We cant deny the fact that not only Arabs population-wise make up a good percentage of Dearborn, but also Arabs have made a difference in Dearborns economics and history and life, so they do deserve to have representation in terms of leadership, Assi told Al Jazeera. Neighboring Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck are much smaller cities, but also with large Muslim and Arab American populations. Realtor Hart Jan 1980 - Oct 1990 10 . Hamtramck used to be a primarily Catholic and Polish American community, and since the city was founded in 1922, every mayor has been both Catholic and Polish American. Jul 21, 2017. A star since . Stiffler said if Hammoud wins, it would cement the perception of Arab Americans as an important voting bloc with their own interests. Census.[12]. FILE IMAGE: DEARBORN, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 2: Muslim American women, vote for the next American presidency at Maples Elementary School, November 2, 2004, in Dearborn, Michigan. Dubai: United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab citizen to walk in space. Share . Scott Thurmond as interim chief. Responses received from city governments before deadline are provided. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. And his son gave him the same answer that he gave his father: if I dont do it, who will? [17], Woodfin promised throughout the campaign to conduct a forensic audit on city finances,[18] but upon taking office instead conducted a performance audit. But the campaign took a turn towards identity politics in its final weeks, with Woronchak slamming Hammoud without naming him for apparently referring to Arab and Muslim Americans as our community. A Michigan city considered to be the center of Arab America has finally elected its first Arab-American mayor. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $288,383 and as . Salary increases for the Opelika mayor and city council will be effective in 2020. He also filed an executive order banning the ability for residents to protest in any public park. [50] He is engaged and is Christian. Other candidates that year, including the aforementioned Abed Hammoud, who helped found the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) in 1998, running for mayor in Dearborn and Shahab Ahmed running for city council in Hamtramck that year, lost their election bids, in part because of post-9/11 fear and backlash. With longtime Dearborn Mayor Jack OReilly retiring after serving as mayor for 14 years, Muslim and Arab American communities, which make up more than 40 percent of the citys population, have a chance at getting representation in the mayors office. Although he no longer has that original Hammoud for Mayor T-shirt, he is now, 20 years later, running for mayor of his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. He likened the attacks that Hammoud faced to right-wing theories peddled during the 2008 US presidential elections that Barack Obama would be a president for Black people only. [16], Woodfin received support from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who recorded a robo-call telling voters that Woodfin would fight for Medicare for All. Im a member of the millennial community. Hammoud is completing his third two-year term in the Michigan House of Representatives, to which he was elected when he was 25. The age distribution was 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% 65 or older. Please check your inbox to confirm. [33], Along with the Birmingham City Council, Woodfin's administration passed a $15 million COVID-19 response plan in March 2020, allocating extra money for first responders' personal protective equipment, allocating overtime pay, and placing $1 million in a small business emergency loan fund. To the young girls and boys who have ever been ridiculed for their faith or ethnicity, to those of you who were ever made to feel that their names were unwelcome, and to our parents and to our elders and to others who are humiliated for their broken English and yet still persisted: Today is proof that you are as American as anyone else, Hammoud said. Taking the oaths were, above, from left, Councilman Scott Nixon, Councilman Preston Jacobs . [12] In the general election, held on August 22, 2017, Woodfin won 40% of the vote, triggering a runoff election with Bell, who placed second. However, the demographics in Hamtramck are shifting rapidly, and it has now become very diverse, including large Bangladeshi and Yemeni American communities. [35] Under Woodfin, the Birmingham City Council voted to extend the city's mask mandates through May 24, 2021, after Governor Kay Ivey announced that the statewide mandate would end April 9. Copyright 2020 Citytowninfo.com. It is a huge deal for the Arab community in Michigan and nationwide, Sally Howell, director of the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, told CNN. In comparison, the future salary is $75,000 less than the existing salary of Auburn City Manager Jim Buston, who earns $195,000. One of Woodfin's early campaign promises was to address food deserts in the city. And if you go back and do math and assume a 4 percent raise per year for 10 years, you would get to the same number., Smith added, It is our desire, in the future, to be able to attract quality people to be in a mayors position, and we think that in order to do that, you have to fairly compensate them.. Woodfin cited Biden's ability to "make sure down-ballot candidates can win" as a primary reason for his endorsement. the first female mayor of Tunisia's capital in 160 years. Published But, because we didnt increase it for the last 12 years, the city has not spent that money. Electricity service in Arab is provided through Arab Electric Cooperative, which buys power through the Tennessee Valley Authority. [2] He graduated from Morehouse College, where he majored in political science and was student government association president. A Warner Bros. [24], Birmingham's high violent crime rate was a central plank of Woodfin's campaign platform; his nephew, Ralph Woodfin III, was shot and killed in August 2017, just weeks before the general election. Although Bazzy is already mayor, he seeks to legitimize that appointment by being elected to the role this November, facing off against city council Chairperson Denise Malinowski-Maxwell to finish Paletkos and to start a new term beginning in January. Ive actually had discussions with others that we thought that the mayors salary needed to go up a pretty significant amount to reflect that responsibility and that oversight.. Hammoud said the history of racism in Dearborn weighs heavily on him and he has pledged to confront it, starting with building a diverse administration if elected. You have permission to edit this article. There have been numerous community-driven campaigns over the last few years to register Muslims to vote., READ MORE: I feel so helpless. Afghans in the U.S. worry for friends and family back home. Clanton lost their mayor of three decades, Billy Joe Driver, to COVID-19 this year. