2026-10-06 - City Council

00:10All right.

00:12I call to order this regularly scheduled

00:13meeting of the 35th Dearborn City

00:15Council for October 6th, 2026 at 7 p.m.

00:19Just a kind reminder everyone in

00:20attendance to please silence your cell

00:22phones or communication devices as to

00:25not disturb the meeting. Mr. Clerk, can

00:27we have the role? Council member

00:29O'Reilly

00:29>> here. Council member Enos here.

00:31>> Council member Paris. Council member

00:34Abraham

00:35>> here.

00:35>> Council member Hammud

00:36>> here.

00:37>> Council president promafi

00:39>> here.

00:39>> Council president Sereni

00:41>> here.

00:41>> We have a quorum.

00:42>> All right. Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

00:44>> At this time, I'd like to turn over uh

00:46the meeting to Councilman Deon O'Reilly.

00:48>> Thank you. Uh it is my honor tonight to

00:50introduce Pastor Shawn Meyers from St.

00:52Paul Lutheran Church who will deliver

00:54tonight's invocation. I invite all who

00:56are able to please stand for the

00:58invocation and remain standing for the

00:59pledge of allegiance.

01:06Oh Lord God, we give you thanks for

01:08gathering us together. Give you thanks

01:11for these council members.

01:13May you bless them with wisdom and

01:15compassion in all that they do. Grant

01:18them humility to remember that they

01:20serve your people, this wonderful

01:24community that we have.

01:26Be a blessing upon them and all who are

01:28gathered here. Amen.

01:31>> Amen.

01:34>> Pledge allegiance to the flag of the

01:36United States of America and to the

01:38republic for which it stands, one nation

01:41under God, indivisible, with liberty and

01:44justice for all.

01:47Thank you, P.

01:50>> All right, Mr. Clerk, can we have the

01:52first item of business?

01:53>> Uh, item four is a resolution by council

01:55president promised

01:57unanimously recognizing October 2026 as

02:00breast cancer awareness month in the

02:02city of Dearbornne and requesting

02:04immediate effect. That's fine.

02:06>> Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

02:08Uh breast cancer awareness month is

02:10observed every October with the purpose

02:13to raise awareness about breast cancer,

02:15promote early detection and support

02:16research and uh treatment initiatives.

02:19The 2026 theme for breast cancer

02:21awareness month is every story is

02:23unique, every journey matters

02:25highlighting the individual uh

02:28individuality of each patient, survivor,

02:30caregiver, and family member affected by

02:32this breast cancer. This month we reci

02:35recognize the profound and lasting

02:36effects of breast cancer that can only

02:38that have that has had on individuals

02:41and their families. We support efforts

02:43to raise awareness, promote research,

02:45encourage compassion and dignity as well

02:49as meaningful support through all stages

02:51of the breast cancer journey. The 35th

02:54Dearborn City Council hereby recognizes

02:56October 2026 as breast cancer awareness

02:59month in the city of Dearbornne with

03:01immediate effect. Any questions or

03:03comments on this item?

03:06Okay. Any objection to unanimous role?

03:09Unanimous role shall be attached. Can we

03:11have the next item, Mr. Clerk?

03:12>> Item number five is public comments.

03:15>> All right, Mr. Clerk. The time is 7:07.

03:18Uh the council rules enacted on the 34th

03:20city council allows for a 30 minute

03:23public comment prior to our business

03:25items to better serve our residents. Uh

03:28we take cards so you can be recognized.

03:31You do not have to fill one of these

03:32out. If you want to be just raise your

03:34hand, uh I can recognize you. Keep in

03:35mind there's a threeminut time limit. Uh

03:38the clerk will let you know when there

03:39is 30 seconds uh remaining. And uh there

03:42is the entire time for the beginning of

03:44the first public comment uh timing is 30

03:48minutes. And then uh after the agenda,

03:50then we have an unlimited time uh frame

03:53uh to take the cards that we cannot get.

03:55So I'm going to take these in order. And

03:56again, Mr. Clerk, we'll just start at

03:59707.

03:59>> Okay.

04:00>> All right. All right, we have Ashley

04:02Sol Soleski. Yes, ma'am.

04:04>> Yep. Okay, ma'am. Would you like to step

04:06forward? Just a kind reminder to state

04:07your name and address for the record.

04:14Uh, my name is Ashley Sakalowski. And

04:17you said address?

04:18>> Yes, ma'am.

04:18>> 22729 Cleveland Street.

04:20>> Thank you.

04:23>> You may begin.

04:24Um, I'm here tonight because I'm deeply

04:27concerned about um the safety of our

04:29streets and the lack of accountability

04:31for the dangerous driving. This has

04:33personally affected my family four times

04:36now. On April 20th, 2025, we woke up to

04:39find my car completely totaled on our

04:41lawn. The driver who hid it flipped his

04:45vehicle upside down, and we later

04:47learned he had no license and no

04:48insurance. When my husband followed up

04:50with the prosecutor,

04:52she said that he was getting a plea deal

04:54and we shouldn't bother calling. On

04:57September 4th, 2026,

04:59um as my husband was preparing to leave

05:01our camper um with our camper, someone

05:04hit the camper. On September 28th, 2026,

05:08our car was hit while we were parked at

05:10our home. In October 3rd, 2026,

05:16my husband was riding his bike with our

05:18two-year-old son, sorry, in the stroller

05:23at Grenley Park in Oxford when they were

05:26hit by a vehicle. My husband broke his

05:29ankle and my son is okay, but he's got

05:32bumps and bruises from the accident.

05:34[snorts]

05:35Not to mention the trauma of it. four

05:38times our family alone has been affected

05:40and I've personally sat in court and

05:43watched people receiving tickets for

05:44speeding and accidents and their fines

05:46have been reduced. Meanwhile, we

05:48continued to hear cars racing down

05:50Outerd Drive telegraph Michigan Avenue

05:53at night and all we hear are racing

05:55engines and sirens. And it's just the

05:58main it's not just the main roads, it's

06:00the residential streets like their

06:02racetracks.

06:04We moved here because we wanted to make

06:05our home safe and raise a family here,

06:09but we no longer feel like we're safe

06:11here. And I'm asking the city to address

06:14the accountability and the enforcement.

06:16Actually deter reckless driving and not

06:19respond after someone has been hurt.

06:21It's not about what you do when everyone

06:23is looking. It's about what you do when

06:25no one is watching. And monetarily this

06:28has really hurt our family because our

06:30family has experienced now four separate

06:32accidents. Us again my family alone and

06:35we cannot continue to treat this as

06:37normal.

06:39Thank you Ashley. I I will address a few

06:41of the things. I do appreciate you

06:42coming. I'm sorry. I hope everybody is

06:43okay. I mean my daughter was hit by a

06:47drunk driver um in the city um about

06:50five six years ago. So and I have

06:53grandkids [snorts] and and kids. So, I

06:55understand and I don't want you to think

06:57uh the city is not doing anything. Uh

06:59can we do more? Absolutely. Are we going

07:01to do more? Absolutely. The chief's here

07:03and we're going to have him come up.

07:04Yeah. And and and get the address to see

07:05if we could park a car in your area. But

07:07I want you to understand um under under

07:09the administration of of our mayor. Um

07:12we wrote letters to the state uh and

07:14shut down two driving schools uh because

07:16of what was happening. We have our

07:19tickets have uh and tickets regarding uh

07:22speeding is probably quadrupled. I'll

07:24let the chief speak to that. We put, as

07:26you're aware, um flashing stop signs. Uh

07:29we put um speed humps. So, can we do

07:33more? Absolutely. Are we doing more?

07:35Yes. And we're we're not going to stop.

07:36We do understand it and it it's a it's a

07:38problem. I I don't want to speak for the

07:40mayor, but he has blamed a lot of the

07:42parents for, you know, these type of

07:44cars and and the noise. Uh we also been

07:46working with our state legislators

07:47regarding noise. Currently, the way the

07:50law is drafted, we are required, the

07:52officers required to witness and measure

07:54the sound at the same time, which is

07:56really ridiculous. So, I don't want you

07:59to think that we don't uh, you know,

08:01understand or hear you. You are heard.

08:02It's it's been a topic that we've been

08:04discussing for years, but we also put it

08:07to action. Uh, you can we do better as I

08:09said, yes. And will we do better? And

08:11can we do more things? We are and we

08:13will, but I don't want you to think that

08:15you're it's falling on deaf ears. Nobody

08:17should have to be worried about in

08:19living in their house and worried about

08:20reckless and and driving. And regarding

08:23to the courts like you with my daughter,

08:25I contacted the Wayne County court and

08:27they did not there was drugs involved

08:30and everything drunk driving and

08:32unfortunately myself being a lawyer, I

08:35understand what they do with these

08:36pleas.

08:38But I want you to understand, I mean,

08:40the law and the law enforcement and the

08:42government has one roles. The courts

08:43have a different role. And there's

08:45reasons for all of them even though they

08:47don't make sense, right? Whether they

08:48have insurance or not insurance, uh, you

08:51know, we are a no fault state, which

08:52means your insurance would have to

08:53subregate and go against them anyways.

