DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Amid strong turnout in Tuesday’s election, Dearborn Heights voters approved a referendum with 59.3 percent support to review the city charter in preparation for revising it, while also electing the commission responsible for the task.

The proposal received support from 11,183 voters, or 59.3 percent of the total, while 7,677 voters, or 40.7 percent, opposed revising the charter, which has been in place since the city’s incorporation in 1963.

Voters also selected nine of 11 candidates to serve on the Charter Commission, which will oversee the organizational and administrative aspects of the process, including adopting proposed revisions for submission to voters at a later date.

Dana Mohammad led the field with 8,464 votes, followed by Mohamed Hamieh with 7,642 and Elyana Hussain with 7,442.

The other winners were John J. Riley II, with 5,604 votes; Sam Sakka, 5,294; Susan Riegle, 4,822; Carly A. Ladd, 4,663; Nancy Schneider, 4,617; and Krystina Laslo, who secured the ninth seat with 4,476.

Elisabeth Sobota-Perry and Kelli Tamburro finished at the bottom of the field and did not win seats.

Commissioner-elect Hamieh welcomed voters’ approval of what he described as a “historic referendum that coincided with unprecedented electoral participation.” He said the outcome reflected the majority’s desire to modernize a charter drafted more than six decades ago, many of whose provisions no longer align with contemporary developments and needs.

Voter turnout in Dearborn Heights reached approximately 50 percent, with 24,611 of the city’s 49,736 registered voters casting ballots.

Hamieh told The Arab American News the next phase requires drafting a flexible charter grounded in the highest standards of transparency and accountability. It must address current challenges, meet the aspirations of all residents and strengthen administrative and financial efficiency in a city of approximately 63,000 people.

He said the nine-member commission will hold its first meeting on November 17 to elect a chair. He explained that the chair will be chosen through an internal vote among the nine commissioners and will not necessarily be the candidate who received the most votes in the election.

He added that the commission’s first meeting will establish a comprehensive roadmap for reviewing the existing charter and a clear process for developing the desired revisions.

The effort, he said, will involve extensive consultation with city departments, particularly the Mayor’s Office, City Council, Treasury Department and City Clerk’s Office, to ensure that proposed revisions comply with the organizational and financial requirements of Michigan law.

Hamieh emphasized the commission’s commitment to balance, transparency and resident involvement. It will encourage broad community participation and provide an ongoing forum for residents to share opinions, submit proposals and raise concerns through public hearings and direct meetings.

Those discussions, he said, “will form the cornerstone of the commission’s work, ensuring that we produce a comprehensive, modern local governing document that faithfully reflects the aspirations of every part of Dearborn Heights and establishes a flexible framework for governance capable of serving the public interest and meeting the needs of future generations for decades to come.”