DEARBORN – The Dearborn Board of Education race concluded with the success of two Arab American candidates out of 10 contestants vying for two full six-year terms. This result will give Arab Americans a majority on the Dearborn Board of Education for the first time, with four Arab Americans out of seven members, starting in January.

The Dearborn School Board currently oversees more than 20,000 students, the majority of whom are Arab American. Current members are Hussein Berry, Adel Mozip, Patrick D’Ambrosio, Mary Petlichkoff, Irene Watts, Jim Thorpe and Roxanne McDonald. The latter two complete their terms at the end of the year.

According to unofficial results from Tuesday’s elections, Yemeni American longtime activist Jamal Aljahmi led the race with a significant margin. Palestinian American activist and comedian Amer Zahr eventually secured the second seat. Both candidates received backing from the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) and The Arab American News.

The 10 candidates included four Arab Americans — AlJahmi, Zahr, Mohammad Mubarak and Nasri Sobh. The other candidates were Thorpe, who has served since 2017, Silvio Davis, Steve Durant, Robbin Makled, Mark Trzeciak and Jackson Wagner. The two winners will serve on the Board until December 2030. The district includes 37 schools, three high schools and Henry Ford College, with approximately 11,500 enrolled college students.

Jamal Aljahmi

Aljahmi led the race with 14,291 votes (23 percent), followed by Zahr with 8,528 votes (13.6 percent), narrowly defeating Thorpe, who earned 8,270 votes (13.2 percent) and thus lost his chance for an additional term. Makled came in fourth with 8,208 votes (13.1 percent), followed by Sobh (6,578 votes), Davis (4,977 votes), Durant (3,549 votes), Trzeciak (3,170 votes), Mubarak (2,687 votes) and Wagner with just 1,889 votes.

Aljahmi expressed his gratitude for his election win and thanked all voters and Dearborn residents. He told The Arab American News he plans to focus on ensuring that every student receives a high-quality education that prepares them for success in a constantly evolving world.

He emphasized his commitment to the promises made during his campaign to improve education in Dearborn.

“As a member of the School Board, my focus will be on ensuring that every student has access to a quality education that prepares them for success in an ever-changing world. I am committed to listening to the voices of our community, working together with teachers, parents and administrators to create a safe and supportive environment where all students can thrive.”

He decided to run for the Dearborn School Board to address the persistent challenges facing the city’s public schools, including closing achievement gaps and supporting teachers to foster an environment that encourages academic and social excellence. In an earlier interview with The Arab American News, he explained his vision for enhancing the board’s function by fostering collaboration between educators, parents and community members, aiming to create a cooperative and inclusive decision-making process.

Aljahmi also stressed his commitment to advocating for fair funding for all schools, enhancing student services and prioritizing teacher recruitment and retention.

Zahr, also an adjunct law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, expressed his enthusiasm for being chosen by the voters to serve on the Dearborn School Board, emphasizing that “a lot of work awaits us.” He expressed his appreciation for earning the trust of Dearborn and parts of Dearborn Heights voters within the district’s jurisdiction.

Amer Zahr

“I’m so honored to have won the trust of the people of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, and I cannot wait to serve on the Board of Education,” he said. “Even more importantly, our community came out and voted in big numbers. So many experts thought we wouldn’t come out, that we were indifferent. The exact opposite happened.”

He added that people in Dearborn know there is major work to do.

“To be clear, we are not celebrating a Trump victory today,” he said. “We are celebrating that we voted with dignity and morality at the center. We entered the polls with the children of Gaza in our hearts. We exerted a political power that historians will talk about. I couldn’t be prouder today to be both a resident of Dearborn and an Arab American.”