08:56So, I mean, it's all seem unfair, which

08:59I understand because, you know, you're

09:01paying your taxes, you're, you know,

09:02you're paying your your insurance and

09:03others are not. It's a it's a vicious

09:05cycle, but uh, I don't want you to think

09:07that you're not being heard and that the

09:08court uh the court is doing their end,

09:11which is what there is. the police are

09:13doing their end and and us as a

09:15government have taken this head on and

09:18and are doing everything that we can and

09:20there's there's more to come but I want

09:22to let the chief give you some idea and

09:23the chief I don't know if you got the

09:25address if she doesn't mind sharing the

09:26address for you maybe we could send have

09:28a patrol a car maybe frequented in the

09:31route but that's your jurisdiction

09:32>> yeah uh thank you council president Isa

09:34Sheen police chief

09:36>> first and foremost I'm very sorry for

09:37what happened to your husband and your

09:39child there's nothing that I can say

09:41here that's going to uh bring comfort

09:44for that. I can't imagine if my wife and

09:46my daughter were hit going out for a

09:47walk. U so I want to just make that

09:50clear.

09:52There's many things we've done. Uh I'm

09:53familiar with the accident. I've looked

09:55at the ticket and the crash report and I

09:57can assure you we're going to give more

09:58special attention to your neighborhood.

10:00There's a number of things we've done

10:01from traffic enforcement. Um and we've

10:03written more tickets than I've ever seen

10:04in my history of this police department.

10:06I've been here for a long time. We've

10:07re-engineered a number of roadways to

10:09try to make them safer. And then we've

10:11done some things from an education

10:12perspective that have been seen nowhere

10:14else in the state of Michigan with

10:15drivers education. All that being said,

10:18one crash is way too many and we're

10:19going to stay focused on it. And I'm I

10:21can't express enough it's a top priority

10:23for our police department. We all go out

10:25there and write as many tickets as we

10:26can, but clearly there needs to be more

10:28done. And to that end, even the mayor

10:29has convened a special meeting now as a

10:31result of the accident involving your uh

10:33husband and and child. So we're going to

10:36bring public health to the table. uh our

10:37engineering department, our fire

10:39department, our legal department to see

10:41if there's anything else that we can do

10:42to address it. I recognize it's an issue

10:44and I'm not here to make any excuses.

10:45We're going to work as hard as we can to

10:46fix it. So,

10:49>> thank you, Ashley. And again, we're all

10:50uh sorry for what has happened and uh

10:53please keep in contact with us. If

10:55there's anything more that you have

10:56suggestions, um our staff will will has

10:59your information and you're more than

11:01welcome to get a hold of us.

11:02>> Okay. Thank you.

11:03>> Thank you for coming this evening.

11:05Next we have Miss Andrew Anger

11:17Andrea Anger. Dearborn, thank you for

11:20allowing me to speak. At last month's

11:23meeting, you seemed unaware of the

11:25Muslim holiday at Alhada, which followed

11:28Memorial Day with fireworks and three

11:30days off of school in Dearbornne. You

11:33may be aware of a different holiday,

11:34Columbus Day, which is Monday, October

11:3712th, and as a federal holiday, the post

11:40offices and the banks are closed. I've

11:42asked the clerk's office, Mary Landrew,

11:44and this council several times to

11:47correct the Dearbornne calendar and to

11:49print this recognition appropriately as

11:50they edit next year's calendar and make

11:53it official in our city.

11:55Also, Ramadan was included, but Ash

11:58Wednesday was verbally named and equally

12:01equal printed recognition of this cal on

12:04the calendar was not given. I expect

12:06this will also be corrected. In our

12:09Dearborn school lunches, halal food is

12:11served. Is an option offered to those

12:14who won't eat halal? Is fish offered on

12:17Friday holy days for Catholics? Is

12:20kosher offered for Jewish children? If

12:22you do special food for one group, you

12:24must do it for all. Marggo Cleveland and

12:27I have both approached you about funding

12:29with city money round on the city light

12:32poles in Dearbornne. While the chamber

12:35of commerce displays a nativity scene on

12:37private land, I was glad to see our

12:40mayor and his friend Councilman Hammud

12:42smile at the thought of our city

12:44honoring the birth of our savior. For to

12:46us a child is born and to us a son is

12:49given and the government will be on his

12:51shoulders and he will be called

12:52wonderful counselor, mighty God,

12:55everlasting father, prince of peace.

12:57When we light up the festival of trees

12:59and we put up ornaments, that is not

13:01honoring Jesus Christ. If the city were

13:04to pay for and put up crosses on our

13:06cityowned light poles, that would be

13:08honoring Jesus Christ and Christianity,

13:10and that would violate the constitution.

13:14For I know that my redeemer lives and

13:16that he shall stand at the latter day

13:17upon the earth. Since Dearbornne is an

13:20American city, it cannot endorse or

13:23support any one religion. There should

13:25be no banners or decorations depicting

13:28preference for one faith on light poles

13:30or city property. There should be no

13:32fireworks for random holidays for one

13:35particular group of people according to

13:37our state and ordinances except for the

13:404th of July and New Year's Eve. Council

13:43presidents, you have said the police

13:45will be monitoring this according to the

13:47law. So, I'm expecting it will be

13:49handled properly and enforced by our

13:51police. Our city has now closed two

13:54libraries. It is also asking us to

13:56approve 1.5 billion for our city. Thank

14:00you.

14:00>> But when we come to council, you won't

14:02answer our questions. Your response is

14:04thank you. It's not your job to do it.

14:07It's up to the police. Ask the library.

14:10Ask the school board. asked the Chamber

14:12of Commerce. So, if your job is to make

14:14the ordinances and to see that they're

14:16followed, why isn't that happening? Why

14:19are you just sitting here?

14:22>> Your time is expired.

14:23>> Thank you.

14:24>> Thank you.

14:25>> Thank you, Miss Hunger. Uh, next we have

14:28Mr.

14:29>> Just thank you.

14:30>> No comment. Thank you.

14:38>> Hi. Uh Steve Arnold, 220 Robinale team.

14:42Um I came in here in a really good mood

14:44tonight.

14:46Um there's a couple things. First of

14:48all, um first bit of advice I think will

14:51help. Parents, do not buy young people

14:55fast cars. My dad bought me a 1966 Ford

14:59LTD. It was a tank. It got 6 miles a

15:02gallon. He knew I was a bad driver. He

15:04also knew I didn't have any money to get

15:06into trouble and drive into Cleveland

15:07and do bad things that teenagers do.

15:09Okay, so that's a stop. I've uh been

15:12looking at some stuff over in Europe on

15:14this very subject. Uh I've been driving

15:16around Detroit. Detroit has a really

15:18neat plan I think will work here. You

15:20actually have an advantage here because

15:22we have some uh some lanes that we can

15:24use. Now, we have some physicists back

15:26there. I spoke to her earlier

15:28>> and they'll tell you about La uh La

15:31Fontaine Plaza in Washington DC. I'm

15:35getting the name wrong. I'll correct it.

15:37>> Speak in the mic.

15:38>> But they have the solution. Okay. And we

15:41actually have a lot of it here

15:43>> and people who are wise will know that.

15:45>> Okay. Second, um, another thing that's

15:49very troubling here, um, I'm hearing

15:51reports up in Lancing, this is a more

15:53serious topic, uh, serial killing. Um,

15:57there's, uh, children involved, um,

16:00pedophiles, that is our our our number

16:03one issue, not not just here in

16:05Michigan, across the country. And it

16:08Epstein files and all these things, all

16:10these things need to get looked at a lot

16:12more. There's cover-ups. We got bad

16:16judicial systems where bribes and

16:19lawyers plea bargaining. It's baloney.

16:23Okay. Absolute baloney. That has to be

16:26looked at. Um

16:29I can't again I came in a good mood. I'm

16:30I'm I'm ready to go. I got to go to the

16:32gym and hit the punching bag after this,

16:34which I like to do. Come down and hit

16:35hit it with me because this this is

16:38really wrong. What's going on here? So,

16:40I I'll have if

16:42the residents of Michigan choose me, um

16:46it'll be my number one priority, the

16:47pedophile, this thing in Lancing, I know

16:49the Michigan State Police are looking at

16:50it. They're looking at corruption across

16:53the board in this state. It goes up to

16:55the highest levels. It went up to the

16:57highest levels of the Michigan State

16:58Police.

17:00It goes down through the current

17:04Michigan

17:06leadership.

17:09There's investigations going on.

17:11>> There's going to be a short pause.

17:12There's excuse me, there's going to be a

17:14short pause afterwards.

17:16>> This is going to stop. It goes through

17:19Detroit. It goes through Michigan. It

17:21goes through many cities across this

17:23country, north and south.

17:28We're going to go after it. Now, I have

17:30another thing. I'd like to talk to Miss

17:32Anger privately. I'll come back later

17:33with her. Uh hopefully with some good

17:36news because there's some there's some

17:37cultural things and some transitions and

17:39time that we have to do.

17:42>> I'm sorry your time has expired.

17:43>> George, you got me up. Thank you.

17:45>> Thank you, Mr. Arnold. Thank you.

17:47Appreciate it. Uh next we have Ian

17:49[clears throat]

17:50Dash Dashi. Yeah.

17:53>> Okay.

18:02Okay, just a kind reminder. So, just

18:04your name and address for the record.

18:05>> Absolutely. Um, it's Iman Dashy, um, Ann

18:08Arbor. So, I appreciate you all having

18:11me here to speak. My name is Iman. I'm

18:13Persian American attending the

18:15University of Michigan. And I just

18:16wanted to speak on behalf of my family

18:18for a second. My family and many other

18:20Persian families have experienced

18:22horrors under the current Iranian

18:24regime. My own cousin was chased through

18:26the streets for hijab violations. And my

18:28uncle was lashed 50 times by Ali Kam's

18:31government. He was facing the gallows

18:33and had to flee the country. Um, for

18:36others, the reality is even worse. I

18:37mean, I know people who have lost their

18:39family members that have been gunned

18:40down in the streets for peaceful

18:41protesting. Um, there's even stories of

18:44the IRGC hunting these protesters down

18:46and killing them in their hospital beds.

