Dearborn Heights averts shutdown of city services amid infighting among officials

Services by Dearborn Heights government continued as normal Monday after the city council averted a threatened shutdown by passing a budget. But tensions remain as the legislative body clashes with the mayor amid concerns expressed by some residents that the city's image has been tarnished by the infighting.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi said last week that the city could shut down its services starting July 1 because the council had still not passed its annual budget as required by state law.

"Dearborn Heights administration and staff ... have taken steps to prepare for a close-down of all city services effective July 1," Bazzi said Wednesday.

But after hours of heated discussion late Friday, the city council voted 5-2 to pass a budget for the suburb of about 63,000 residents. Councilmen Hassan Saab and Tom Wencel voted against approving the budget. The general fund of the city's budget is about $60 million, according to city documents.

During the meeting, Council Chair Mo Baydoun sparred with Bazzi and grilled city officials about the salaries of some employees. He asked the city to reduce the overtime costs in the police and fire departments. Baydoun told the city administration to not "spend tax pay money without coming before us."

Part of the tensions involve spending in the police department. In 2022, Bazzi appointed a new police chief, Jerrod Hart, who has alleged there was corruption and misspending in the department. The Justice Department is currently working with the city on improving the department, and people working with them are visiting Dearborn Heights this week, Bazzi said. During the meeting, Baydoun said he was not informed directly about the Justice Department's involvement with the city.

"Nobody ever told me," Baydoun said, interrupting Bazzi at the meeting. Bazzi replied by saying they have been open with the council.

Baydoun also went over in detail the salaries of some police employees and other city workers, repeatedly questioning Bazzi's chief of staff, Mariana Hernandez. The meeting dragged on for hours before a vote was finally taken.

Councilwoman Denise Malinowski Maxwell, who ran against Bazzi in 2021 and lost, said "we are thrilled that the council was able to come together and pass a budget that will keep our city's services running smoothly." Maxwell has criticized the mayor for some of his actions, saying he has made some hires without council approval.

The infighting has concerned some in the city.

"I hope that you will approve the budget tonight," resident Zouhair Abdel-Hak, a former city councilman, said at the start of Friday's council meeting. "The city had enough negative publicity. And the consequences of not approving the budget tonight are a lot worse than what we have already seen. So please do your due diligence and approve it tonight."

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Wencel said that city council members have not done a good job, hurting the image of Dearborn Heights.

"It's a shame that we've gotten to this point," Wencel said. "All the negative publicity on TV and social media, it's been directed to our city, is making our city look bad. But you know, it's not our city or the residents that are looking bad. We have a great city with great residents. The problem is our leadership, including myself, who are at fault on this. We should have taken control and used our authority months ago and got this budget passed."

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dearborn Heights averts shutdown of city services amid infighting among officials