Year in Review: That's a Talker!

Debate, argument, civilized discussion–call it what you will, but there are just some issues that get the opinions flowing.

This year in Dearborn, those topics included teacher layoffs, city grants, vacant homes, crime and weather.

Here's a look at some of the stories that Dearborn Patch readers commented on the most.

Dearborn Public Schools Disputes

When union negotiations between the Dearborn Federation of Teachers and Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education at the beginning of May, there was much rejoicing–but also much debate over the concessions made on each side.

But when the district then laid off 48 teachers in June and 57 paraprofessionals in August (some of them later reinstated), it was all anger over how funding cuts have meant painful losses in Dearborn's classrooms.

"English is not the primary language in households of a large part of Dearborn's population because they weren't born and raised here," said commenter YF, a Dearborn Public Schools teacher. "I have seen firsthand how our bilingual parapros aid in overcoming that obstacle. They provide assistance in translation, as well as provide a bridge of comfort to the students, who then build their confidence to participate more in the classroom, using the English language, and excel at their studies. Taking away the parapros will only make that obstacle even greater."

"With 'heavy hearts' we say goodbye to teachers, but with 'open arms' we hire more administrators," commented Allan Smith, in reference to recent hires of staff to administrative positions within the district.

Snow Problem

Dearborn had some crazy weather in 2011, but nothing sparked discussion quite like the inches upon inches of snow last winter. The downpour left Department of Public Works employees struggling to clear it all–and residents irate over the time it took to get their streets driveable again.

"When they came to plow in front of my house," commented Connie Lyon, "they plowed three to four feet from the curb, so I had to go out and dig out the rocks of snow so I could park in front of my house without having to be out in the middle of the street!"

Commenter Diane Lewis agreed.

"Having lived in Dearborn a good part of my life, I have seen a lot of city services decline over the years, snow removal no exception," she wrote. "I understand budget constraints play a role in all of this, but for the city to call 'snow emergencies' and say they will ticket or tow vehicles that are not removed from the street is an exception in my neighborhood and not the rule."

Hard to be Hollywood

The city got a lot of outside media attention in 2011, from the debut and critical success of to the contentious debate over TLC show .

This month, we asked readers to weigh in on whether it was great publicity, or negative stereotyping, for the city of Dearborn–and whether they like all the attention. Reactions were mixed, but plenty of people had a lot to say.

"The media attention is pretty much solely about the Muslim community and contains many misconceptions, most of them negative," commented Cheryl. "We are a very diverse city with a lot to offer, but economically, this may scare developers off who don't realize that not only is the city a melting pot, but the Arabic community is very diverse as well."

"The national media has made a mockery out of Dearborn," added Youssef. "You have idiots spewing that Dearborn is under Sharia law, News cameras only showing up to these same idiots who think they can come here and 'Save the City.'"

Greenway Trail Extension Gets Trashed, Treasured

A that leads from Hines Drive into west downtown Dearborn was the subject of much criticism in December.

"I have been on this trail before and it is an awesome trail already, why extend it or change it?" asked commenter Silvio Davis. "We have grant writers wasting their time on getting grants for trails, why don't we have them focus on pools, libraries, parks, or after school activity buses for high school kids who can't participate in sports because it has been taken away because of 'funding.'"

Other commenters agreed that the trail extension, which would bring the train from the parking lot behind Andiamo Restaurant to the corner of Brady Street and Garrison, is a waste of city time to pursue.

Still, others applauded the effort as a means for the city to continue its green efforts.

"I'm a student, and I know many people who use this trail not just for recreation but as an important part of their commute by bike," wrote commenter Thomas. "If Dearborn is going to keep up with the inevitable future, which is not our wasteful car culture but one of transportation by bike, bus, and good, old-fashioned walking, we need to support projects that increase the safety of these modes of transportation."