Safety, Transparency Hot Topics at Dearborn Candidate Night

A group of Dearborn residents who say they are fed up with funding cuts to essential public services vented their frustrations to city council candidates during a public meet and greet on Tuesday.

The event was organized by the political action committee "Let's Reclaim Dearborn!" at Kelly's Irish Pub on Telegraph Road.

"Our aim is to get the candidates and the public together to talk about the issues — namely accountability, transparency and safety in our neighborhoods," organizer Mark Lane said. "Our families and the city's legacy are under siege. We need new blood on the council who have a different vision for our future."

Candidates Tarek Baydoun, Kristyn Taylor, Patrick Melton, Susan Dabaja, Tom Tafelski and a representative for Colette Richards attended the event.

Paul Kozlowski, a member of the Southwestern Outer Drive Neighborhood Association and former police officer, said he's concerned about the lack of enforcement of city ordinances.

"Enforcement must be a priority. The people in our neighborhoods need to be heard. Families come first before the progress of development," he said.

Kozlowski said several residents in his neighborhood are upset with a lack of communication from the current city administration.

"We're not being listened to. We want to work with all of the players on the city council, but what we don't want is narcotics, drunk drivers on the roads and people walking around exposing themselves to children," he said. "Expand the police presence and court system for the sake of our children. This is Dearborn, not Las Vegas."

Resident Charles Christopher said he too is frustrated with the lack of ordinance enforcement.

"Where I live, there's excessive dog barking going on. They need to stop that," he said. "If I want to go outside on my porch and relax, I can't because all I hear are dogs barking. I call the police and nothing gets resolved."

Resident Jim Wilkie said he would like to see the next council focus on cleaning up the rental properties and pass strict penalties for landlords who do not maintain buildings.

"We should also look at maintaining adequate staffing of the police, fire and EMS departments," Wilkie said. "Transparency is a big issue. The city administration doesn't tell citizens anything until something is already said and done."

About 20 people attended Tuesday's event.

The general election for Dearborn city council, mayor and city clerk takes place on Nov. 5. Millage renewal proposals for both Henry Ford Community College and Dearborn Public Schools are also on the ballot.

To view a sample ballot, visit http://www.lwvddh.org/.