The 2025 Dearborn mayoral, city clerk and council election will not have a primary election this year, with the Nov. 4 general election deciding the new representatives.
Councilmember Leslie Herrick considering write-in campaign
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – For the first time in the city’s history, no primary election will be needed, with the mayoral, council and city clerk races being decided during the Nov. 4 general election.
City Clerk George Darany said there are two candidates for mayor, two for city clerk and 13 for the seven city council seats.
He said more than two mayoral or city clerk candidates or more than 14 council candidates would be needed for a primary election to be held.
Darany said the outcome was a surprise, and while the number of council candidates has trended downward in recent years, the 2009 and 2013 elections had more than 20 council candidates.
“I recall when there would be around 30 candidates in city council primaries in the 1980s,” he said.
The filing deadline was April 22, with an April 25 withdrawal date.
While four candidates filed for the mayoral race, and 16 for council, two were disqualified for each of the offices due to either insufficient petitions, charter or campaign finance qualifications, and a council candidate withdrew from the ballot after filing petitions.
Hassan Aoun, known as “Hass Cash” on social media, who was running for mayor, is involved in a legal dispute with the city after being told the city charter does not allow a convicted felon to run for mayor.
City Councilmember Leslie Herrick will not be on the ballot because of a clerical error in 2017 in which an incorrect date on a campaign report resulted in a fee being assessed by Wayne County, which Herrick thought had been resolved years ago, but was recently brought to her attention when she learned that the technicality would prevent her name from being on the 2025 ballot.
She and her family are evaluating the logistics of mounting a write-in campaign for council, and she will announce her decision in the coming weeks.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud is being challenged by Nagi Almudhegi in the mayoral race, with Sami Elhady challenging incumbent George Darany for city clerk.
Six of the incumbent council members, Robert Abraham, Kamal Alsawafy, Gary Enos, Mustapha Hammoud, Ken Paris and Michael Sareini, will be challenged by candidates Othman Ali Alaansi, Mark Andrew, Shadi Mawari, Devon O’Reilly, Ahmad Othman, Mohammed Shagera, Mubarek Ahmed and Sharon Dulmage for the seven council seats.