Dave Abdullah with family and supporters at City Hall.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dave Abdallah and two other Council members were sworn into office at the Dearborn Heights City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 24 at City Hall.

Friends and supporters of Abdallah, Ray Muscat and incumbent Lisa Hicks-Clayton packed City Hall to witness their swearing in ceremony, led by Judge David Turfe.

Abdallah, the second Arab American councilman in the city, alongside incumbent Councilman Tom Berry, said the moment of his inauguration felt surreal.

“This is way too exciting and way beyond my belief, honestly,” Abdallah said. “Even though this is what I ran for, even though this is something I felt was going to happen, but until it actually happens that’s when it gets really exciting. The ability to be able to give back to the community and do great service for our community at large is very exciting.”

Abdallah’s brother Al thanked the community for the outpouring of support the family received on the campaign trail.

“We would like to thank everyone for helping my brother Dave win,” Al Abdallah said. “He’s looking to give back to the community. He’s not doing it for fame or name recognition. He’s doing it to help our community get better and put a name and face in the community that can help better the city. It’s a humbling experience for him to give back to the city of Dearborn Heights.”

Abdallah’s victory in Dearborn Heights gives new momentum to the Arab American community there. For many years, Arab residents had made several unsuccessful bids for public office, but following a very aggressive campaign, Abdallah won his seat by just 90 votes.

Mustafa Hawily, Abdallah’s campaign manager, stressed the importance of the community’s continued support.

“We are very proud of him,” Hawily said. “It was a team effort. If we all didn’t commit, this wouldn’t have happened. People really came out to support us.”

Abdallah and Muscat will join Hicks-Clayton, Berry, Bob Constan, Marge Horvath and Joseph Kosinski on the council beginning in January.