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang. The increase for the mayors position was considerably more than that. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/decades-after-the-arab-problem-muslim-and-arab-americans-are-leading-political-change-in-metro-detroit. Now, are we there yet? The Mayor serves as the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of Arab City Government, and is responsible for the implementation of all City Laws & Operations set forth by the Office of the Mayor and the City Council. The UAE is a newcomer to the world of space exploration but quickly making its mark. During this, the two successfully carried out several tasks . Where the fact that Arab Americans running for office is a natural thing, not the exception., WATCH: How American Muslims have been represented in popular culture post-9/11. Hospitals, Homeland Infrastructure Foundation. who was arab alabama first mayor. Arab City Schools is the public school district. Office: (256) 586-8128. Never shy away from who you are, he said. Dearborn is home to one of the largest Arab-American communities in the United States. In 2020, there was a gap of 3 percent between those intending to vote and being registered to vote, down from a gap of 21 percent in 2016 and 8 percent in 2018. It was six years later, in 1998, when he would finally retire from the Corps, a successful career that effectively prepared him for his upcoming role as Chief Executive Officer of the City of Arab, and Champion of its future. He has said the sudden death of his older brother, Ali, in 2015 pushed him to re-evaluate his purpose and run for office. Both are paid departments. The city is a very large organization that takes a lot of time, and it takes a very qualified person to run it, and the fact that he oversees many different departments and many different employees. (Photo by Farah Nosh/Getty Images). The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. The Mayor recommends actions to the City Council, presents proclamations and awards, and performs ribbon cuttings for new businesses. In doing that, Bob was able to focus on his first true love restoring antique cars a passion that continues to connect him with his son and four grand-sons. Public Schools, Homeland Infrastructure Foundation. A drawback, though, is that so many members have been elected or appointed to important positions that they are often too busy to be able to help volunteer as much as they used to. The population density was 561.8 inhabitants per square mile (216.9/km 2).There were 3,223 housing units at an average density of 252.4 square miles . Somebody who was born and raised here, who happens to be Muslim Arab American. His son Mustapha who is now running for Dearborn City Council in 2021 wears the Hammoud for Mayor T-shirt at his side, then son Mazen and wife Mona (L-R) | Photograph courtesy of Abed Hammoud. [6], In 2009, Woodfin became an assistant city attorney for Birmingham, a position he held until he was elected mayor in 2017. Finally, weve got an Arab American speaking for this community that is identified with Arab Americans, Howell said of Hammouds victory. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much ET to upgrade the space station's power . Candidates today, he says, already know how to run a campaign from having worked on other campaigns. We are seeing a greater effort in both voter registration and candidate outreach to the community. Besides the race for mayor, Dearborn also elected a new seven-member city council and the members of a commission that will draft a new charter for the city outlining basic local governing principles. Find 6 Mayor Offices within 29.3 miles of Arab Mayor. The city of Arab was founded by Stephen Tuttle Thompson and was originally known as Thompson's Village. The group helped mentor a lot of people and advise on many campaigns. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Post-9/11 surveillance has left a generation of Muslim Americans in a shadow of distrust and fear, Bostons changing demographics on display in mayoral race dominated by women of color, The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), first Yemeni American in any state legislature, Hammoud received 42.36 percent of the vote. After his win, the mayor-elect spoke of a new era in Dearborn, a city known for its large Arab and Muslim community. In our form of government, the mayor is the chief executive officer and the chief operating officer for the city, Fuller explained. I think going [in] smaller increments, I think people can accept that a little better than just jumping from one extreme, you know, to the next, she said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.8km2), of which 13.3 square miles (34.5km2) are land and 0.12 square miles (0.3km2), or 0.99%, are water. Paul served on Jackson Water and Sewer Board for 15 years, During his tenure he served as Chairman and managed the construction of a 6.2 million dollar water facility. Originally, the name proposed was Arad. Hammoud said his fundraising has been proportional to the support he received in the primaries. READ MORE: Post-9/11 surveillance has left a generation of Muslim Americans in a shadow of distrust and fear. Ayah Aldarwish, a 