DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Arab American News recently sat down for an interview with Dearborn Heights Mayor Daniel Paletko to discuss issues facing the City, as he gears up to run for a third full term in office. Paletko has served as Mayor of the City since 2003.

Topics discussed during the interview included the growing Arab American community and their impact on the City, the recent crime waves, and the possible merger of police and fire departments with neighboring Garden City, as a result of the City’s financial situation.

Paletko explained that he welcomes the diverse change in population within the City in recent years, as more Arab Americans have been purchasing homes and establishing new businesses. He says that he’s tried to assemble a diverse team of City employees, who reflect the changing population of the City. 

He’s recently been working in close coordination with the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan (CAIR-MI) to develop diversity training and awareness in the City’s police department.  Workshops have also been held with City employees to ensure that they are aware and knowledgeable of the City’s diverse culture.

“We’ve been putting on diversity training workshops for employees, in order to get people to understand the culture and religious differences. We are not where we need to be at yet, but it’s something that I’m constantly working on. I think it’s important that whoever sits in the Mayor’s seat has this kind of philosophy of accepting diversity and has an understanding of people’s religious and ethnic differences,” states Paletko.

Paletko also discussed the controversial issue regarding HYPE Athletics, a local, non-profit community organization that has recently captured media attention over a heated tax debate with the City. Over the past year, the organization, which is recognized as a 501(c) 3 by the federal government, has faced difficulty in establishing such recognition by the City. HYPE was billed over $140,000 in taxes for its newly constructed recreational center on Warren Avenue, much to the dismay of Hype CEO Ali Sayed.  

Sayed had told the Arab American News that Paletko personally promised him the building would be tax-exempt. Paletko says that he’s still hopeful the recreation center will receive the status, as the City Assessor is currently looking to make sure the organization meets all the qualifications that would classify them as non-profit.

Mayor Dan Paletko.

“We recently got the City Assessor and the City Attorney to meet at the site for a few hours to get a better understanding of what it is about. I feel comfortable enough to say that we are headed in the right direction and it will be achievable. Once they get that status, they can get some of the bills they’ve received in the past exempt. The real difficulty has been the individuals at the County Executive level, who put the project together but are not there anymore, so it became a problem,” Paletko said. “As Mayor, I don’t make final decisions on tax exempt properties. That is the assessor, who by state law has the power to do that. I can however influence people by getting them to come together and understand that here is what is required, and here is what needs to be done.” 

Paletko also touched base on the recent rise in home invasions and motor vehicle theft in the City’s neighborhoods. He says withering police enforcement in recent years in the surrounding cities of Inkster and Detroit has resulted in criminals crossing over into Dearborn Heights to target unsuspecting residents.

Paletko also says the City doesn’t have an ideal outline. There’s only a small stretch of land that runs along Gulley Road that connects the City’s northern section with the southern section, which borders Taylor. That makes it more difficult for police to patrol inside borderlines at all times.   

He encourages residents to sign up for an email notification program, either at the police department or at his office, where weekly reports of all crimes in the City are listed. It is a good way for residents to keep an eye out on any sort of particular trend close to their neighborhoods. 

“We are getting residents engaged by being the eyes and ears for the Police Department. We encourage them to call whenever they see any sort of suspicious activity. I know all the vehicles within my neighbors and they know mine, so if I see something weird where I live, I’ll call the police. Hopefully we can put a stop to it because we want to live in a good, safe community,” states Paletko.

Another solution to tackle the problem is the possibility of merging police and fire departments with Garden City. Paletko says that the City has received a $55,000 grant to look into that option, but talks with Garden City are still in the early stages. It would also be a good way to offset the City’s deficit problem, which Paletko says is faring better. 

He says the deficit occurred because of two main factors: The city receiving six million dollars less in statute revenue, and declining property values between 2009 and 2011. He says property values are on the rise once again, but it will be a while before they reach the highs of 2008. He attributes much of these increases to the presence of the Arab American community in the City.

“We really have to be very thankful that the Arab American business community has invested in Dearborn Heights. That has significantly, not only stabilized the business community, but it has made property on Ford Road very valuable, because of the demand. It’s also the result of the fact that Arab American families moved into the City, so the business came to follow the population,” stated Paletko. 

Dearborn Heights resident Zuhair Abdel-Hak recently challenged Paletko, by pulling petitions to run for Mayor this upcoming election. However, Abdel-Hak recently announced that he would be dropping out of the race. Current Councilwoman Janet Badalow has also pulled petitions for the mayoral race. All other candidates would need to pull and return petitions before May 14, in order to appear on the ballot. The mayoral race will require three candidates, in order for the position to appear on the Primary ballot in August.  Otherwise, the race will just skip forward to the November General Election.