18:48So when Ham was killed, the supreme

18:50leader of Iran was killed, I was

18:53heartbroken to see vigils and in

18:55Dearborn honoring this man, it was

18:57upsetting to hear prominent members of

18:59the Dearborn community praise Kami as

19:02quote a great leader. But while these

19:05scenes greatly demoralize me, I know

19:07this is not a complete reflection of the

19:09city of Dearborn. I know that a vast

19:11majority of this community is filled

19:13with incredible people who cherish

19:15innocent life. But I came here today to

19:18plead that that very majority speak up

19:20because right now the divisive minority

19:23are the loudest voices. Voices like

19:26Osama Sablani who called Hassan Nazalla

19:28a heroic martyr. Hassan Nazalla was the

19:31leader of Hezbollah a brutal terrorist

19:34organization that killed 241 Americans

19:37in a terrorist attack in the 1983.

19:40Hezbollah is only one part of the much

19:43broader system. For decades, the Iranian

19:45government has funded, armed, and

19:47trained terrorists throughout the Middle

19:48East. This includes Hamas, which almost

19:51three years ago today, um,

19:53indiscriminately killed, 219 innocent

19:56civilians.

19:57Um, as a community, we must firmly

19:59reject these terrorists, and we must

20:01firmly condemn any of their supporters

20:03that may be in our community, and we

20:05especially uh must certainly object to

20:07street signs being named in honor of

20:09them. So there is already enough

20:12division between Republicans and

20:13Democrats, uh, Muslims and Christians,

20:15Jews and Arabs. I don't want to sow any

20:18more hatred. Christ teaches in the

20:20sermon of the mount, blessed are the

20:23peacemakers. And he tells us to love our

20:25neighbors and even to love our enemies.

20:28So my request tonight is simple. I just

20:30want to come out here in peace and ask

20:32that we all be peacemakers no matter

20:34what extremists on either side say.

20:36Christ's love is for everyone, including

20:39and especially people of the faith of

20:41Islam.

20:42>> 30 seconds.

20:42>> Um, thank you. And you all have banded

20:45together to create this vibrant

20:46community in Dearbornne. And I'm I'm

20:48very happy to see the results of that.

20:50But I ask that if you want to be a

20:52peacemaker, to speak up because if you

20:54continue to stay silent, the extremists

20:56will become emboldened by and they will

20:59continue to define the communities that

21:01we insist they don't represent. So,

21:03thank you for your time.

21:04>> Thank you.

21:06All right. Next we have Mr. Ted Barham.

21:25>> I'm very grateful for

21:28Iman Ted Barnum, Dearborn resident.

21:31>> Thank you, Mr. Bar. Uh I am very

21:32grateful uh for Iman Dashi coming here

21:36uh tonight from Ann Arbor. I feel that

21:39the headlines that he's made in the last

21:40couple of weeks have been very helpful.

21:43Uh previously the mayor has called me a

21:45racist. Uh but today I'm standing

21:48shoulder-to-shoulder with Imam Dashi who

21:51is uh from the Middle East as well

21:54ethnically speaking. And when I speak up

21:59uh for peace on the eve of October 7, uh

22:04I'm not just doing that as a white guy.

22:08I'm not doing that as a racist.

22:12A lot of the people that I have in mind

22:14are Middle Eastern people. Uh it's true

22:18I am thinking of America. I think it's

22:19totally inappropriate that there should

22:21be so many people who feel an

22:22affiliation to Iran and Hezbollah uh

22:26whose motto is death to America. uh but

22:29I am also doing this with my Christian

22:34brothers and sisters and others who are

22:36suffering in Middle Eastern countries

22:38and I have lived in those countries and

22:42uh I'm even doing that for Middle

22:45Eastern people here in Dearbornne who I

22:47feel many are suffering under

22:49oppression. Uh there are uh girls who

22:53are forced to wear uh the borca uh not

22:56just you know a dignified headscarf but

22:59to cover their faces because men are not

23:02able to uh appallingly or men are

23:05appallingly unable uh to um control

23:10their own lusts and so women have to

23:12cover their faces because of that. There

23:14are men who I think want to be free of

23:16the oppression of feeling that the only

23:18legitimacy legitimacy is if they hate

23:20Jewish people. And on it on the eve of

23:23October 7, uh instead of the message

23:26that Iran brought to the world three

23:28years ago of hate and violence via

23:32Hamas, we want to bring a different

23:35message. a message by the ultimate

23:39Jewish person who was not just a

23:41descendant of Abraham, of Isaac, of

23:43Jacob. He was a descendant, he is a

23:45descendant of King David.

23:48And he brought peace between Jewish and

23:52non-Jewish people through his death on

23:54the cross.

23:56And he brings a much better message to

24:00America,

24:02to Dearbornne,

24:03>> you have

24:04>> to the Middle East. And so again, I want

24:07to repeat, we are not just doing this uh

24:11as white racists.

24:13We are doing this for Middle Eastern

24:16people like Imman Dashi who spoke just

24:19before me. Thank you very much.

24:21>> Thank you.

24:24Next, we have Mr. Robert Hattis.

24:28Oh boy, I wish that was on the agenda so

24:31I could address the two previous

24:32speakers, but but I won't get into that

24:35because I could spend hours upon hours

24:37refuting everything that these gentlemen

24:39said. What I am here in is is uh for a

24:43couple couple reasons. Uh we have an

24:45election coming pretty soon and for

24:47those that oppose some of the things

24:49that Trump's done has done, he's tried

24:51to amend the Constitution by executive

24:53order. He's gone after again uh and I

24:57said this in previous meetings, our free

24:59press. He's in every which way violating

25:02uh our constitution. He took us to a war

25:05in Iran by way of Israel. Israel took us

25:09in there per our uh secretary of state

25:12Mark uh Rubio. Uh he's given us tariffs.

25:16He's alienated Canada. He's alienated

25:18Mexico. He's alienated NATO.

25:22the obligation that we had to the

25:24Ukraine.

25:26He did nothing for Ukraine. He stood by

25:28Russia and let Russia, the nation that

25:31attacked Ukraine and stood by and to

25:33this day has done nothing.

25:36January 6, all these innocent people,

25:40quote, innocent people from January 6

25:43have been pardoned. Nothing. They didn't

25:45do anything wrong. Nobody died during

25:47that our immigration policy. and he has

25:50his right-hand man, Steven Miller,

25:52sitting uh by the wayside dictating uh

25:56policy, dictating immigration rules and

25:58so forth, mass deportation.

26:02I don't know if everybody's happy with

26:03that. Are you happy with ICE that was

26:05supposed to be rounding up illegal

26:08criminals that were crossing our border?

26:12No. What have they done? They've taken

26:13innocent people and now they're even

26:16sending them off to third third uh third

26:19world countries or other nations other

26:22than their home uh original destination.

26:28We just completed a deal 2.8 billion for

26:31what? 40,000 bombs to I let me repeat

26:35that 40,000 bombs 2.8 8 billion to

26:39Israel and each bomb weighs 20,000 lbs.

26:44What do you think they're going to be

26:45used for?

26:51If people and the people that came up

26:53here, you have the right to come up

26:55here, thank God, and if you respect

26:58those rights and these constitutional

26:59rights that we have under an open uh

27:02meetings act and so forth, you want to

27:04keep those rights, then I urge each and

27:07every one of you to get your get out and

27:10vote. There's a 9-day mandatory that'll

27:13start on October 24th for people in

27:15Dearborn and other places.

27:16>> You have 30 seconds.

27:18>> Okay? Uh, but I urge you to get out, get

27:22every vote you can to come out and get

27:24them to vote and vote for candidates

27:26that oppose these policies that the

27:28Trump administration has given us.

27:31Oppose the policies that the Republican

27:33Congress will not stand up for and sits

27:36there and just turns their head.

27:40>> I'm sorry your time has expired.

27:42>> Okay. And we have a no kings march

27:44coming up on October 17th. So, anybody

27:48that wants to get out and if you oppose

27:50these policies, get out there and oppose

27:52this administration. I urge you to do

27:55this.

27:56>> Thank you, Mr. Please, one last thing

27:57and I'll and and

28:00>> our defense secretary Pete Hexf has been

28:03appointed to chair or uh as an

28:06administration that they've uh called uh

28:10the

28:11>> department anyway. It's a link between

28:13homeland security and a link between the

28:16Pentagon and that's a dangerous

28:18situation.

28:18>> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. His.

28:20>> All right. Next, we have [applause]

28:23Mr. Aman Alansi.

28:29Uh, good evening, council president,

28:31members of the council. My name is

28:32Mananti. I'm a lifelong Dearborn

28:34resident. Tonight, our city is mourning

28:37Hazam Hussein, a 19-year-old from

28:39Dearbornne. Hazam pulled over on the

28:41lodge freeway, got out of his car and

28:43crossed the freeway to help people

28:45involved in a crash. While he was

28:47helping them, another vehicle struck him

28:50and he lost his life. A lot of people

28:52would have kept driving, but Hazam

28:54stopped. He gave his life helping others

28:56and our whole city should never forget

28:58that kind of courage.

