WE had this much money lying around?! And I want to know why are they paying THAT much for the building which has been sitting empty? Hell....Dearborn could of purchased that Allen Park defunct studio building for that much and would have gotten more room. I know Allen Park would be happy for any price to get it off their hands. They could have waited......**Shakes her head in disbelief**

I love that this Mayor thinks where all idiots that can't do simple mathmatics.

"We have to look 20-25 years ahead," O'Reilly said, citing mounting costs of repairs needed. "This (current City Hall) building needs $5.7 million in investments. This is $5.7 we won’t have to spend–$5.7 million saved."

Except For the 3.2 to buy the building, the 575K to close, plus the moving cost, and updating the building to what ever there needs will be i sure will put this deal close to if not over the 5.7 million mark.

It not as much the arrogance of the entire deal, it's more the fact he's pissing on us and then telling us it's raining.

This deal is beyond words, considering this same deal failed miserably in Columbus Ohio, I'm surprised the mayor takes us for fools. Google "Wonderland organizers lose their home" and see how this group backed out of exactly the same deal they are proposing here. It is pathetic that only two council people supported terminating this deal. Even after this sham the mayor still proposes closing more branch libraries. Dearborn Taxpayers and Residents need to demand a recall. How much longer are we going to get bilked for more taxes to provide more comfort to Oreilly and his appointees, this is beyond Wayne County. At least Ficano upgraded and preserved The Guardian Building, this Mayor of Dearborn bought a foreclosed big box, the least desirable piece of property in commercial real estate excluding a brownfield. Nothing is to good for Oreilly and his appointees. Screw the Kids, screw our seniors, screw the taxpayers Oreilly gots to gets his.

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As an artist who works in several media, I applaud this move to install federally subsidized live/work space for us who labor to make our environment more beautiful and compelling. I currently live in a van, down by the river, and welcome the chance to live in an historic building while I practice my craft: Chia-Bobbleheads. They're like Chia Pets, but they're bobble heads. I look forward to selling them in the former city hall square during the daily art shows that are sure to come. The area has much more appeal than the Gibraltar Trade Center where I usually sell my art.

If everyone had all the facts and infomation and new the cost saving are more in the long run than they understand they would not be so upset about a good thing

Kent, I was thinking the exact same thing. Also add to that the increased maintenance costs and utility bills for he larger building and I'd say we have ourselves a bum deal.

Frank, if they considered brownfield real estate at least they would be eligible for federal grants to help with redevelopment or construction costs.

Jean, there were never ANY facts presented to residents on this proposal. Even Council President Tafelski was irritated that he found out that the deal took place via press release. Typical politics...let the residents be the last to know. And thank you for the millage increase. Gee, I don't remember new city hall digs part of the sales pitch the mayor spewed at the neighborhood association meetings.

Considering this very same project Failed in Columbus why would it work here. Columbus is the largest fastest growing urban metroplex in Ohio, it is home to the countries largest university, and is the state capital. Dearborn has none of these attributes. Oh I forgot it is being proposed by a politician who has never ran anything that was not subsidized by taxpayers or given to him because of his last name ends in Oreilly. This mayor never even went away to college. The only thing this guy knows is how to show up to city hall and collect a check. Hopefully the new location won't throw him for a loop, maybe he can leave a potato chip trail to remind him.

The whole concept of having an artist colony in Dearborn is great, but it scares the living daylight out of me, the put the cart before the horse. How about closing the deal with Artspace before closing the deal on the ADP building, or having a clause in the contract to cancel the purchase if Artspace backs out, for one reason or another, Dearborn can’t continue like this. That is clear business sence!!!

I think this proposal should have been discussed more....I hate hearing "Done Deal". That's what got Allen Park in trouble too. Everyone thought the state tax incentives for the movie industry would be never ending...so did Allen Park. Sad to say...look what happened there. Our City council should have had a say in this!!! Or at least ask US taxpayers!!! Man, don't you HATE being left out of BIG decisions when it comes to YOUR money??? And then I read the City is thinking of saving money by cutting a 19th district judge? Aw come on....One judge does not a building,(a 3.2 million building) make!

@ Jean - could you please give us the facts and figures so we can all understand why the mayor has done this. I would love to understand just why he did this.

where is "the adp building"? addresses would be nice for those of us that haven't lived here for long

Now we see the real Jack O'Reilly !! What's good for Jack is good for Dearborn "lol"

Remember this the next time we vote for Mayor and city council !! How much input did the tax payer's have.

what ever happened to elected officals representing the people that elected them. As far as I can tell the only ones that give a damn about Dearborn are Tafelski and O'Donnell. At least they stand up to O'Reilly.

