DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In a 4-2 vote, Mohammed Almawla was appointed to the vacant city council seat.

Councilman Tom Wencel and Councilwoman Nancy Bryer voted for Ray Muscat with Councilwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell, Councilwoman Margaret King, Council Chair Hassan Saab, and Council Chair Pro Tem Bob Constan voting for Almawla.

Almawla, owner of Visual Lion LLC, was born in 1992 in a refugee camp in Saudi Arabia after his family fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and came to the United States in 1995 and is now raising his daughter in the city with his wife. He previously has served as special assistant to the director of the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs and has also volunteered with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy sheriff reserve CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and has connected the Dearborn Heights Fire Department with Dialed and Defend, a nonprofit focused on firefighter health and wellness regarding a planned sauna donation for the new fire station and potential firefighter-training opportunities.

During his interview, Almawla said that he believes public service means bringing people together.

“I believe public service often means identifying an opportunity, bringing the right people together and following through to turn it into something useful for the community,” he said. “If appointed, I would come prepared, review proposals and expenditures carefully, ask questions and listen to residents. My approach is even-keeled and objective and I would be a genuine partner to my colleagues and the administration while exercising independent judgment. I will always do what is in the public interest, not personal or political interests.”

Almawla also said that his priorities include supporting coordinated, long-term flood mitigation along the Ecorse Creek, responsible stewardship of the city’s finances, supporting public safety, improving how residents interact with and receive information from city government, and creating an environment where small businesses can start, grow, and succeed.

Almawla serves until the seat is filled by election at the next general city, state or national election. The appointment expires upon certification of the November 2, 2027 election, and the term of the elected seat expires December 31, 2029.