29:01May God have mercy on him and grant his

29:03family patience and strength.

29:06I respectfully ask this council to

29:08consider honoring Hazam's memory in

29:10whatever way his family feels uh right.

29:14Our our community is carrying another

29:16heavy grief. Many of our neighbors have

29:18family in South Lebanon who have lost

29:20loved ones, homes, and livelihoods uh

29:22due to the recent war. To our Lebanese

29:24neighbors, we grieve with you and we are

29:26here for you. No family anywhere should

29:28lose their loved ones or their home to

29:30war.

29:32Even in hard times, our community shows

29:34up for each other. On September 26,

29:36Yemen Revolution Day, Jalisad brought

29:39the South End together to get at the

29:41Dearborn Peace Park um for Dearborn

29:43Coffee Week. And thank you to the

29:45organizers and to Mayor Hammud and the

29:47city for being a part of it. Finally,

29:49election day is Tuesday, November 3rd,

29:51and our voice as a community is only as

29:53strong as our turnout. You can vote

29:55early, vote absentee, or register at the

29:57city clerk's office right through

29:58election day. Whatever you view your

30:01views are, please make your voice heard.

30:03Uh the Dearborn public school bond is

30:05also on the ballot, and I proudly

30:07support it. Over 20 for over over 20

30:10years, it would replace or extensively

30:12remodel every school in our district.

30:13And the district says it won't raise the

30:15tax rate for Dearborn homeowners. Some

30:18of our kids learn in buildings that are

30:20almost 100 years old and they deserve

30:21better. Please keep Hzam's family and

30:24every grieving family in your prayers.

30:26Thank you,

30:27>> Shani. Thank you for bringing that. I

30:29did see that article and I'm going to

30:30have our our executive assistant reach

30:32out to you so we could get the contact.

30:34We would love to uh I seen that story.

30:36It's it's uh very very tragic and um we

30:40we definitely would like to uh honor his

30:42family for him uh doing what he did.

30:44>> So, thank you for um giving us the

30:46contact. We'll we'll have her contact

30:48you.

30:48>> Thank you.

30:48>> Thank you very much. All right. Uh next

30:50we have Representative Far Hat

30:52>> Jackie.

30:56Hello. Good evening everybody. Hello

30:58everybody. How's everybody doing today?

31:01>> Great.

31:01>> Good. Um my name is Alab Basar. I'm the

31:04state representative for the city of

31:06Dearbornne. And you know I I I love to

31:09see so many residents here. And you

31:10know, I initially wanted to talk about

31:12some updates. But you know, I keep

31:13hearing for the last few months, I mean,

31:16there must be so much money in politics.

31:18We hear this phrase all the time, money

31:19out of politics, because we keep getting

31:21these paid agitators who love to come

31:25and just pretend like they're lecturing

31:27one of the proudest American cities in

31:29our state about what it means to be

31:31American. I'm I'm for one, I'm very sick

31:32of it. I am. But, you know, I think this

31:34is a great opportunity for us to to let

31:36folks know that words have action. So

31:38when we say when we talk about a war, we

31:40have to remember the 18 service men and

31:42women that have died as a result of a

31:44war that we have no plan for. We have to

31:47remember the $50 billion being spent of

31:50our taxpayer dollar to continue bombing

31:53a foreign country that Congress never

31:55authorized. And when we look at our

31:56roads and our schools, and yes, we are

31:58going for a bond. We are trying to

32:00enhance our state and move our

32:01communities forward. We wonder why every

32:03time it's on the backs of working

32:04families when we have all this money for

32:05war. But again, people aren't paid to

32:08say that. They're paid to come and and

32:10turn this into a political theater. And

32:13I without to them, I'll just say, "Take

32:14the circus and and stay in Ann Arbor.

32:16Stay wherever. Take the circus and stay

32:18there because it's ridiculous. The

32:21residents are tired of it. We're all

32:22tired of it. Our city is thriving. We're

32:25doing a great job. We're going to keep

32:26doing a great job. But this is a moment

32:28in time right now where people in this

32:31city have continuously been harassed by

32:33outside agitators and we're saying stop

32:34because it's not okay. It's not

32:36appropriate and it's a misuse of public

32:37time. It's a misuse of this forum. It's

32:40a misuse of this platform. Folks come

32:42here to address the body. And so I just

32:45will say that because again, if you're

32:48being paid to do it, are you really

32:49doing it of pure intentions or are you

32:50doing it for clickbait and tweets? I

32:53don't know. Maybe they can answer that.

32:54I don't know. Thank you.

32:56>> Thank you, Mr. Farhhat. [applause]

32:58>> Next, we have Nicole Elhart.

33:02>> Yes.

33:04Want to pass this down?

33:10Nicole Elhart, Dearborn.

33:13Um, good evening. I'm here because the

33:16residents of Dearborn have a big problem

33:18in that we are tax burdened. The

33:20property tax rate in Dearborn is no

33:22longer in keeping with the average

33:23property value. Tax rates are largely

33:26the same as 20 years ago, while average

33:27home values are much higher. Recently, a

33:30three-bedroom, one bath bungalow that is

33:32not updated on a modest street only,

33:351100 square feet or so, sold for

33:36$235,000.

33:39Okay. Well, that new homeowner will be

33:41looking at a $6,000 property tax bill

33:44every year. He will be paying Dearborn

33:46$500 a month for the rest of his life.

33:49Now, let's pretend our neighbor is going

33:51to rent it instead. Let's say Sam moves

33:53in with his family. Now, the tax bill is

33:56close to $8,000. He's going to wonder

33:58why rents are so high. Will he ever

34:00realize that over $650 a month are going

34:04to fund Dearbornne's spending appetite.

34:07If he makes about 60,000 a year, that's

34:09over 20 hours a week of his life that

34:11he's working or a month of his life that

34:14he's working to give the fruit of those

34:15hours to Dearborn. That's over 240 hours

34:18a year. That's over six weeks a year of

34:21his life. Okay? six weeks of his life

34:25every single year.

34:27That's oppressive.

34:29Now, the city's operating fund grew

34:30modestly in the past 15 years, but the

34:32education revenues have exploded. We're

34:35talking over $400 million for several

34:37years. If the data I've pulled up is to

34:40be

34:41trusted, it's hard to find. [snorts]

34:44It's hard to find all the correct data

34:46um including from multiple official

34:49sources.

34:51Um, but we're still in the close to half

34:53a billion dollar territory.

34:55Yet, many in the city are now looking at

34:57aging buildings and claiming we need to

34:59borrow a staggering amount to meet

35:01supposed needs, $1.5 billion.

35:04And this isn't honest. The school

35:07district and endorsing city officials

35:08have all sent out marketing claiming

35:09there will be no net increase on our

35:11taxes. But that part is the lie.

35:14We are finally paying off old debt.

35:18We're going to pay off another old debt

35:19in a few years. and the bond would

35:21replace and extend both. The request

35:24from the school district is actually

35:25vote to raise taxes to keep them as high

35:27as they've been. Vote to keep an

35:29oppressively high tax rate for 30 more

35:31years. Well, but what about the

35:33children? Okay, back to school finances.

35:37According to the Census Bureau 2024

35:39data, Dearbornne spent roughly $19,000

35:42per student. That's a university

35:44education.

35:45>> You got 30 seconds do not need more

35:47money. Charter schools and private

35:49schools and homeschoolers all have less

35:50funding and fewer resources, especially

35:52homeschoolers. And they all have

35:54superior outcomes. Diligent parents,

35:57faithful teachers, focused skill

35:58training, and removal of distraction all

36:00contribute to superior outcomes in a way

36:02that throwing money at a problem never

36:03could. The answer to difficult questions

36:06is not always spend. If you want

36:08thriving children, you need thriving

36:10families. And you need to free them from

36:11the burden of a ravenous bureaucratic

36:13spending appetite. Thriving families

36:15cheerfully live within their means and

36:17are not shackled by overspending in

36:18debt. So I ask you to truly support

36:21children, families, and residents and

36:22reduce the burden on us. Please let our

36:24tax rates drop back down.

36:26>> I ask you to support pursuing other

36:28changes to the school spending issue to

36:31support Dearborn using the vast

36:33resources already given the school

36:34system to focus on core needs and any

36:36building needs and not keep asking for

36:37more. And I ask you to correct the

36:39record and honestly acknowledge that we

36:41are voting on a 30-year tax increase.

36:44Okay, ma'am. Thank you uh for coming.

36:46Just a couple things to um clarify um

36:49and I appreciate you coming forward. Um

36:52in regards to the house property value

36:55and I I can tell you for myself and my

36:57colleagues uh I we have worked

36:59tremendously hard to keep our tax rates

37:02down. But I want to make sure that the

37:04residents understand what you're

37:05indicating when you say $500 a month, 12

37:08months, six 6,000 going to Dearborn. I

37:11want to make sure that they understand.

37:12>> Some of it goes to county and state.

37:13>> No, not some of it. A third of it goes

37:15to Dearbornne. Oneird or less. Our

37:19millage rate today is lower than the

37:22city of Dearbornne Heights. Are you

37:24aware of that?

37:25>> Uh, yes. I also pay Dearborn.

37:27>> Okay, good. Well, I just want you to to

37:29know though, I'm not saying that we

37:31can't do better. We could always do

37:32better. I I'm very fiscally responsible,

37:35but I want you to understand that um we

37:37have legacy costs. We have costs that

37:40that are that are required. We have

37:42pensions. We have Since you pay Dearborn

37:45Heights, I assume you live in Dearborn

37:46Heights.