17-year-old high school student volunteering for Hammouds campaign, said no matter the winner, the city must come together to respond to pressing issues, including repeated flooding that has damaged thousands of homes across Dearborn. Arab, Alabama, in Marshall county, is 29 miles S of Huntsville, Alabama (center to center) and 127 miles W of Atlanta, Georgia. The Mayor approves the financing of all City of Arab operations, and negotiates and executes contracts on behalf of the City. We did all of this with a purpose of arriving [at] a day like we are [at] today, he said. 1. And again, that salary has not been increased since 2008. Soon after, Hammoud took the stage as the crowd rushed towards the podium late on Tuesday with cell phones raised to document the moment that many described as historic. Dearborns population is about 42% Arab, according to Census figures. [17] The census division only includes the Marshall County portion of the town of Arab. He is the first Arab to embark on a long-duration space mission. [26] After a lengthy search, Woodfin appointed former Los Angeles Police Department commander Patrick D. Smith to the position. Located in Alabama, the town of Fairview has a lot to discover. This summer, three intense thunderstorms in Southeastern Michigan caused severe flooding of thousands of homes in several Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, and Detroit neighborhoods signs of aging infrastructure and accelerating climate change. Dubai: UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk during Expedition 69 venturing out of the International Space Station (ISS) and completing his spacewalk . Arab's senior center is now open at at full capacity, and seniors are ready to get back. Woronchak, 66, a former state representative and county commissioner, said his long years in government make him more qualified to serve the city than Hammoud. "[48], Woodfin believes in climate change and in 2018 he signed the "Alabama Mayors for 100% Sustainable Energy Pledge" pledge by the GASP (Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution) to fulfill a campaign promise. Dearborn, a city known for its large Arab and Muslim population, elects 31-year-old state lawmaker as next mayor. Woronchak, a former state representative and county commissioner, had promoted his own close ties to the Arab community during the campaign, arguing that his years of government experience made him better suited for the job than his younger opponent. Days before the general election last year, now-First Lady Jill Biden held a socially distant rally in Dearborn, telling Arab American attendees that their votes could decide the swing state of Michigan and the entire election. Hammoud told Al Jazeera last week that identity can be pluralistic, and his belonging to the Arab and Muslim communities does not take away from his ability to serve the entire city. I support a lot of things on the left butif Im being realI also believe you gotta win. Changes in U.S. immigration laws in 1965 and a long string of political conflicts abroad also contributed to the growth and diversity of this population. [13], During the campaign, Woodfin criticized Bell's failure to improve Birmingham residents' quality of life[14] and promised to focus his administration on revitalization of the city's 99 neighborhoods. With the victory, he also becomes the citys first Muslim mayor. Aug 4, 2021. [7], In 2013, he ran for a seat on the school board again, this time successfully. [31] Additionally, 2020 resulted in the highest murder rate in Birmingham, Alabama in 25 years.[32]. Theres a clock on the wall, and theres the question of when is the next heavy rain thats going to set in thats going to lead into the next catastrophic flooding, similar to what we experienced in the past summer when nearly 20,000 homes experienced some type of flooding, Hammoud said. Of the 3,359 households 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. J.R.N. His remarks came after a video emerged of Hammoud speaking at a mosque where he urged greater voter participation from Arabs and Muslims making references to our community. The Office of Mayor is a part-time position. Hammoud, currently a state representative, won the primaries in August with a comfortable margin. Woronchaks campaign did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment. The increase was a large jump, Smith T said, but the mayor has many responsibilities in supervising the citys various functions. Arab was also incorporated in the same year. Sanders campaigned in Dearborn with specific messaging for Arabs and Muslims during his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs. [3], What is now Arab was established by Stephen Tuttle Thompson in the 1840s, and was originally known as "Thompson's Village". [15], Bell criticized Woodfin for receiving out-of-state contributions during the campaign; Woodfin argued that it was the only way to combat the incumbent candidate's sizable local donor base. Whoever is elected mayor of Opelika in 2020 will earn an annual income of $120,000 rather than $72,000, a decision that was authorized Tuesday by the Opelika City Council. Speaking later with the Opelika-Auburn News, Ward 3 Councilman Dozier Smith T, who led the initiative to adjust the mayors salary, said he didnt know why the salary had not been adjusted incrementally. All Rights Reserved. Mayor Kelley has overseen the growth of his city from 6,000 in population to over 20,000. The oldest, largest, and most diverse Muslim American and Arab American communities in the U.S. are located in the Metro Detroit area. But I also told them this I said, I was hired at $52,000. