Dearborn City Council President To Run In Mayoral Race

DEARBORN, MI — Dearborn City Council President Susan Dabaja on Monday announced she is running in the city's upcoming mayoral race.

The term of the city's current mayor, John B. O'Reilly, runs through 2021.

“I am honored and excited to announce that I’m officially joining the race to become the next mayor of Dearborn,” Dabaja said. “It would be a privilege to continue to serve my city in a meaningful way.”

A lifelong Dearborn resident, Dabaja was born to immigrant parents in the city's south end, according to her campaign. She grew up in public housing and said she is product of Dearborn Public Schools, having attended Salina Elementary and Stout Middle School before graduating from Edsel Ford High School in 1995.

“Dearborn has always been my home," Dabaja said. "It’s the place that welcomed my parents to this country, it’s the place where my siblings and I continue to flourish and thrive, and it’s the only place in the world where I want to raise my own family.

“I entered into public service only to serve Dearborn, and I feel as though all roads have led me to this run for mayor.”

Dabaja attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn for her undergraduate studies before she graduated first in her class from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law. She is currently a practicing attorney, as well as a mother of three.

Dabaja said her platform will highlight her experience prioritizing public health, police and fire, city finances and property taxes, economic development, environmental issues, mobility, and will look to leading the city into an innovative future.

“I know that these are the issues Dearbornites care about because I’ve been listening to them all my life," she said. "For the last seven years, I have worked diligently in my capacity as council president alongside my colleagues to tackle tough challenges and forge solutions that work for all of us. And while I have had many great achievements in that role, now, I know it’s time to shift into a role that will allow me to serve in a new way.

“This was not an easy decision for me," Dabaja added. "Being the mayor of Dearborn is a tough job, but one that will bring unique challenges with each new day. As a wife and mother, I’ve deliberated over this decision because I know well what this job would demand, especially during a global pandemic and our eventual recovery. I am running because I know in my bones that I am the person who is most prepared to be mayor of Dearborn right now. I am proven. I am centered. I am seasoned. I will continue to be a fighter for Dearborn.”