37:47>> I live in Dearborn.

37:48>> Dear Okay. Well, in Dearborn Heights, I

37:50don't want to pick on our neighbors, but

37:52uh we have one of the highest funded in

37:54the state of Michigan as far as our

37:55retirement obligations, which is their

37:57health care and obligations we made to

38:00those folks when they took their jobs 30

38:01years ago that we have to fulfill. So, I

38:04just want you to understand that what

38:05you're saying

38:06>> revenues are about twice what they were

38:0710 years ago. We have extensive funds

38:09coming in. So yes, these are

38:10conversations to have.

38:12>> No, ma'am. It's not about convers. You

38:13indicated that the person's going to be

38:14$500 to the city of Dearborn for the

38:16rest of his life. That's not true.

38:17>> The person's going to contribute $500 a

38:20month toward Dearborn and the rest of

38:22the state spending appetite.

38:24>> Right. Absolutely.

38:25>> And Dearborn's Dearborn's the one asking

38:26for a bigger bite right now. That's why

38:28I'm coming.

38:28>> Excuse me, ma'am. It's not the city of

38:30Dearborn. It's the school board, which

38:31there's an independent body. That's

38:33another confusion. We had another person

38:34ask about school meals. You are not the

38:36only body representing the city. I speak

38:38correctly.

38:39>> I let you I'll let you speak. Do you

38:40want me to answer or if you just want if

38:42it's a stage then you're done. You want

38:43me to answer or no?

38:45>> I'm going to correct a misconception

38:48there.

38:48>> Okay. Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day.

38:50>> Thank you.

38:51>> All right. Next, we have Superintendent.

39:01>> Thank you very much, Council President.

39:03Uh before I begin my prepared statement,

39:05I just want to thank the entire city

39:06council and the mayor who've been

39:08extremely supportive of my first 90 days

39:10in transition. I appreciate met with

39:12many of you. Uh and I appreciate all the

39:14support. Good evening, Mayor Hammud,

39:17Council President Serini, members of the

39:19city council, and everyone joining us

39:21tonight. My name is Mike Hassile, and

39:22I'm the proud superintendent of Dearborn

39:24Public Schools. Thank you for giving me

39:26a few minutes this evening to provide an

39:28update on the Dearbornne Public Schools

39:30bond proposal that will appear on the

39:32November 3rd ballot. For the last six

39:35years, our district has worked with

39:36experts, reviewed our buildings, studied

39:38our educational needs, gathered

39:40community input, and looked at how we

39:42can create a long-term plan for our

39:44schools. And there is a reason this

39:46long-term planning has been necessary.

39:49The average age of our school buildings

39:51is 71 years old. And more than a dozen

39:53of our buildings are over or near a

39:56hundred years old. These buildings have

39:58served generations of Dearborn families,

40:01but many now require significant work to

40:03classrooms, heating and cooling systems,

40:05electrical and plumbing systems, roofs,

40:08restrooms, and other infrastructure. At

40:10the same time, Dearborn Public Schools

40:12has been relatively conservative in

40:14borrowing for school infrastructure.

40:16Over the last 20 years, our district has

40:18bonded $76 million for school

40:20infrastructure. For comparison, our

40:23neighboring school dis uh our neighbors

40:25at Crestwood School District have five

40:27times fewer students and six times fewer

40:29buildings than Dearborn Public Schools.

40:32Yet, they have invested more than double

40:34what we have invested in school

40:35infrastructure over the last 20 years.

40:38The result of this six-year planning

40:40process is a 1.51 billion bond proposal

40:44that would be implemented over

40:45approximately 20 years. If approved by

40:48voters, the plan would build six brand

40:50new preK8 schools, extensively renovate

40:53all schools, invest more than $220

40:56million in our three traditional high

40:58schools, and make improvements to

41:00classrooms, advanced safety and

41:01security, technology, career technical

41:04and education, including skilled trades,

41:06athletics, air conditioning in every

41:08other in every school, and other

41:10critical building systems. is addition

41:12to that uh safe routes for efficient

41:15pickup and drop off. But one of the most

41:18important things I want to emphasize

41:19tonight is transparency.

41:22We understand that $ 1.51 billion is a

41:25significant proposal. We want every

41:28voter to have as much information as

41:30possible and most importantly the

41:32information they need to make an

41:34informed decision on or before November

41:363rd.

41:36>> You have 30 seconds. This is why we

41:38scheduled 21 community meetings

41:40throughout our district. Earlier this

41:42evening, we held a meeting at Lindberg

41:43where about 50 people joined us to hear

41:45the presentation, ask questions, and

41:47learn more about what is been proposed.

41:50We still have eight more meetings

41:52scheduled in our elementary schools, and

41:54I encourage residents to attend one.

41:56Beyond those meetings, we have visited

41:58more than three dozen neighborhood

41:59associations, community organizations,

42:01community meetings to bring this

42:03information directly to their residents

42:05and answer their questions. Another

42:07important piece of information we want

42:08dearborn homeowners to understand is the

42:10tax input. Am I Am I done?

42:13>> You could finish your thought. Thank

42:14you. Of course. If approved, the

42:16proposal would not increase the total

42:17tax rate for Dearbornne homeowners. On

42:20your ballot, it will read as a 3.14 bond

42:23levy, but if the voters approve the

42:25bond, the district will no longer levy

42:27its existing 2.18 operating mills that

42:31the voters passed in 2024. that 2.18

42:35mills would essentially be swapped out

42:38and along with the reduction of the city

42:40sewage overflow debt millage. It would

42:42offset the new bond millillage. Our

42:44responsibility is to make sure people

42:47understand what is being proposed, why

42:49it's being proposed, and what it would

42:51mean for their school and their

42:52neighborhood and what the financial

42:54impact would be.

42:55>> Thank you.

42:56>> Whether you are voting

42:58all right

42:59>> appreciate it. Thank you so much.

43:01>> All right. At this time, uh, we have

43:03completed our public comments portion.

43:06We have another one at the end. So, if

43:07you do have more things you'd like to

43:10address with the council regarding city

43:11business, you're more than welcome to

43:12figure fill out the card and we'll get

43:14you at the next session. Uh, Mr. Clerk,

43:17I will be taking uh, Councilman Paris's

43:21offer and support. Offer or supports.

43:25>> Okay. All right. Before we move on to

43:27our consent agenda, are there any items

43:29that any member wish to remove from the

43:30consent agenda and discuss individually?

43:35Okay. Um,

43:38Mr. Clerk, you can uh

43:42you can now proceed.

43:43>> Okay. Item number six, resolution in

43:45need of offer and support.

43:47>> Offered by Councilman Enos, supported by

43:48Councilman Abraham.

43:50>> This is to approve all the items on the

43:52consent agenda and requesting immediate

43:55effect. That is correct. Thank you, Mr.

43:56Clerk. Can we have a roll call vote?

43:58>> Council member O'Reilly,

43:59>> yes.

44:00>> Council member Enos,

44:02>> yes.

44:03>> Council member Paris, Council Member

44:04Abraham,

44:06>> yes.

44:07>> Council member Hammud,

44:08>> yes.

44:08>> Council member Elafi,

44:10>> yes.

44:10>> Council President Serini,

44:12>> yes.

44:12>> Six days. The resolution passes.

44:14>> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Can we uh go on to

44:16the next item of business? The next item

44:20is item number 10, a resolution by

44:22council members Enos and council

44:24president Sereni approving the minutes

44:26of the previous regular meeting of

44:27September 22nd, 2026.

44:29>> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Are there any

44:31additions, deletions, or modification to

44:32these minutes?

44:34Any objection to unanimous role?

44:37Unanimous role shall be attached. Next

44:39item,

44:39>> item 11 is ordinance number 26-1874

44:42introduced by council member Enos.

44:45Synopsis An ordinance to amend the

44:46traffic and motor vehicle chapter

44:48chapter 18 of the code of ordinances of

44:50the city of Dearborn by amending section

44:5218-507

44:54entitled responsibility of parent guard

44:57guardian and by adding sections 18-508

45:02entitled operations of electric bicycles

45:04and scooters within the downtown

45:07commercial corridors. Section 18509

45:10entitled sidewalk operation of electric

45:12bikes and scooters outside of downtown

45:15commercial corridors and section 18510

45:18entitled enforcement of non-compliant

45:20vehicles e-tos. Section 18-511 entitled

45:25penalties and fines and section 18-127

45:28entitled electric bicycles, skateboards

45:31and scooters. Resolution by council

45:34president Sereni and O'Reilly to table

45:36the ordinance.

45:37>> All right. Thank you, Mr. Kirk. This is

45:39a long time coming. I like to thank our

45:41uh administration and legal department.

45:43We've had many uh complaints from

45:45residents regarding ebikes and electric

45:47uh bikes, especially in our parks, which

45:49is not allowed currently on our current

45:50ordinance. Um so, this is here is u

45:54going to improve and provide law

45:56enforcement with a clear and consistent

45:58enforcement standards. The law

45:59department in conjunction with the

46:01police department recommends uh

46:02changings of several ordinances. the

46:05standards will re will uh be reduced to

46:08minimum age requirements, helmet

46:09requirements for minor, single rider

46:11restrictions, and nighttime lighting

46:13requirements were all are not addressed

46:15currently. Um there's also a designation

46:17for east and west downtown uh commercial

46:20corridors regarding ebikes that will be

46:22prohibited in the sidewalks, pedestrian

46:24area, crosswalk, plazas, and public

46:26walkways for obvious reasons and safety

46:28reasons with the amount of people we

46:30have down there. Uh these um vehicles

46:32will be prohibited from the sidewalks,

46:34bike lanes, multiple youth paths, and

46:36public uh parks as well. It is currently

46:39uh not allowed in there as well.

