DEARBORN — Emotions, ranging from cheers to tears, had overcome hundreds of local residents at the La Pita restaurant on Tuesday, November 5, after election results revealed that local Attorney Susan Dabaja accomplished a major milestone for the community. Dabaja landed in first place in the race for city council, ahead of five incumbents and one newcomer.

The feat, which automatically makes Dabaja the council president beginning in 2014, is a first time occurrence for an Arab American candidate in the City’s history.  It is also the first time, in almost three decades, that a new candidate was the highest vote-getter in the city council race.

What perhaps makes the victory even more astonishing is that Dabaja, 36, was relatively unknown in the local political scene, prior to her run for council. As a member of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), Dabaja is a practicing attorney at Farhat & Associates, PLLC, located on Chase Rd.

But in a council race, made up primarily of a pool of men, vying for one of seven seats, Dabaja emerged as the leading female candidate during the Primary in August. At the time, her third place finish had pleasantly surprised local residents and organizations across town.

Hundreds celebrate Dabaja’s victory at her campaign after party.

Along with an endorsement from AAPAC, Mayor Jack O’Reilly also extended his support during her run-up to the General Elections. Other influential endorsements included former Councilwoman Nancy Hubbard, the Dearborn Democratic Club and the Dearborn Firefighters Union.

But what may have won residents over, specifically, was the effective door-to-door campaigning that Dabaja and her team participated in over the last few months. Introducing herself to residents, she was able to rally support from all ends of town.

At her Election Day gathering at La Pita, hundreds of supporters were in good spirits, anxiously anticipating the election results. Dabaja, along with her campaigners, productively worked the polls and drove through neighborhoods to remind residents to head to the polls.

Renee Hadi, a Susan Dabaja supporter, said she even picked up random strangers from Hemlock Park and took them to their polling locations.

“They hopped into my car; we went and picked up their wives too, and I took them to the polls. A few of us drove around the east end neighborhoods, urging residents to come out and vote. Most residents had already been familiar with Susan, but they just needed to be reminded that today was Election Day,” Hadi said at the gathering.

On the west side of town, Dabaja’s supporters say that residents there didn’t need a reminder. Sarah Jaber and Lola Elzein, two dedicated Dabaja campaigners, say that Dabaja had received a warm reception from non-Arab voters.  

“Most houses we went to would say ‘I already voted for Susan.’ It was really surprising to see the amount of support she had gathered from residents in west Dearborn,” said Jaber.

“People who were unfamiliar with Susan, prior to her run, were introduced to her after she knocked on their doors, and they all said she left a lasting first impression on them,” added Elzein.

The tight race between Dabaja and current council president Thomas Tafelski, had the entire room of supporters on edge during the evening. With 55 of the 56 precincts counted, Dabaja and Tafelski were tied for first place, with 9,299 votes each. After the count from the final precinct at Miller Elementary School came in, Dabaja landed in first place, with a final count of 9,398 votes; just 32 votes ahead of Tafelski.

As the crowd broke out in celebration, Dearborn Chief Judge Sam Salamey took the stage to stress on the importance of Dabaja’s victory, reminding everyone that “every vote matters.”

19th District Chief Judge Sam Salamey speaks to Dabaja’s supporters.

“At one point in time, the vote count was a tie. If that tells you anything, it tells you that every single vote counts. In order for our democracy to flourish and survive, we must all continue to be active participants in the election process, and we must all continue to look for the best candidates. Lastly, we must all look beyond race, background and any stereotypes when selecting these candidates,” Salamey told the crowd.

Salamey, himself, recently reached his own milestone last year, after a notable run for 19th District Court Judge left a lasting impression on the Arab American community and set a precedent for this year’s race.  Behind the scenes, running both Salamey and Dabaja’s campaign was Mallak Beydoun, who received acknowledgement for her effective campaign strategies that have, in both instances, led to triumphant wins for the community.

Several other factors also contributed to Dabaja’s victory. While some of the other city council candidates had participated, or been dragged into, back and forth mudslinging, Dabaja’s campaign had, for the most part, remained neutral in such matters. 

“Susan Dabaja’s victory was part of a really well planned operation. They really tried to hit the south-end hard, being that a lot of residents there hadn’t been politically involved before, but they understood who she was,” Nemir Jaffer, a Dabaja campaigner said. “She was not in any kind of politics prior to this. But because she was so heart-felt, she ended up winning even the west side over, because the people of Dearborn wanted a good clear choice.”

In an emotional victory speech on stage, Dabaja thanked her husband and three children, along with the rest of her campaign supporters, telling them that when she had announced her run for council ten months ago, she never imagined where it was going to lead her.

“I may have had doubts, but you guys never did, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” a tearful Dabaja told a cheering crowd of supporters. “When I started this journey, I never thought I would be here in victory. I grew up with nothing in the south end; yet I had everything, because I was raised with the morals and values of all the hard working people in those neighborhoods, and I will forever carry that with me.” 

While Dabaja’s accomplishment has left the community stunned, it also hits close to home for Arab American women and females in general. Dabaja’s youngest sister, Zeinab, says that she hopes Dabaja’s win will pave the way for more women in the community, especially because Dabaja will become the only female on the council, serving as president, to six councilmen. 

“Susan is a mother, a wife, a sister, an aunt and an attorney. She has managed to juggle it all and take it this far. When she is committed to something, she will do it with all her sincerity.  Our entire family is very proud of her, and we hope this is just the beginning, not just for her, but for the entire community.”