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. [36], For years, Birmingham residents had been requesting Birmingham take down the Confederate monument located in the park across the street from Birmingham City Hall. This is a substantial enterprise, he said. The future salary for the Opelika mayor is comparable to some full-time annual salaries of other Alabama city mayors in similar forms of mayor-council governments. Council seats are at-large and are not associated with districts. Males had a median income of $44,401 versus $40,062 for females. With communities from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and other countries in the Middle East, the states Arab population is more than 200,000, the second-highest in the US behind California. Arab was one of the towns reaching contact with the 2011 Super Outbreak of tornado activity. [28], The city's homicide rate has stayed approximately the same since Woodfin took office; the city logged 117 homicides in 2017, 110 in 2018, and 112 in 2019. Arab-Americans across the country have been holding similar registration drives to mobilize political power over the years. But experts, including Stiffler, suspected that Dearborn has had an Arab majority for years a reality not reflected in the Census, which counts Arabs as white, skewing the statistics. Volunteers campaign for Abdullah Hammoud in Dearborn, Michigan, US November 2 . In 2018, Egyptian American doctor, Abdul El-Sayed made national headlines when he mounted a serious campaign for governor with support from Sanders. [40][41], Woodfin was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In 2015, he was the first probate judge in Alabama to issue same-sex marriage . She said Woronchaks campaign slogan insinuated that his opponent could not represent the entire city, but that it backfired on him, frankly.. For ecologically minded gardeners, a new nursery has opened in Auburn featuring flora native to our state. Last month, Woronchak slammed Hammoud without naming him for apparently referring to the Arab and Muslim community as our community. 30 Oct 2021. . The Mayor's Office houses the highest-ranking government official in Arab. Im a member of the Arab American community. So Im going to continue taking $52,000, and Im going to give the rest of it to charity whatever you raise it to. Instead, he helped found AAPAC with a group of all kinds of professionals to help the community develop its collective political voice, its collective reasoning. He had forged warm ties with the Arab community in the years after his election. In January 2022, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith announced his resignation. Arab, Alabama 35016. He will succeed John B OReilly, who did not seek re-election after being diagnosed with an undisclosed illness. After eight well-deserved years of retirement, Bob was encouraged to run for the Office of Mayor. At the 2010 census there were 8,050 people in 3,359 households, including 2,257 families, in the city. Terms and Conditions. Hammoud says he is ready to get to work and immediately begin tackling issues that affect his city, including climate change. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. Arab was also incorporated in the same year. If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you. As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,461 people, 3,177 households, and 2,094 families residing in the city. [39], He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, despite having received Bernie Sanders' endorsement during his 2017 mayoral race. He was first elected in 2016 and has since been re-elected twice. Although he only accepts a portion of it, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson makes $89,000, while Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks makes less than Fuller, at $65,000. Postal Service in 1882 of the city's intended name, taken from Arad Thompson, the son of the town founder, who had applied for a post office that year. Tuesday nights results capped months of electioneering in Dearborn. As Tunis's mayor, she is an electoral rarity in the Arab world. Arab was incorporated as a town in 1892, but it did not first report a population on the census until the 1920 U.S. Im surely not running as a Muslim or Arab American. [8] He was appointed president of the board two months after being elected;[9] he held that position until 2015 and remained on the board until 2017.[10]. All Rights Reserved. [49], He grew up with three siblings; his older brother Ralph was killed by gun violence in 2011. Their fire department has one station, sitting on top of Marshall County 911 center. Dearborn Heights already has its first Muslim and Arab American mayor. Find 2 external resources related to Arab Mayor. Dearborn is the greatest city in the whole country and everybodys just learning it, said Hammoud, an epidemiologist, child of Lebanese immigrants, and graduate of Dearborn High School and University of Michigan Dearborn. But I think in winning, what you demonstrate, is that Abdullah is as American as any other name., Late media personality Russ Gibb introduces 2001 Dearborn mayoral candidate Abed Hammoud at a July 2001 fundraiser. These cities have also seen remarkable economic growth and flourished culturally in the past 30 years because of investments by Muslim and Arab American institutions, entrepreneurs, and homeowners, said Sally Howell, a professor at the University of Michigans Dearborn campus and director of the Center for Arab American Studies. Michigan State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) speaking at the Michigan Muslim Day celebration at the state capitol on April 14, 2019 | Photograph courtesy of Michigan House Democrats. 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[42], Woodfin identifies as a political moderate, but has championed many progressive policies such as criminal justice reform,[43] free college tuition,[44] and marijuana legalization. Cherokee Ridge Mayor and Town Council sworn in. So he stuffed pamphlets and passed out flyers at a polling place until he could get the T-shirt that supported the candidate that shared his same last name. Water service in Arab is provided through Arab Water Works, which gets water from Browns Creek in Guntersville Lake. I think if you want to be mayor of Dearborn and you refer to our community, you should mean all of our community, not just one group or one section of town, Woronchak said in a campaign video, calling for an end to divisions in the city. But if you add them all on top of each other, you realize each one of them, you know, it contributed to the movement we are in here.