46:41Overall, the proposed amendment uh

46:43clearly establish establishes

46:45classifications and operating rules for

46:47these increasingly common electrical

46:49vehicles while providing the police

46:51department a refined enforcement

46:52mechanisms to address unsafe operation

46:54and protect pedestrians throughout our

46:57city. This is the first of two readings.

46:59Any questions or comments on this item?

47:03Okay, Mr. Clerk, can we have the first

47:04reading?

47:06Uh this is the first reading of

47:08ordinance number 26-1874

47:10an ordinance to amend the traffic and

47:12motor vehicles chapter chapter 18 of the

47:14code of ordinances of the city of

47:16Dearborn by amending section 18-507

47:19entitled responsibilities of parent

47:21guard guardian and by adding sections

47:2318508 entitled operations of electric

47:26bicycles and scooters within the

47:28downtown commercial corridors. Section

47:3018-509

47:32entitled sidewalk operation of electric

47:34bikes and scooters outside of the

47:35downtown commercial corridors. Section

47:3818510 entitled enforcement of

47:41non-compliant vehicles. Section 18-511

47:44entitled penalties and fines. And

47:46section 18-127 entitled electric

47:48bicycles, skateboards, and scooters.

47:50Resolution by council members uh council

47:53president Sereni and council member

47:55O'Reilly to take to table the ordinance.

48:00Okay. I had Councilman Enos on mine. Is

48:02that correct?

48:03>> It No, it showed

48:06Mr. Clerk, do you have that? I had Paris

48:09Enos introduced, but O'Reilly.

48:11>> Oh, okay. Got it. Got it. Thank you.

48:13>> Okay.

48:14>> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. All right. So, our

48:16magistrate, uh, Ron, congratulations to

48:18her. who was appointed by our governor

48:20Whitmer to the circuit court effectively

48:22in September 2026 creating a vacancy and

48:25our magistrate position in 19th district

48:27court. To fill this vacancy, the chief

48:29judge Salamy is recommended the

48:31appointment of attorney Muhammad Bazzy

48:33as a part-time attorney magistrate.

48:35appointment will ensure that 19 district

48:37court continues to operate efficiency

48:39and effectively uh following

48:41magistrate's departure. As a lifelong

48:44resident with extensive legal experience

48:47in district court and probate courts as

48:48well as a strong uh record for local and

48:51civic involvement and leadership, Mr.

48:53Bazzy brings a deep commitment to

48:54serving the Dearborn community with

48:56fairness, accessibility, and integrity.

48:59This is also requesting immediate

49:00effect. I know that our court

49:02administrators here and Mr. Mr. Baz,

49:03would you like to step forward?

49:10>> Just your name and address for the

49:11record. Just your name and address for

49:13the record.

49:16>> Thank you, Council President Serini,

49:17Council uh President Prom Alawafi,

49:22Honorable Council, Honorable Mayor

49:24Hammud, Muhammad Bazzi, Magistrate

49:26Nominee. Um I'm honored to stand here

49:30before you uh tonight as Chief Judge Sam

49:33Salame's uh nominee for magistrate

49:35position of 19th district court. Uh

49:38first and foremost uh this would not

49:40have been possible without my faith in

49:42God uh my family my children um for

49:45their unconditional love and support. Um

49:49I'm very appreciative of the trust that

49:51Judge Sam Salame has input in me. Um, I

49:55would like to also thank my mentors.

49:57There's so many of them. I can't name

49:59them. Uh, many judges, attorneys, and

50:02fellow community members. Um, I would

50:04also like to thank u the 19th district

50:06court staff uh including court

50:08administrator Rabi Himala for being here

50:10today in every step of the way. Um, I

50:13look forward to serving the residents of

50:14the of Dearborn and the court. Um, thank

50:17you for this uh for your time and the

50:20opportunity and thank you for your

50:21leadership as well.

50:22>> Well, we appreciate it. We're glad

50:23you're here tonight and I I know that we

50:25had a chance to speak earlier and I know

50:27the family in the background. So uh

50:29you're absolutely correct. This is a

50:30very prestigious uh wellrespected court.

50:33Um as you're fully aware, a lot of the

50:35courts around this uh state have a lot

50:37of threats to consolidation, reduction

50:40in judges uh you know being merged with

50:42other courts. The 19th district court

50:44has continued to lead in the city uh in

50:47the state. So we do appreciate uh you uh

50:50being there and upholding the standard.

50:51I know it's been difficult. A lot of the

50:54uh courts have went to Zoom, the lack

50:56the relax uh relaxed rules and so on and

50:59so forth. Uh but I know with your

51:01background and um the family's

51:03background that I'm sure uh you will uh

51:05make sure that the standard of the city

51:07of Dearborn is upheld. Uh as I have

51:09continued to say um you know it is a

51:11circle. All right. Correct. And our

51:14police and our uh court Yeah. our police

51:17department and is is the one out there

51:20and they end up going to the courts. We

51:22have a a lot of good uh things happening

51:24uh around the city and it ends up coming

51:26to the court at some point. So uh you do

51:29get the final say and we know that

51:30you're going to make the right

51:31professional judgment.

51:32>> Uh Chief,

51:33>> I just wanted to say a few words police

51:35chief. Uh so uh nominee Bazzy, I just

51:39want you to take that family into

51:40consideration when you get tickets in

51:42front of you because there's real people

51:43behind [clears throat] these tickets

51:45when you consider giving people a break

51:46while it's in your juristp prudence to

51:48decide how you want to handle it. Just

51:49remember behind every one of these

51:51accidents and crashes, there's somebody

51:52that's a victim.

51:53>> Absolutely.

51:54>> All right. Yeah. Thank you, Chief. I do

51:55appreciate that.

51:56>> And push the limit on parental

51:57accountability.

51:58>> Absolutely. Thank you, Mayor.

52:00>> Yeah. Uh Mr. So, as you heard from all

52:02the leaders in the city, um we we expect

52:04good things out of you. You got big

52:06shoes to fill. Uh we've had several

52:08magistrates get plucked out of our court

52:10to go to the go to the circuit court and

52:12the judges and and uh it's a great

52:15honor. We always love to see our people

52:17continue to grow. We know this is just

52:19the beginning for you. So, uh we wish

52:21you the very best. Did any of my

52:22colleagues have any questions for Mr.

52:23Bazzy? Because this is our uh

52:25confirmation.

52:28All right, Mr. Bazzy, thank you very

52:30much. Thank you councel.

52:31>> You have unanimous should be attached.

52:33>> Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

52:34Look forward to serving this.

52:35>> We'll look forward to seeing you at the

52:36budget hearings.

52:38>> We can bring him in if we need. Right.

52:41>> Oh, okay. All right. We just bring the

52:43chief judge.

52:44>> Thank you. All right. Next item, Mr.

52:46Clerk. Item 13 is a resolution by

52:48council members Simud and O'Reilly

52:50urging the US Census Bureau to withdraw

52:52the proposal the proposed rule 91

52:55FR57524

52:58se of September 10th 2026 to remove race

53:01and ethnicity data or collect

53:03information on citizenship or

53:05immigration status and requesting

53:07immediate effect. Mr. Clerk, thank you

53:09very much. Uh so this is a resolution by

53:12the members of the city council urging

53:13the US census bureau to withdraw the

53:14proposed rule for residency criteria and

53:17uh demographic question uh regarding the

53:20sens census. Um this here this rule

53:23would redefine usual residence as place

53:26of person's lawful spent for the most

53:27days from January to April 1st. uh as

53:30evidenced by tax recorders and contains

53:32no specific provisions for college

53:34students or people living in group

53:36homes, nursing homes, risking miscounts

53:39of residents who would uh not otherwise

53:41file taxes or records would not reflect

53:43where they live. Um this Michigan stands

53:47to lose approximately $1,800 in federal

53:49funding per person each year with the

53:51for a decade uh for each person that is

53:54not counted in the 2030 census. The

53:57members of the 35th city council of

53:59Dearborn urged the US Census Bureau to

54:01withdraw the proposed rule 91R FR57524

54:06September 10, 2026 to remove race and

54:09ethnicity data or collect information on

54:12citizenship or immigration. Um, it be

54:15further resolved that the city clerk

54:18submit this resolution as a public

54:20comment docket um regarding uh this this

54:25item on October 13, 2026. And this

54:28resolution shall be given immediate

54:29effect. Any questions or comments?

54:32>> Mr. Hattis,

54:34>> I surprised you

54:36on the first time you talked, so I

54:38figured you were waiting for this.

54:39>> Oh boy. I I'm just curious.

54:43All this is is a resolution. Is that

54:45correct? I mean, is this something other

54:46municipalities are are doing?

54:49>> Yes, Mr. We can give you a copy. It is

54:51It is uh was brought to us by another

54:52municipality that had passed it.

