Kareem Naimi was found voting at the school with his wife and children voting at William Ford Elementary School on Nov. 8. PHOTO: Natasha Dado/TAAN

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — After falling short of current Dearborn Heights City Councilman Ned Apigian by just 40 votes last year in a primary race and then coming within just about 9% of him in the general election for an open seat, hopes were high for a 2011 run for city council for AAPAC-endorsed Kathy Abdel-Hak with three seats open this time around. 

But she fell short this past Tuesday in the city’s race for three open seats, finishing fifth in a more crowded field. 

Abdel-Hak got 14.01% of the vote, 4.12% less than Apigian, who was the third-place finisher and retained his seat on the council. 

Incumbent Kenneth Baron finished first with 28.97% of the vote, 5,812 votes altogether, and new challenger Lisa Hicks-Clayton took second with 4,244, 21.15% of the total. 

Another newcomer, Scott Craig, finished fourth with 3,520, 17.54% of the vote. 

The Dearborn Heights millage under the Headlee Override amendment of the state constitution was also up for a vote, and the city government’s officials breathed a sigh of relief as the measure passed by a total of  4,953 to 3,608, 57.86% to 42.14%. 

Officials including Councilman Tom Berry and Mayor Dan Paletko had warned of cuts to senior programs, recreation and perhaps much more if it had not passed due to the city’s budget woes caused by falling property tax revenues. 

Also in Dearborn Heights, incumbent City Clerk Walter Prusiewicz, who was endorsed by The Arab American News, retained his seat with a solid victory against challenger and former Councilwoman Janet Badalow. Prusiewicz took 58.17% of the vote to 41.53%, or 4,674 to 3,337, to retain the post he assumed earlier this year when Judy Dudzinski resigned in late March. 

“In this first run for elected office I am humbled by the citizens of Dearborn Heights and their confidence in me both in the primary and again in the general election. I hope my sincerity and integrity over these last seven months were the motivating factors for the voters.  All of us elected officials really do work for the residents and not for ourselves,” Prusiewicz said.

“I was very pleased to have the endorsement of the Arab American community and want to thank them for their support.  Along with my many other endorsements, this shows the diversity throughout the city of people who supported me.  We all need to work together to bring our city through these trying times and I am confident we will do just that.”

Incumbent City of Wayne Mayor Abdul “Al” Haidous held off a challenge from competitor Susan M. Rowe in Wayne, with the current mayor winning by a total of 1380 to 939. 

Haidous first won the mayoral election in the city in November 2001 with 54% of the vote. In 2001 the people voted to change the city’s method of having the council pick the mayor among its members, with Haidous winning the popular vote. 

Haidous said that there are only two Arab American families in the city of over 17,000 people including his own but he has built strong, trusting relationships with citizens as a 38-year business owner in the city and former councilman and commissioner as well. He spoke about his success.

“Everyday I look at how we can make a good city better,” he said. “There’s always room for improvement.” 

The mayor, a former Lebanese immigrant, called Wayne the best city in America because of its family atmosphere. 

“The main question I ask is whether it is good for the citizens of Wayne, how can we serve them well and benefit them…I want to be remembered as a person who served the community well,” he said. 

Abdul A. Algazali, a Yemeni American and one of Hamtramck’s most well-known politicians who narrowly lost the race for mayor by 123 votes to Karen Majewski in 2009, was unable to recapture a council seat he gave up in order to run for the top post as he finished fourth among the candidates vying for three seats. 

Algazali finished fourth with 662 votes in a surprising turn of events for many. 

Cathie L. Gordon finished first with 844 votes, Robert Zwolak second with 811, and Bengali American Anam Miah took the third seat with 733 votes.