi is joined by representatives of the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative during the organization’s annual conference last week. Bazzi was honored as the organization’s 2024 U.S. Member of the Year. Shown (l to r) are Great Lakes Cities Initiative (GLSCI) Vice Chair/Mayor Ryan Sorenson, GLSCI Board Member/Mayor Bill Bazzi, GLSCI Chair /Mayor Gino Moretti. – Photo courtesy of the city of Dearborn Heights

About the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

The Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative is a multinational coalition of local governments led by mayors and chief elected officers representing communities throughout the U.S. and Canada, dedicated to working collaboratively to safeguard the economic, environmental and social health of communities in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. The organization is committed to stewarding the basin’s freshwater and ensuring that all residents have access to clean, safe and affordable water as the foundation for sustainable, vibrant, inclusive and resilient communities.

– City of Dearborn Heights press release