54:54>> Okay. Something that's getting a

54:57foothold so that people uh

54:59>> Well, when you see it in, you know, it's

55:00getting a foothold. So,

55:01>> well, I was thinking Michigan and so

55:04forth. I'm glad I'm glad Dearbornne's

55:05doing this. And like I said, one last

55:07comment. I don't want anybody to be

55:09embarrassed by the person they look at

55:11in the mirror if they don't go and vote.

55:14>> Thank you, Mr. Addis.

55:16>> All right. Any other um

55:19>> Yes.

55:19>> I'm sorry, ma'am. There's only one

55:20public comment per time per item. Are

55:22you on this item?

55:23>> Is it a question? I want to ask a

55:25question.

55:26>> Is it on this item?

55:27>> Correct. Yes, sir.

55:28>> Yes, ma'am. You may.

55:29>> Um so, I understand not worrying about

55:31race or whatever. What's the benefit in

55:34not knowing how many citizens we have?

55:36Like, why would that be financial

55:38burden. Ma'am, this the the the taxes

55:40that you were complaining about, those

55:41taxes go to the federal government and

55:44they pay it back to the city based on

55:46proportion of the residency. So, if we

55:47have less people, if we have people here

55:49that are not counted, we won't get your

55:51money back here to be used in our area.

55:53>> Don't they count everybody? And it's

55:55just noted how many residents we have to

55:57versus how many citizens we have?

55:59>> Yeah, it doesn't work that way

56:00unfortunately.

56:01>> Okay.

56:01>> Thank you. Any other one here to address

56:04the council regarding this item? All

56:06right. Any objection to unanimous role?

56:11Unanimous role shall be attached. Next

56:12item.

56:13>> There are no further items on tonight's

56:15agenda. Council President.

56:16>> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Okay. So, before

56:17we go on, um I wanted to congratulate

56:21our finance department is here,

56:24the chief financial officer, CFO, Mr.

56:26Kennedy, for earning the fourth

56:28consecutive certificate of achievement

56:29for excellence in financial reporting,

56:32which from the government financial

56:33office.

56:35[applause]

56:36This re this certificate represents the

56:38highest form of recognition in

56:40governmental accounting and financial

56:41reporting

56:42Mr. CFO. We really appreciate it. Thank

56:44you for being here and thank you for

56:46continuing to do an excellent job. It it

56:49it does make our job much easier when we

56:51the numbers are actually right. Thank

56:52you.

56:54Uh social media, as some of you guys

56:56know, I do mention some of the social

56:58media things. Like I tell my kids, not

56:59everything on social media is bad. You

57:00got to look for the good stuff. and our

57:02parks and recck department was uh

57:05highlighted

57:06and do we got that picture?

57:09All right, we need to cue a picture up

57:11here. Coming up here, folks. So, there's

57:13been a lot of work been happening over

57:15years and years in our Rouge River. You

57:17guys see this? [clears throat] There you

57:18go. The greenside dart was found in the

57:21R roof rid

57:24here that has been absent for over 100

57:26years. That's in the city of Dearbornne.

57:28Great story. I don't know if it had

57:29anything to do with our admin, our our

57:31parks and recck department, but this is

57:34friends of the rouge. So folks, this

57:36shows you that sometimes when they spend

57:38money and working on things over years

57:40to clean up. This is a tremendous story.

57:42When I seen it, I thought it was great.

57:43I mean, this is a fish that is very

57:45fragile that is coming back. It's been

57:47absent over a hundred years. It's back

57:49in our city of Dearborn swimming and uh

57:52not being charged for any tags either.

57:54So, this fish is free to go. It's a

57:56great thing in Dearbornne when you see

57:58that. I thought it was a tremendous u

58:01tremendous new story. Positive news

58:02story. We do appreciate it. Anything

58:04from my colleagues from the council.

58:07>> All right. Anything from the mayor

58:09administration?

58:11>> I think I'll just go through I have like

58:1326 events on my flyer. I I this is um

58:16doesn't happen often, but we'll go

58:17through them because some of them are

58:18coming up this weekend. Uh and I don't

58:21see Jack Tate here. So, uh I'll cover

58:23the historical museum. So, uh, Friday,

58:26October 9th, you have the Historical

58:27Museum Bruise and Booze. This is 21 and

58:29older. On Saturday, October 10th, you

58:32have the Dearborn Historical Museum

58:34Family Fall Fest. This is 12 to 4 at the

58:36Comedan's quarters. Sunday, October

58:3911th, you have the Historical Museum Lai

58:41by Gali Haunted Hollow Market. Uh,

58:44that's happening at the McFaten Ross

58:46House pretty much all day Sunday. The

58:48Haunted Trail in the city of Dearbornne

58:50kicks off October 16th, 17th, and 18th.

58:54That's 7 to 11. There is a witching hour

58:56which is an 18 and over uh hour. That's

58:59where it gets a little scarier. Um but

59:01there's also a sensory friendly hour

59:03that's happening I believe on Friday uh

59:05at the opening. Um so that'll be uh

59:07great and and friendly to to all. You

59:10have the Dearborn Ice Skating Center

59:11Halloween Skate uh where you're skating

59:13in your your costumes. That's October

59:1516th 5:30 to 7:30. October 17th the

59:19Dearborn Fire Department is having its

59:21open house. This is fire station 2 over

59:23located over on auto drive near Michigan

59:26Avenue. The Dearborn Firefighters burn

59:28drive pumpkin patch is October 17th and

59:31Sunday October 18th. This is 12 to 4

59:33again at fire station 2. So you can pick

59:35up your pumpkins uh for the season. Um

59:38and they have a bunch of activities and

59:39and handouts for children and families.

59:41It's pretty great. The Dearborn Police

59:43Department is doing its trunk or treat

59:44Tuesday, October 20th, 4 to 6 at the

59:47east parking lot at the Dearborn Police

59:49Department parking lot. Um, we have the

59:52meet the arts and culture commissioners

59:54night. This is Wednesday, October 21st

59:56with all of our arts and culture

59:58commissioners.

1:00:00Thursday, October 22nd, this is the

1:00:02Honey Force Centennial Library Halloween

1:00:04Dance Party. That's 10:30 a.m. to 11:30

1:00:06a.m. on a Thursday. So, if you have

1:00:08young children, more than likely to

1:00:10attend that event. Then, the Dearborn

1:00:12Downtown Development Authority has a

1:00:13trick-or- treat. This is happening at

1:00:14Peace Park East and Peace Park West.

1:00:17Saturday, October 24th from 1 to 3. We

1:00:20actually get a few thousand children

1:00:21that come out with families. Uh October

1:00:2324th, the last events, uh we have the

1:00:26Blue Hands United and Dearborn Police

1:00:28Department sensory friendly trunk or

1:00:29retreat. That's at 2 to 3:30 in the

1:00:31police department parking lot. And on

1:00:34October 24th, 4 to 9:00 p.m. on Maple

1:00:37Street at Peace Park East. That is our

1:00:40fall bazaar. Uh we kicked this off in

1:00:42the last two years and there's been a

1:00:43phenomenal turnout and excitement for

1:00:44it. It's a full month of events for

1:00:48October. And so, uh, thank you to all

1:00:50the event staff from all the divisions.

1:00:52This is multiple divisions coming

1:00:54together, um, from libraries, historical

1:00:56museum, community relations, economic

1:00:58development, um, everybody contributing,

1:01:00including, uh, parks and recreation. So,

1:01:02uh, thank you all for for all your help

1:01:03and police and fire and

1:01:06>> of course. Thank you, mayor. You're

1:01:07absolutely right. And um if those that

1:01:09watched the council meeting last, we had

1:01:10all of our colleagues wearing our high

1:01:12school uh pullovers that representing

1:01:15the the school back to school and the

1:01:17all the football games that are going on

1:01:19around town. And uh uh so if you get a

1:01:21chance to go catch out some high school

1:01:22football, nothing like it. Uh the young

1:01:24man that we awarded from Divine Child um

1:01:28for like Gator I think you had

1:01:30>> Yeah. Gator.

1:01:32>> Yeah.

1:01:32>> Bele.

1:01:33>> Yeah. Beetle.

1:01:34>> Bele. Yes. So I looked it up. Bey, I

1:01:37looked him up. He actually got in on the

1:01:38kickoff last week at Iowa. So, we want

1:01:41to congratulate him on a true freshman

1:01:43actually getting to run down the field

1:01:44at a Big 10 game, a Dearborn uh Dearborn

1:01:47resident, Dearborn star, uh out of our

1:01:49uh Divine Child School. So, uh if you

1:01:52have a chance, there's a lot of games

1:01:53going on. Uh you know, take a take a

1:01:55look at the high schools and and enjoy

1:01:57some uh Friday night football. Uh Mr.

1:01:59Clerk, anything from your department? Uh

1:02:02something also for October, not quite as

1:02:04scary as Halloween, is we've got uh an

1:02:06election coming up and as was mentioned

1:02:08earlier, uh we looking for uh people to

1:02:12come and vote between October 24th and

1:02:15November the 1st. That's the early

1:02:17voting at the Ford Community and

1:02:19Performing Arts Center. We'll be there

1:02:21every day from 9:00 to 5:00. Again,

1:02:24October 24th through November the 1st.

1:02:27And we're still looking for some

1:02:28election workers. If you're interested

1:02:30in working on election day, uh, please

1:02:33call the clerk's office at 9432010.

1:02:369432010 and we'll get you set up.

1:02:38>> And on the website, right?

1:02:40>> And on the website.

1:02:41>> And how much are we paying them?

