Community Corner
Dearborn Land Deal Gone Bad Could Hurt O'Reilly
Dearborn Mayor John O'Reilly is facing a challenge from councilman Tom Tafelski. A soured land deal could hurt O'Reilly's re-election bid.
DEARBORN, MI — A deal that was supposed to put a Noodles & Company restaurant and a tea shop at the corner of Howard Street and Michigan Avenue in west Dearborn has backfired on the city, according to a Detroit Free Press report. The city sold the former site of Brothers Tuxedo in June 2015 for $30,000 with a promise that the development would be complete by the fall of 2016.
But the parcel still sits vacant, the Free Press reported. And the implications of the Dearborn deal gone bad could affect the race for mayor between incumbent John B. O’Reilly and councilman Tom Tafelski.
“More precisely, the property is:
- Tied up in nasty litigation with allegations of forgery.
- Connected to a pharmacist convicted of conspiracy.
- A campaign issue for the mayor, who bought a car he now regrets.
- The subject of a secret recording.
- The reason why, a city councilman says, he was punched in the face — twice.”
For more, go to the Detroit Free Press.
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Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP
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