By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
The final list of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights candidates for the 2017 primary election is set after the filing and withdrawal deadlines passed last week.
Both cities have their mayor, clerk and multiple council seats open for the upcoming election. All seven Dearborn city council terms are on the ballot, and Dearborn Heights has four council seats and treasurer spots on the ballot.
According to the Dearborn City Clerk’s Office, five candidates have filed for mayor include current Mayor John O’Reilly Jr., Dearborn City Council President Pro-Tem Tom Tafelski, businessman and developer Hakim Fakhoury, Edward Binkley and financial advisor Jim Parrelly.
The council race currently features 16 candidates, 14 of whom will advance to the general election: Five incumbents — Council President Susan Dabaja, Robert Abraham, David Bazzy, Brian O’Donnell and Michael Sareini —
are on the ballot, as are Dearborn Public Schools Communications Assistant Leslie Herrick, Vivid Maintenance Owner and President Regan Ford and Former Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council Commander Sean Green, Retired Dearborn Police Command Officer Kenneth Paris, Wayne County Reserve Deputy Sheriff Commander Ramez Haidar, Erin Byrnes, Rifaat Hacham, Nada Al-Hanooti, Fayrouz Bazzi, Sharon Dulmage and Ziad Abdulmalik.
Councilman Mark Shooshanian is not seeking re-election.
For city clerk department, former state Rep. George Darany (D-15th District) along with Dearborn residents John Schimizzi, Nofila Haidar, Ameer Abusalah and Adam Alee will be on the ballot.
The Dearborn Heights mayor’s race will have incumbent Mayor Daniel Paletko, Dearborn Heights Councilwoman Lisa Hicks-Clayton and Crestwood School District Trustee Eduardo Garcia.
In the council race, incumbents Thomas Berry and Robert Constan are running for the four seats, as are Bill Bazzi, Larry Mitchell, Denise Maxwell, architect Ned Apigian, Jeff Mallad, Mohamad Baydoun, Tom Wencel, Lisa Oshanski and Ali Almuna.
City Treasurer John Riley II and City Clerk Walter Prusiewicz are on the ballot unopposed.
The deadline to file for candidacy was 4 p.m. April 25 and withdrawals were accepted until 4 p.m. April 28. The primary election will take place on Aug. 8 with the general election on Nov. 7.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)