1:02:43>> Lots of money. We're paying if you're

1:02:45>> $300 a day. Let's say it

1:02:46>> if it's 200, it's 270 if you're a

1:02:49worker, 320 if you're a co-chair, and

1:02:51350 if you're a chair.

1:02:53>> So up to So the way we would say that in

1:02:55marketing sales, George, is up to $350.

1:02:57>> Up to $350. up to $350.

1:03:00>> Yes.

1:03:00>> We want the best people in Dearborn

1:03:02during this election so we can get it

1:03:03done on time and counted and everybody

1:03:05go home happy.

1:03:06>> Sounds good.

1:03:07>> Look forward to it. Excellent.

1:03:08>> Thank you. And it's available on the

1:03:09website. Correct.

1:03:10>> It is.

1:03:11>> All right. Thank you. And I know there

1:03:12is some training. Obviously, it's a

1:03:14statemandated, but we appreciate it.

1:03:16>> All right. So, Mr. Clerk, uh, we are now

1:03:18on to our second and final public

1:03:20comment. Is that correct?

1:03:21>> Yes.

1:03:22>> All right. At this time, I have two

1:03:25cars. If anyone I'm going to go in this

1:03:26order then if someone like to address

1:03:28the council please fill out a card or

1:03:30just make sure you're recognized so we

1:03:31can give you uh Mr. Anthony Degan.

1:03:41>> Anthony Degan. Uh Dearborn resident long

1:03:43time. Uh it's a good segue that we were

1:03:46talking about money. I didn't I didn't

1:03:47know that we were uh getting paid around

1:03:49here to talk about things that we

1:03:51disagree with. I didn't know that uh

1:03:52there was paid agitators. So, I guess

1:03:55the the question I would be is where's

1:03:56my check cuz I'm owed some money. Um,

1:03:59but kind of reminds me I'm going to date

1:04:01myself a little bit, but it reminds me

1:04:02of the the George Bush uh John Kerry

1:04:04debate where there's discussion about a

1:04:07forest company that never existed. Um, I

1:04:10think it's it's interesting to talk

1:04:12about paid protesters when we know that

1:04:16uh foreign nations, Middle Eastern

1:04:18nations are are paying to influence our

1:04:20schools to the tunes of billions and

1:04:24suddenly we have all these these young

1:04:26kids who are now taking up uh the the

1:04:29pro Palestine cause and and many of

1:04:32those other causes. And so I think the

1:04:35thing just I had none of this prepared

1:04:38obviously I didn't plan to come up here

1:04:39but when I hear about paid protesters

1:04:41and paid agitators I think that

1:04:45the only way to reconcile that

1:04:46disconnect is that there these people

1:04:49must be paid because otherwise why would

1:04:50they why would they oppose us? We don't

1:04:54we don't come here for money. We come

1:04:56here because of a legitimate concern

1:04:59about a soft pedaling of terrorism

1:05:02that's that that is taking place of a

1:05:05soft pedalling of uh an an Islamic

1:05:10militant agenda. Now again, we don't

1:05:12have a problem with peaceloving Muslims.

1:05:14I think even one of these other people

1:05:16said like the majority is not who is

1:05:19really having a voice. It's this small

1:05:21minority of radicalism. And the thing

1:05:24that's concerning about people like uh

1:05:27the representative here and Rashida

1:05:30Talib and the things that we hear even

1:05:32from this this city about uh the the

1:05:36one-sidedness of certain topics of

1:05:39resolutions to stop wars against Iran as

1:05:41soon as we we battle Iran like our

1:05:44concern is this this separation one

1:05:49person removed from institutions like

1:05:52the Muslim Brotherhood from Hamas and

1:05:54Hezbollah who you can't even denounce

1:05:57not even one time despite being asked

1:05:59multiple times. This is a softball and

1:06:02you can't even denounce them of of care.

1:06:05And so people are looking around and

1:06:07they're saying all these all these

1:06:08people. We got this this uh this

1:06:11alliance between the DSA and and Antifa

1:06:14and the these hardline milit

1:06:17>> and everybody wants to step take one

1:06:19step away from saying what they actually

1:06:22think, but nobody has the boldness to

1:06:23say that they do actually support

1:06:25terrorism. They do actually support

1:06:27hardline stuff. Um they they want Israel

1:06:30to be destroyed from the river to the

1:06:32sea. And when people come up and oppose

1:06:34that, it's the the only thing that could

1:06:37be said is is paid agitators. I and I

1:06:40understand there's some kind of small

1:06:41thing uh that that took place that maybe

1:06:44uh the representative is referring to,

1:06:46but again, I would I would explain and I

1:06:48would raise that by the millions and the

1:06:50billions that we know that that people

1:06:52like the cutteries and other uh Islamic

1:06:56institutions are paying into these

1:06:58universities and into these groups. And

1:07:01I'm sorry if if he doesn't like it. Uh,

1:07:04you know, it is what it is. We're just

1:07:06we're just simply calling something out

1:07:08for what it is. So, I personally take

1:07:09issue with with the concept that people

1:07:12are are paid agitators.

1:07:14>> Appreciate it. Thank you, Mr. Deacon.

1:07:15Uh, next we have Mr. Joseph Bajio.

1:07:25>> Joseph Bario. Uh, Dearborn Yousef

1:07:28Manali.

1:07:30I would like like to preamble what I'm

1:07:32about to say by saying that I do not

1:07:34represent a foreign agent. I'm not paid

1:07:36by a foreign agent. I'm not paid to make

1:07:40disinformation and false information in

1:07:42front of this august body.

1:07:45I would suggest to some of the people in

1:07:48this audience to read the Hannibal

1:07:50directive written by the Israeli

1:07:53government that gave explicit orders to

1:07:56the IDF to kill its own citizens to

1:08:00prevent them from becoming hostages.

1:08:03That happened. Read the Hannibal

1:08:05directive.

1:08:07If you're interested in Christianity,

1:08:09you ought to be interested in what what

1:08:11happened to the West Bank Catholic

1:08:13Church destroyed by the terrorist state

1:08:16of Israel. You should be concerned about

1:08:18the Armenian Christians who have had

1:08:20their land stolen from them by the

1:08:22terrorist organization that calls itself

1:08:24Israel.

1:08:26No, there was an interesting thing about

1:08:28history. I am a historian. I write

1:08:31history. I stand by history.

1:08:34The civil war was a maximum in terms of

1:08:37the crisis of this country only followed

1:08:39by the pedophile who has soiled the

1:08:41white house

1:08:43as a second crisis in this country.

1:08:47Dog tags were made during the second war

1:08:49along with hostile systems, ambulance

1:08:52systems, and then those dog tags men

1:08:56wrote on their own chest because they

1:08:57didn't know how to come up as a dead

1:08:59unknown soldier. I have my dog tags. All

1:09:03soldiers have dog tags. Has your name on

1:09:06it, an ID number on it, your blood type

1:09:09and your religion of preference. I'm

1:09:12mine is here as a ma Muslim, a proud

1:09:14Muslim that stands against the terrorism

1:09:17of Israel and it stands here's another

1:09:20important thing to remember. My god,

1:09:22there's so much history to tell.

1:09:241953

1:09:26the the uh democratic government of

1:09:29Muhammad Musad was overthrown by Britain

1:09:32and the United States to restore the

1:09:34Shaw to power who was a criminal jerk

1:09:36basically that exploited his own people.

1:09:40This is what happened. What we have

1:09:42evolved to in terms of Iran today was

1:09:44fighting because they had a war started

1:09:46against them. You cannot deny that.

1:09:49Cannot deny that at all. So am I angry?

1:09:53Oh yeah, I'm angry. I'm tired of the BS

1:09:56that I hear coming out of some of these

1:09:58people in the audience that profess that

1:10:00profess their Christian godness. Be

1:10:03concerned about what the Israeli

1:10:04terrorist organization has done to

1:10:06Christians in Israel. And we cannot

1:10:09forget the 79,000 Palestinians murdered

1:10:12in Gaza. 20,000 of whom were children.

1:10:16Long live Palestine from the river to

1:10:18the sea.

1:10:20>> Thank you, Mr. Bier. Anyone else here to

1:10:23address the city council? Is there any

1:10:24more? Uh, yes.

1:10:27Yes.

1:10:28>> Sorry, Amir Haydar. Public health. I

1:10:30just wanted to add to the mayor's

1:10:31schedule of events on Tuesday, October.

1:10:33>> He missed one. He had 27.

1:10:35>> That's okay. I think it was my fault.

1:10:36Uh, Tuesday.

1:10:37>> Just want to make sure.

1:10:38>> Sorry. Tuesday, October 13th from 9:00

1:10:40to 5:00 at the Ford Community Performing

1:10:42Arts Center in the Lincoln Ballroom

1:10:43Room. Uh, Dearborn Public Health will be

1:10:45hosting their annual vaccine clinic.

1:10:47There will be a range of vaccines

1:10:48provided. We just ask that people bring

1:10:50their ID and insurance card. If you

1:10:52don't have insurance, you will not be

1:10:53denied though.

1:10:54>> Excellent. What's the date time again?

1:10:56>> Tuesday, October 13th. This upcoming

1:10:58Tuesday from 9:00 to 5:00 p.m.

1:10:59>> Excellent. Thank you.

1:11:01>> Anyone else here to address the city

1:11:03council? Do we have any more cards?

1:11:04>> No.

1:11:06>> All right. Uh hearing and seeing none, I

1:11:07have a motion to adjourn by council. We

1:11:10are journ.