Dearborn City Council Candidate Will Champion Business Growth

Editor's note: All nine elective offices in the city are on the primary ballot — mayor, clerk and all seven council seats. There are five candidates for mayor, three for clerk and 21 for council. Dearborn Patch will run profiles of candidates seeking the office of mayor, city clerk, and city council beginning July 12 and leading up to the Aug. 6 primary election. 

Today we feature candidate Jane Ahern.

Candidate Name:  Jane Ahern

Office sought: Dearborn City Council

Occupation: Community volunteer

Education: Bachelor of Arts in political science, University of Michigan – Dearborn (1993).

Family: I am married to Dr. Joseph Helminski, a college English teacher. I am a daughter and a sister, as well as an aunt to 13 nieces and nephews. My husband and I have two cats adopted from the Dearborn Animal Shelter.

Previous elected office: I have served as a precinct delegate since 2005.

Current public service: In addition to serving as a precinct delegate, I was a member of the Electoral College and cast a presidential ballot in 2012 as a representative for the 12th Congressional district.

What are two key issues in Dearborn?

One of the biggest issues confronting the city is a shift in revenue sources. For example, residential taxes make up the greatest proportion of taxes collected at a time when state government revenue sharing is declining. More business activity in our city will improve the revenue stream.

A related issue is funding for our city services, including public safety. Our rich mix of city services makes Dearborn a great place to live, and we have to be sure to protect what we have.

How will you address these issues?

In order for businesses to start up or to move to Dearborn, we need to trumpet the great things happening here. The intermodal train station, for example, will effectively connect the Dearborn and Ann Arbor campuses of the University of Michigan. College campuses offer great potential for incubating businesses that will last.

I will do everything I can to make sure that we fund our services. In 2011, I chaired the city’s Budget Revenue Enhancement Subcommittee, which under my leadership recommended a millage to replace lost property tax revenue, a recommendation that was ultimately adopted. I pledge to continue leading the way to make sure we retain vital services as a member of council.