DETROIT—As the race for Wayne County executive heats up, Arab Americans are split over which of the five Democratic candidates to support. 

For many community members the decision has been tough to make because of the close relationship incumbent Robert Ficano has maintained with Arab Americans since he was first elected to lead the county more than a decade ago. Ficano has given many Arab Americans the opportunity to work and be represented in his administration. 

The other democratic candidates in the race include State Representative and former Wayne County Commissioner Phil Cavanagh; former Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans; Wayne County Commissioner Kevin McNamara and Westland Mayor William (Bill) Wild. 

“When there is a fierce competition among candidates and we have several people in the community investing in several campaigns for the same position, we always get people, not criticizing, but pushing for their candidate and trying to lobby on their behalf,” said Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) President Ali Hammoud.

AAPAC received endorsement requests from the five candidates, all of whom have had positive relationships with the community over the years.  

 “AAPAC made the decision not based on the interest of its members; it is always about striving for the best interest of the community,” Hammoud said.  “AAPAC’s objective and mission is to advance Arab American causes and interest.” 

“All the members felt like they really wanted to support Mr. Ficano,” Hammoud said. “But they realized that by the end of the day our support is not going to give Ficano enough to win this election; and therefore we have to protect the interest of this community and focus on its relationship with the candidate that we chose as a committee, which is Warren Evans.”

He said the deliberation process was very timely and most of it was spent discussing the Wayne County Executive race, which Hammoud said was the group’s toughest decision. 

This is not the first time Evans has earned the support of AAPAC; the group supported  him twice before when he ran for sheriff. 

Ficano supporter and Dearborn resident Samia Sareini noted that Ficano’s friendship with the Arab community spans decades, going back to when he was Wayne County Sheriff.

“There have been allegations against him for three years,” she said. “If they had something on him it would have surfaced by now. Those who were involved in Wayne County corruption are serving their time.”

Hammoud said even though Ficano is making strides to balance the budget and fix the county— and that those efforts may work— AAPAC still feels like the general public’s confidence in him has been lost. 

Many residents have expressed concern that the region needs a new leader who can sit and work and move the county to a higher level of confidence and regain the trust of the public. 

Recent polls show a lack of public support for Ficano, which would make it difficult for his administration to govern. 

 “We feel really bad that we could not support Robert Ficano, but our choice is a good choice. You have to make decisions for the best interest of the community,” Hammoud said. 

According to Hammoud, AAPAC has made other tough decisions in the past that involved Arab candidates it chose not to endorse.

Wild said his campaign has received a lot of support from the Arab American community. Dearborn Attorney Halal Farhat hosted a fundraiser for Wild a few months ago that was well attended by several Arab Americans. 

Discussing AAPAC’s decision to endorse Evans, Wild said, “I was a little disappointed, but I’m looking forward to having a long relationship with the Arab American community whether it is through my position as the mayor of Westland or through Wayne County.” 

Dearborn City Council President Susan Dabaja recently endorsed Evans for Wayne County Executive. 

“The community is growing and becoming more politically active,” Dabaja said. “Everyone has been really respectful about other peoples’ opinions. It is great to see how active the next generation of Arab Americans is getting in politics.” 

Assad Turfe, a police sergeant with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, is a longtime supporter of Evans and said the former Detroit Police Chief is also a close friend to his family. Turfe said Evans has the experience needed to run the county, adding that he was successful at managing the Detroit Police Department’s budget and a large staff of more than 2,000 people. He also said that when Evans was Detroit police chief, he managed to reduce violent crime in the city by 27 percent.

 “Warren has always been a friend to our community,” he said. 

“I had the opportunity to work really closely with him, and got to see a part of him that most people do not. He is very knowledgeable and treats people very well. “Right now things are not looking good, and we need somebody who is really qualified and can bring in a lot of honestly and integrity.”