DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Councilwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell is vying for the mayoral seat for a second time.

Malinowski-Maxwell served as City Council chairwoman from 2018 until the late Mayor Daniel Paletko’s death in December 2020, when she became mayor pro-tem until the appointment of Bill Bazzi in early 2021. She went on to run in the 2021 mayoral election against Bazzi, who ultimately was elected mayor. Malinowski-Maxwell was then re-elected back to City Council in 2023.

The Crestwood High School alum went on to graduate from Henry Ford College and Madonna University. Malinowski-Maxwell retired from AT&T as a project manager and chief union steward. During this time, she was also a licensed real estate agent for almost 20 years. 

“I have also been very active in volunteering in the community since I was 5-years-old,” she said. “When you volunteer, you meet a lot of good people. They are not doing it for the pay, they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart. I have also been active over the years in the Ecorse Creek clean up. If there is help needed in the community, I’ll be there.”

Malinowski-Maxwell has also been active with the Meals on Wheels program, volunteers at many local churches and has been a member of St. Linus Parish since 1962.

The proud mother of three grown children also has a 2-year-old granddaughter.

“As a long time resident, Dearborn Heights is the place I call home,” she said. “As a child I walked past City Hall on the way home from school. Sometimes I would stop and talk to Mayor Canfield. I took an interest in Dearborn Heights politics at a young age. It wasn’t until I retired from AT&T that I decided it was time to get involved. After serving as Dearborn Heights’ interim mayor and City Council chair, I felt this is the next step to take. I bring a lifetime of experience and a wealth of knowledge with me that the city will benefit from.”

Malinowski-Maxwell said that some of her priorities include the budget and public safety.

“First of all, I will look very closely at the budget and cut out unnecessary spending,” she said. “Financially we need to get back on track. Second, I will make sure our Police Department is fully staffed. Public safety is very important with all the traffic issues we have been facing in the city recently. Third, I will make sure the ordinance gets the extra staff necessary to properly eliminate blight in a fair and equitable fashion to improve all of our property values.”

If elected, Malinowski-Maxwell hopes to make the city a more desired place to live.

“The main roads to our city need to be cleaned up,” she said. “This is the first impression you get when you come to Dearborn Heights and I want it to be a good one. I want the city to be clean and a desired place to live like it was when I was growing up.”