We the people need to take a stand NOW. Join Dearborn Residents For Accountability on facebook, attend meetings, be heard. All this talk on the internet doesn't change anything. Elected officials need to hear and see you at meetings. Take the time and go to the public budget meetings and council meetings. Come on people get off the couch and make a difference. The SOP group proved that grass roots movements work.

Don't you people remember that we just passed a millage rate increase requested by O'Reilly because we were in such poor economic condition? Yes, he said that home valuations were going down and tax revenues were decreasing and state and federal funding to the city were gone as well. It was up to us to save the city from crumbling, he said.

Well, does anyone here believe that things have reversed...that home valuations are rising and tax revenues are up....that state a federal funding has come back once again?? If any of you believe this, I have a bridge to sell you!

So, we believe O'Reilly and pass his millage increase. So if we have enough to buy this building, then why did we have to increase the millage rates as much as we did. Yep...we were sold a bill of goods again by hizzoner...a pig in a poke!

This was a repeat performance actually. Guido did the same thing back in the 80"s when he asked us to raise our millage rates to raise about $3 mil to "SAVE OUR SERVICES...yes...remember SOS? Well, we voted to raise them, and within months he announced the purchase of the "Super Block" in west Dearborn along Michigan Ave. The price...yes..$3mil! There were viable businesses there paying taxes...but oh no...Guido said the land would be much more easy to sell to prospective developers if the land was vacant. He forced all those businesses to move, tore down all the buildings, and guess what...that land stayed that way for 10 years with no interest in developing it. It was nothing but a barren vacant piece of real estate that had to be maintained that way for 10 years rather than have those businesses there paying their taxes.

Well, hizzoner O'Reilly must remember that too. He feels if Guido can pull the wool over the taxpayer’s eyes, he can too. And...HE HAS!

WAKE UP Dearborn residents. It is time to clean house in Dearborn. Encourage Tafelski to run for mayor. There are only 2 level heads on that council (Tafelski and Donaldson) and 5 ass-kissing, "go-along-to-get-along" dunderheads. This is YOIUR city, and YOUR responsibility to get involved. Go to the council rather than sit at your computer and write your thoughts. VOICE THEM. Let them be heard in front of the council....live on TV. Do it...the future of this city is at stake!!

We can’t afford our Libraries, maintain our parks and pools. I can’t even go down my street (N Highland) without feeling like I am driving down a dirt road... but our Mayor gets a nice big office with a view of Greenfield village now.

This is just soo unbelievable! So Sad!!

I think we just sold the condominiums in Florida because the city needed the cash, and screw the people that have been paying for it, and live in the Condos. Remember the five city council and the Mayor at election time !! We can have the last laugh.

i do not know why the people of dearborn have not protested and impeached the crap out of our Mr. Mayor and the council.

The headline could read, "Mayor O'Reilly Gets His Way -- Again!" In reality, Mayor O'Reilly knows that Dearborn politics cannot muster a strong enough candidate who can seriously compete in a mayoral race, so he takes advantage of his name recognition and incumbency to do what is best for him and his supporters. Further, it is likely Mayor O'Reilly weighed the risk of this move, and he realized that there was more outcry about Goodwill (no matter what position you took) than there would be for the City Hall move. What does that say? Smart man? Uninvolved voters? Lack of interest from young Dearborn residents to get involved in Dearborn politics?

How much is it going to cost us to get the building looking and operating like a City Hall. It is one thing to purchase something without figuring out other costs. The Mayor must go.

I assume that there was public notice of this "Special Meeting" of the Council? These puppets don't even have the respect of residents to do this at a regularly scheduled council meeting. Was this discussed at the Budget Public Hearing?

the city is supposed to be going broke, if you listen to the powers that be, yet they want to build a 4 million dollar splash park at Ford Woods Park, they just bought a new 3 million dollar building for city hall, they want to eliminate the Centennial library fountain because it is too expensive to maintain, the department heads got 12% pay raises, while the employees are being told there are pay cuts coming. If the city is so broke that a milage was needed, the fountain has to be removed and paved over and the rank and file employees have to take pay reductions, where is the city getting all this money to buy buildings, build water parks and give double digit pay raises to the directors? Isn't it about time to start recall petitions?

Aaaaggghhh!!! How many times do you idiots that support this nonsense have to get smacked upside the head to realize that we're long overdue for new city officials (and I use that term loosely). Happy Jack and his band of merry council lapdogs must be
voted out. The end is in sight, and it ain't pretty.

The mayor wants to go to work in a nice new office and building, while the children of Dearborn have no pools to swim in. This is not wright. When is the next election? It can't come soon enough. He needs to go!!!

Splish splash thanks for the cash .... Priceless

How many more boondoggles can the people of Dearborn take? Giant cost overruns on the Ford Performing Arts Center. Building parking lots on the West end before the so-called hotel project even turned dirt. The giant boondoggle of the Combine Sewer system. Mayor Jack was in the picture with more than a finger in the pie. Time to dump him.

