Dearborn Mayor in first State of City: We're building a 'landscape of opportunity'

In his first State of the City address, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud announced ambitious plans to make the city a "landscape of opportunity" that will attract newcomers and persuade residents to stay in the city.

In his remarks Tuesday evening at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, Hammoud, 33, urged an audience of residents, city officials and political leaders to bet on Dearborn and its future, delivering a 35-minute speech 16 months after he took office.

"What I’ve learned over a year into this work is that when in doubt, betting on the people of Dearborn is the safest bet anyone can make," Hammoud said. "It’s a bet that’s paid off time and time again."

Hammoud touted the city's accomplishments over the past year: removing bureaucratic hurdles to getting help for businesses and residents; a partnership with Google to help streamline services; passing a balanced budget; reestablishing the city's public health department with an emphasis on equity; recognizing holidays that many residents celebrate such as Ramadan; reducing the percentage of Black motorists who received traffic tickets, and getting funding from sources outside the city to improve Camp Dearborn in Milford.

He also unveiled five priorities his administration intends to focus on: innovative government; civic engagement and democracy; economic opportunity and mobility; a green and healthy Dearborn, and safety and justice for all.

Part of that includes three new parks with innovative and modern layouts known as the Peace Parks Project, which were shown in a video montage during Hammoud's address. He also announced a one-stop phone number residents can call to put them in touch with whichever city department can help them instead of being "stuck in a maze of bureaucracy" or needing "a personal connection to get help in the city."

At a time when Michigan is facing challenges with young people leaving the state in search of opportunity, Hammoud said he wants to create a city that compels young people to stay as they grow older and also continues to attract newcomers from other areas or nations. He said he hopes his daughter, born during his first year in office, and others of her generation will remain in the city, noting that nearly 40% of the city's residents are under the age of 24.

He touted Dearborn's history of being a welcoming place for immigrants and people with an entrepreneurial spirit.

"What we’re building is a landscape of opportunity," Hammoud told the crowd. "Opportunity for children, opportunity for businesses, opportunity for families, for job seekers, for everyone to rise above their economic station and create prosperity as they define it. And we want folks to achieve this dream without ever having to leave city limits. Dearborn’s economy begins and ends with its people. You are the economy. So when we invest in our people, we are also planting the seeds of a prosperous future."

Hammoud acknowledged some tensions over the past year with some longtime members of city council, but praised them for working with his administration to move forward.

"We’ll continue to dream big for our city, because this is a city with big dreams," Hammoud said. "We will continue to govern from a place of hope, not a place of fear."

Hammoud touted the city's efforts to address aggressive driving, saying car crashes are down in the city, about 15% in one area. He also talked about a $1 million investment to reduce logjams in the Rouge River, and working with Google to provide 500 training certificates for residents to obtain tech jobs. And Hammoud announced plans to come up with neighborhood-specific solutions for flooding, a big concern in the summer of 2021 that drove many to vote for Hammoud in the August and November elections.

Dearborn City Council President Mike Sareini spoke before Hammoud, noting the city has not reduced its police and firefighter force, and praising Hammoud for his first year in office. A brass ensemble and choir performed during the event.

Known as the hometown of Henry Ford, Dearborn had about 107,710 residents as of July 2022, according to the census. As with other large cities in metro Detroit, Dearborn has lost population over the past two years, but is still bigger than its population of about 98,000 in 2010. It has one of the highest percentages of immigrants among cities in Michigan, many of them from the Middle East, who have helped revitalize the city in recent decades.

"Whether you’re a third generation autoworker who grew up in the south end and migrated west, whether you can trace your roots to Italy or Yemen, Poland, or Iraq, people of all walks of life have bet on Dearborn," Hammoud said. "It’s the safest bet anyone can make."

To watch the full speech, click here or to read a transcript of Hammoud's prepared remarks, click here.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In first State of City, Dearborn Mayor asks people to bet on Dearborn