Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud predicts a promising future in State of the City address

 

By SUE SUCHYTA

Times-Herald Newspapers

DEARBORN – After a delicious Taste of the Term pre-party in the Lincoln Ballroom, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud predicted a promising future for the city in his second State of the City address.

The well-attended event, held in the Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, featured vocalist Maria Saad, a Dearborn Public Schools student, singing the National Anthem, followed by a speech by City Council President Michael Sareini.

Sareini said the City Council was focused on traffic safety, with keeping streets, parks and downtown areas clean, and with providing small business grants to support storefront improvements.

He talked about ordinance changes to help update the aging housing stock, and stronger rules against bulk storage and industrial waste, with the goal of keeping residents healthier.

Sareini said several preventative measures have already been taken to help keep water out of residential basements following heavy rainstorms.

He also mentioned the addition of lighted stop signs and radar speed signs as part of the city’s public safety measures and traffic improvements.

“We are proud of the progress and even more excited for what’s ahead,” he said. “Together we’re building a stronger, smarter and more connected Dearborn.”

Hammoud followed by talking about the progress the city has made on delivering on key promises and the exciting plans his administration has for the future, with focus on public spaces, health, safety and economic vitality.

The mayor spoke of the promise that the city of Dearborn represents.

“For generations, thousands of families just like my own picked up a map, set their pens on Dearborn, and marked it as ‘the destination,’ the place to be,” he said. “It was a city that made a promise – a promise that if you come here, plant roots, work hard, and give back to your community, you too can achieve the American dream.

“Dearborn has transformed over the years, but that promise has carried through generations, and it is incumbent upon us to decide what Dearborn will promise tomorrow and every day after.”

Hammoud said that since coming into office, he has modernized city services, lowered crime by prioritizing public safety and justice, made major investments to enhance residential areas and small business economic opportunities, improved mobility, and made the city greener and healthier.

He said the city has its lowest tax rate since 2010, and that by 2035 Dearborn families will see an additional 10 percent millage rate reduction.

Hammoud said the Department of Philanthropy and Grants, begun in 2022, has brought more than $120 million in grants to the city to support its projects.

The mayor said as part of his goal to make places where people can connect, more than $30 million has been invested in the city’s parks at no additional cost to residents.

PEACE Parks in the west and east side downtown districts have opened, with a South End PEACE Park scheduled to open this summer.

Hammoud said three playgrounds accessible to people with disabilities will soon open at Crowley, Lapeer and Ford Woods parks.

“Here in Dearborn, we believe that families should never have to sacrifice play or precious childhood memories simply because their child moves, plays or experiences the world differently,” he said.

 

Hammoud said two of the city libraries – Esper and Bryant – will become interactive learning spaces for children, where they can experiment with robotics, music, arts and engineering, as well as “tinkering with circuits, explore 3D printing and engage in hands-on science projects.”

On a more serious note, the mayor talked about one of the city’s highest priorities: combatting speeding and reckless driving, which are threats to public health.

“Thanks to our dedicated police officers and leadership, crime rates have dropped significantly – in fact, several major crime categories have declined by double digits since 2023,” he said. “For the first time in two decades, our police department is fully funded and fully staffed. That means more officers on patrol, faster response times, and an even stronger commitment to proactive, community-driven policing.”

Hammoud said Dearborn is now the second-largest big city in Michigan, and is vying for the No. 1 spot.

He said this summer, 300 speed humps, 100 illuminated stop signs, 60 speed radar display signs, 40 illuminated one-way intersection signs, 20 raised pedestrian cross walks, 12 school zone crossing signs and five flashing beacons will be installed.

Hammoud said the city will get its first roundabout at Chase Road and Ruby Avenue, and the dangerous left turn at Schaefer Road and Prospect Street will be redesigned.

The mayor said the city is also serious about eliminating flooding, and said that when nearby cities struggled several weeks ago after three inches of rain fell, Dearborn did not suffer from any flooding.

“While working on a multi-year study of our storm and sewer systems, we weren’t just waiting for the results,” Hammoud said. “We got to work immediately, removing over 50 log jams across the Rouge River.”

He said this lowered the water levels along the Rouge by more than a foot, increasing the river’s capacity and allowing water to move through at a quicker rate.

Hammoud said neighborhood bioswales and integrated water retention systems in parks and green spaces will also help.

“Along Morrow Circle, we converted 24 easements into environmentally friendly bioswales that absorb at least 40,000 gallons of water per storm,” he said. “That’s 40,000 fewer gallons of water on our streets and in your yards.”

He also said there are plans to clear out the Colson-Palmer line, a 12-foot diameter pipe that is filled with debris and water, that has reduced its effectiveness.

“Forty percent of its capacity is out of service, and we’re working to resolve this issue by adding an estimated 2.5 million gallons of storage to our capacity per rain event,” Hammoud said.

The mayor also said that a federal grant will provide grade protection stations and a flap gate structure to protect about 3,300 homes in east Dearborn from backflow into their basements.

Hammoud also spoke about the demolition of abandoned apartment buildings on Oakwood Boulevard, the progress on the eventual demolition of the Village Plaza, and the revitalization of the former Hyatt Regency hotel.

“This is what progress looks like,” he said. “We are tearing down what’s broken, laying the foundation for growth, and ensuring that our city moves forward – stronger, cleaner and full of promise,” he said.