Suzanne Sareini Announces Departure From Dearborn City Council

Following a six-term run, Dearborn City Council President Pro-Tem Suzanne Sareini on Tuesday announced that she will not seek re-election in 2013.

Her son Mike Sareini, however, will pursue a seat on the council when all seven seats come up for election in November.

Sareini cited "dramatic" changes in her life as contributing to her decision not to run for re-election. Her daughter, Nowal Sareini-Shatila, passed away Jan. 17 due to complications from heart disease.

Suzanne Sareini was first elected to council in 1989. Her current term ends on Dec. 31.

According to a release sent out Tuesday, Sareini intends to devote more energy to familial obligations:

"Suzanne was seriously considering running for another term as recently as January but the unexpected loss of her daughter, Nowal, changed her life in unexpected ways. Suzanne's tragic loss was also the loss of a Mother for her two Grandson's Tarik and Adam and their father, Ahmad Shatila. She understood immediately that the course of her own life had dramatically changed. The needs of Nowal's family outweighed everything else and while she intends to remain active in the community it will be in relationship to her new role."

However, the release added, the "bittersweet" decision also marks a continuation in the Sareini family legacy of public service.

Mike Sareini, the release announced, plans to pull petitions to run for City Council on Wednesday:

"Suzanne’s son, Mike Sareini, had always felt a strong desire to serve the community and in many ways he did even while becoming a very successful businessman. He had also been active in his Mother's campaigns and was always discussing the best interests of Dearborn with his Mother.

The desire to serve his community in a more direct and meaningful way really took root with Mike Sareini while he was recently attending Law School. He realized how much the combination of good business skills combined with a strong knowledge of the law and legal systems would allow him to make unique contributions to Dearborn, the City he loves."

Correction: A previous version of this story listed Nowal Sareini-Shatila's cause of death as unknown. That is incorrect.