Just saw this open letter to our Mayor posted on the Save our Pools Facebook page. It concisely details the fallacy of our Mayor's argument that this is a budget driven objective.
Dear Mayor:
I firmly believe that your idea to close our small pools, is the wrong idea. The loss of culture and recreation opportunities for our kids would supersede any value gained in their closing. Walkable, organic, community driven neighborhoods are the foundation of our city. Parks, libraries, and small pools are the very capital that make our city attractive to young, vibrant and creative families. It is the very lynch pin that makes a congested, first ring suburb with small aging housing stock desirable. Government driven projects like jazz in the park, farmers markets, and community gardens will never take root if your citizenry is itinerant, disengaged, and separated by major roads. Your desire to close these pools appears driven by personal and political motivations and not the best interest of the citizens. The very fact that you continue to spend money building new projects at Camp Dearborn, requested county funds to build new basketball courts, and desire to greatly increase the size and scope of Ford Woods pool makes your cost saving argument disingenuous . Thank you for you consideration, and I hope you take the needs and desires of citizens to heart when you make your decision.

This mayor hates kids for some reason. He is a life long leach on the city o dearborn and he has been driving this city into a black abyss since he was city council president

Question to the mayor, why can't you give us the same courtesy from SOP Like you did for the Arab festival. Oh that's right we are not padding your pocket with political donations

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Frank Lee
1:54am on Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The question about the total amount of city dollars spent to promote, secure, and subsidize this east side festival by our city will never be truthfully told. The amount our Mayor claimed the city spends changed day to day and the funding compromise by the Arab chamber was never adequately communicated to the citizens. It is amazing how quickly the Mayor responds to the needs of a festival that primarily benefits a group that overwhelmingly supports him finanicaly Vs a group composed of parents busy working and paying taxes. The taxpayers will continue to support projects and ideas that benefit the mayor's friends and family but he will bully and ignore the very people who make Dearborn the city it is. If you think spending city tax dollars to support a festival that generates profits for supporters of the mayor is a bad idea email council at cityofdearborn.org and voice your opinion. Soon enough the mayor will backpedal and claim the chamber has given concessions, ask yourselves what other city gives so much to one special interest and receives so little in return. The mayor likes to claim, nobody is more committed to Dearborn than him, what a disgraceful exaggeration. The war memorial on Michagan Ave has hundreds of heroes whose duty called them to give the ultimate sacrifice. After memorial day O'Reilly's commitment to our city is a pathetic comparison.

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Looks like our Mayor has some explaining to do. It seems obvious that closing pools will create the overcrowded and dangerous conditions That already resulted in 13 life saving situations at Dunworth pool in only two days this year, per the above article. We must hold our city leaders accountable for their decision. If the pools are this dangerously crowded now imagine how scary it will be when the populations from the small pools migrate to Dunworth once school let's out. Dunworth pool will become an unmanageable zoo, and a huge liability for the city.

I would prefer to keep my job. Everyone who works for the city could lose their jobs. Which is more important, putting food on someones table or having the pools?

Thanks Helen, spoken like a true City of Dearborn employee. Does the fact that Dunworth pool is overcrowded and 14 children had to be saved from drowning, even register in your entitlement riddled brain. Helen Rupp agrees with our Mayor that our city does not exist to provide services to citizens, it exists to give city workers accountability free job. Citizens be damned, we must provide jobs and lifetime pensions to people to hand out copies of birth certificates, and blow leaves. It is no wonder with an entitlement mentality like this at city hall nothing ever gets accomplished that does not personally enrich somebody, or someones friend or family at city hall. The Mayor is the personification of this me first attitude, and obviously it has trickled down from his office, seeped into his corrupt building department, and poisoned every other well in the city. Helen obviously thinks paying some of the highest tax rates in the state for Redford type services is a great idea as long as Jack, John Cascardo, Mark Guido, and Helen have high paying, jobs with free health care and life long pensions. Helen what else can I do for you.? I really think it is time the citizens of Dearborn petition to the Governor for an emergency city manager and dissolve this entire incompetent gang of boobs.
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Having the pools is more important than mayor huey's legacy!! Oh that's right his incompetent regime like Andy pizzino and his land advisors. WARDS DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER???

Neighborhood pools and libraries draw young families to Dearborn. Of course the city can't spend money it doesn't have, but after all the cuts what will be left that differentiates Dearborn from a new subdivision in Northville or Novi? I love our summer festivals, but are they really factors in why people buy homes (and pay taxes and support businesses) in our town? I'd be interested in seeing the city's long range plan to be a viable town to attract home owners and businesses. Sounds like the Save Our Pools group has some creative thinkers in it, maybe that is where we should look for our next candidates for city council.

Dimon -

You're an idiot. Do you even know Helen Rupp? To accuse her, or any city employee, of not caring about kids being in danger at the pools is cruel.

The city could take the attitude that the federal Consumer Protection Agency does. The pools are dangerous. Close them all. Then there are no kids in danger.

You people on all these blogs and news sites that accuse all city employees of being overpaid lay abouts must not actually know any. I'm sure there are some losers. There are in every crowd. Most of them hard working and care about the city they serve. And as Helen pointed out trying to feed their families and worried about being able to do it tomorrow.

And before you ask no I don't work for the city. Yes my daughter does. She also drives a ten year old car that keeps needing to be repaired and lives in my house. I live with and take care of my elderly father. I took care of my elderly diabetic mother before she died. Five years or so ago Macys decided they didn't need me any more. They needed someone cheaper. I worked for Hudsons and Marshall Fields for 30 years in stock support and as a sales clerk. I have no pension, no insurance. I never took unemployment or medicaid or any other government help and I won't. We live on my father's pension from Detroit Edison. When he dies I hope my daughter can take me in. I hope she still has a job.

I pay too much in taxes to live in Dearborn not to have access to pools for my children.
I can live in another city and pay less taxes and have more benefits.
This is the reality of it all-you can not expect the citizens of Dearborn to pay such high taxes and not have simple amenities (pools are one for an "Upscale" neighborhood)
I for one am very disappointed in the Mayor!!

Why is our mayor threating city workers with job losses to go against the will of the citizens who elected him. Employees like Helen Rupp have jobs to provide services to the citizens and not support the administration of this mayor. The idea that we as citizens should accept reduced services and increased taxes to maintain jobs at city hall is ludicrous. The entire reason that people move into a city that borders Detroit with 60 year old homes on small lots often without garages is because of the services this city offers. If these services are reduced our homes become less attractive, therefore we lose home values. The mayor will move heaven and hell to accommodate the Arab Chamber, Severstal, and other political supporters but he cannot work with citizens to maintain pools for kids. This mayor will engage in all sorts of grant writing, political arm twisting, and creative tax schemes to benefit policies, companies, and people that support his administration financially, but children with no money, and no interest group our left out. Point in fact look at how much effort, and city money was given to Severstal, a Russian company with incredibly dodgy financial statements, and a horrible environmental and safety record to provide jobs that will never materialize. How much money has Severstall, and the Arab chamber given to Mark Guido to support the mayor and maintain positions for Guido holdovers who cannot find real jobs anywhere else. No, more free rides for mark guido