We all have to live with a budget and to close the libray and pools so we can have a new city hall seems self serving Mr Mayor !! Our children should come first as your
children did. I am sure you enjoyed the pools and libarries at will as a child growing up in Dearborn.Let's get our prioritys in order John - Jack O'Reilly. I am 65 and enjoyed all of the above.

I am going to tell people that I am from Inkster. They may be poor, but they are not stupid.

The saddest thing about this Artspace is that it is virtually funded with federal money earmarked for low income housing. Meaning the artist residents they billed can be occupied by anyone with minimal restrictions. You do not even have to be an artist to live there. This is simply low income housing dressed up to look presentable. The whole Artspace thing is a scam

The city should not buy the ADP building or any other building. The city should sell every building it currently owns.The city should lease the buildings it needs, with the landlord(s) paying for all the renovations, maintenance and utilities. At least that way we would know up front how much it will cost. We wouldn't need to speculate about if it would be a cost savings to move. If the proposed lease fee on a new city hall is less than the lease fee that the buyer of the present city hall proposes to charge, and the facilities are functionally equivalent then it is easy to make the decision about whether to move.

Can someone tell me how did this jackass Bazzy got elected. It is a progressive thing, and we need modern space. I do not know why the resident of DBN have not protested and took this matter to court.

Can someone tell me. Since it is the taxpayers of this city are funding the move and the sale, like hell it is not the Mayor checking acct or D Bazzy. Dumb and Dumber.

Frank Lee...can you post a link to a story on artspace in Columbus? All I can find is Urban Art Space at the university which not the same group.

This is a project funded with federal funds earmarked for low income housing. Therefore it is subject to all of the requirements the Federal Government mandates. Great idea Bazzy spend hundereds of thousands or Probbably millions of dollars so anyone who meets the income requirements can use Dearborn schools, parks and services free of charge. This beats all the new rental homes in the Pelham - outer drive area. I'm not against low income housing, just not in our Downtown, and don't dress it up as a progressive improvement. There is nothing progressive about Artspace, it simply reallocated low income housing from people who need it to artists who don't want to produce income. This projects is the ultimate example of a mayor has never produced any results in the real world. His entire life has been spent in Dearborn sheltered by our tax dollars. These artists and Orielly need to get real jobs and live somewhere else.

How about Pelham - outer drive area.

The city, like any responsible business, is supposed perform "due diligence" before they even consider this type of purchase. That means either having city hall sold 1st or putting in a clause in the ADP contact that states if city hall does NOT sell, then the ADP purchase is null and void, AND telling voters exactly how much it will cost to retrofit the ADP building to make it a city hall, and WHERE the money is going to come from...

Take a look at the Artspace web site http://www.artspaceutah.org/. It does appread that it offers, in its own words "Artspace's mixed-use projects incorporate affordable housing"...so, does that mean if I want to qualify for some low cost housing all I have to do is pee in a jar and insert a crucifix? This certainly sounds like something more than a place for "artists" to work on and dispaly their "art"

No you don't even have to be an artist to live there. It is simply low income housing with a progressive facade. By taking federal money you submit to federal mandates on how the money will be spent. Therefore artists, bums, and grifters alike will be given an equal opportunity to use our beautiful city services and schools. Thanks oreilly, Bazzy, Shoosh, Suzy, and Bobbie all we needed to do to solve dearborns problem was build more low income housing

HAS ANYBODY NOTICED THEIR TAX BILL...I CURRENTLY PAY $1250 TOWARD THE CITY OF DEARBORN TAX DEBT WHICH IS SUBJECT FOR RENEWAL IN 5 YEARS. THIS IS WHY THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED IT SO WE AS TAX PAYERS CAN PAY FOR IT ONCE AGAIN.

I personally do not think that this was a good idea. To make a move using long range projected building problems is not feasible. The city does not even have a closed deal with Artspace and even if that goes through, do we have enough starving artist types that would be interested? There are groups in Detroit going this genre. Not sure of their success.

And....if the present City Hall is in such bad shape, doesn't the city have to correct all the code and structural violations BEFORE it can be sold to any buyer? That's what the city requires of any homeowner before they can sell. The violations cannot be assigned to the buyer..the seller has to correct them. But...well, uh, gee, the city and O'Reilly don't have to follow their own laws and regulations, do they?

But, if they did, they would never get enough from the sale to cover the costs of the new building. But what the heck, we'll follow Obama and either try to raise the taxes again and borrow more.

Listen taxpayers...wake up! We can't have pools, can't keep the libraries open, can't afford to even fix out own public buildings. We have sold street cleaners because we used to clean the streets every week, then it was reduced to every other week, and now it's once a month. And, tey haven't even begun todo the,m once a month yet.

Powderburner....LOL!!!!!!