NEW BALTIMORE, MI – Incumbent Chaldean American Mayor Thomas (Tom) Semaan is running in the August 5 primary election to retain his seat for a third two-year term. He faces two serious challengers: City Council member Ryan Covert and Anchor Bay School Board President Patrick Green.

The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the general election on November 4.

Semaan, who has spent most of his life in the waterfront city overlooking Anchor Bay on the northern edge of Lake St. Clair, was first elected mayor in 2021 and reelected to a second term in 2023. Before that, the 65-year-old served on the City Council from 1987 to 1991.

According to New Baltimore’s charter, the city — home to approximately 12,000 residents — elects a mayor every two years.

Despite the strong competition, Semaan is relying on the progress made since his return to the political scene. His accomplishments include eliminating the budget deficit, restoring financial stability and attracting investments, such as securing state grants to revitalize the city’s waterfront and restore a historic downtown building.

More significantly, Semaan is banking on his deep roots in the city, to which he moved with his family at age 3, in 1963.

He is the son of Aziz Semaan, an Iraqi immigrant who arrived in Detroit in 1929, married a Chaldean Iraqi woman in 1949 and raised 11 children — Semaan is the eighth.

As living conditions in Detroit declined, Semaan’s father joined the wave of residents fleeing the Motor City and moved his family to the small town of New Baltimore, then home to about 3,000 people. There, he opened a modest grocery store downtown called Art and Mary’s Market, through which he provided for his large family and built close ties to the local community.

A 1965 advertisement for gas water heaters features the full 13-member family of Aziz Semaan, including Tom (seated, third  from the left).

A 1965 advertisement for the Southeast Michigan Gas Company featured the entire Semaan family of 13 — including 5-year-old Tom — promoting gas-powered water heaters. The ad read: “After 13 baths, there’s still plenty of hot water.”

More than six decades later, Semaan remains a resident of New Baltimore, as do many of his siblings and their children. Some family members have moved to nearby towns within the Anchor Bay region, which spans Macomb and St. Clair counties.

A life of service and community engagement

In addition to his roles as mayor and former City Councilman, Semaan served in the New Baltimore Fire Department from 1981 to 2010. He has also been active in several local civic organizations, including the Sons of the American Legion, Goodfellows and the Lions Club.

Professionally, Semaan works as business development director for Michigan Case Management, a company specializing in medical and vocational case management and cost containment services for the health insurance sector.

Semaan credits his upbringing in a large, close-knit family that achieved the American Dream with teaching him the value of responsibility and teamwork at a young age. He also proudly identifies as a Chaldean American deeply connected to his adopted hometown.

In a recent interview with the Detroit News, Semaan said that he has deep roots in the city and he is very passionate about this community.

“I wanted to channel that passion to help it thrive,” he said.

He emphasized that his priorities include public safety, fiscal responsibility and maintaining close communication with residents.

If reelected, Semaan said he plans to prioritize upgrading the city’s fire department facilities, noting that the department became full-time following a 2021 ballot referendum. His administration is working on a proposal to modernize the aging municipal building that houses the fire department.

Since taking office in early 2022, Semaan has succeeded in reviving several stalled development projects, including securing a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to convert a historic downtown building into residential apartments and commercial space.

A competitive race

Given his past electoral performance, Semaan is considered the front runner in the August primary and is likely to advance to the general election as the highest-ranking Chaldean elected official in Michigan.

In the 2021 election, Semaan defeated incumbent mayor John W. Dupray with 1,430 votes (52.1 percent) compared to Dupray’s 1,315 votes. In 2023, he ran unopposed and increased his vote total to 1,576, a strong sign of voter approval.

The second spot in the general election is expected to be contested between Covert, a City Council member for nearly eight years, and Green, president of the Anchor Bay School Board, which oversees public schools in New Baltimore and neighboring communities. Green was first elected to the school board in 2018 and also works as a business development manager at a food service company.

Covert, meanwhile, serves as national hiring manager for the International Seafarers’ Union vocational school in Maryland.

About New Baltimore

Located in northeastern Macomb County, New Baltimore borders Lake St. Clair to the south, Chesterfield Township to the north and west and St. Clair County to the east.

The small waterfront city features parks, public beaches and a downtown shopping district. It is part of a region that includes some of the largest Chaldean American populations in Metro Detroit and the United States.