2007 State of the City

Those of you in this auditorium came very close to being able to spend tonight at home. Due to the tremendous loss endured by this City and many of us personally, I questioned whether I should even deliver a State of the City address.

But then, looking forward rather than back, I thought our community needed to know that, in spite of everything, Dearborn is doing well.

I had never hoped to fulfill my duties as Mayor Pro Tem like this.

In fact, when Mayor Guido was with us, I told him that as long as he was Mayor I would not run for that position. I believed Dearborn would realize greater benefits if we could work closely together as allies rather than against each other as rivals.

He and I put the people’s business—your business—first and politics a very distant second.

To me, the record is clear that the strategy worked.

Tonight is about carrying on that willingness to put Dearborn first, in the face of great loss and severe challenges.

That’s why it’s so important that you are here, and that all of us are involved in our cherished community.

Because it’s not just City Hall that can take credit for—or responsibility for—the state of our City.

It’s all of us in this room—and all of our friends and neighbors across Dearborn.

Most of you remember that special moment at the State of the City last year, when Mayor Guido dramatically illustrated the strength of our community.

He called out to all of us in the audience to stand up for each of the roles we individually fill in our community and then clap, not for him—but for each other and for ourselves — as he listed our combined civic contributions made on so many levels.

There really was thundering applause as we all stood together in our dedication to Dearborn.

He said, “Commit this sight to memory because it’s a powerful representation of who we are and the key to what we can become.”

A year later, with so much behind us, and so much before us, we need that type of community spirit more than ever.

Mayor Guido’s passing is a huge loss for Dearborn.

 But now is the time to build on the Dearborn spirit he inspired—and rededicate ourselves to our community with a special purpose and a special passion.

Regardless of my future in the Mayor’s Office, I’m invested in Dearborn and I’m committed to Dearborn—now, and for the long run. Just like all of you.

We’ll need that unwavering commitment as we face numerous challenges.

To give us encouragement, we first should recall a number of our accomplishments in 2006, a year when the State and the region faced some of the worst financial conditions in recent memory.

Despite these conditions, we saw the opening of West Village Commons, further commercial and residential developments and a pedestrian park in the west end, and new buildings and businesses along Warren Avenue, Wyoming and Schaefer.

We earned more than a dozen regional, state or national awards across various departments.

We were singled out by the Environmental Protection Agency for our outstanding management of the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project. This project will greatly improve the Rouge River and all bodies of water downstream from it.

We were named the most accessible community in the State by the Michigan Commission on Disabilities Concerns. That’s a notable confirmation of our commitment to include all people in all aspects of our community.

And Governor Granholm officially acknowledged us as something we already knew we were — “A Cool City.”

The November election proved once again that Dearborn voters will make the right choice for our community when armed with accurate information.

In 2007, we can look forward to continued progress in the west downtown, with the Golden Gateway project, and more from the Dearborn Village Partners.

We’ll see the start of a new Holiday Inn Express hotel on Michigan Avenue, bolstering the far west end commercial district.

Warren Avenue will be redone from Schaefer east to the city limit and be enhanced with a streetscape design to support that busy region.

East Downtown Dearborn, through the Downtown Development Authority, soon will start seeing the benefits of a new strategic planning effort. That effort has reached out to stakeholders and promises to leverage their input and energy in ways that will transform this critical district.

A great start to this transformation is the commitment we’re expecting for a landmark project at the Montgomery Ward’s site—maybe even a corporate headquarters with 500 employees. This proposal is very attractive because it brings new construction and the certainty of new customers every day for our businesses. It may also put new residents in our neighborhoods.

We’ll get closer to having a Welcome Center at Bryant Library in partnership with the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, and see further innovations in customer service, more technology, and more public outreach.

Thankfully, there’s some positive news from Ford Motor Company. Despite substantial downsizing, Ford will begin an investment in Dearborn facilities worth $240 million.

Obviously we’re very concerned about our favorite car company’s ability to compete. We will continue to do all that we can to help it succeed.

Because, like Ford, we also face very real financial challenges.

Good management has kept Dearborn in an enviable condition.

But, like all cities in Michigan, we can’t bear the pressures any more of a broken municipal financing system—or such a damaged state economy.

Due in part to runaway double digit increases in health care costs for our active and retired workers we face a $10 million difference between our traditional revenues and our fixed costs. It’s a structural budget deficit rooted in Michigan’s tax system--and there are no easy solutions.

The situation has not taken us by surprise.

The administration, with the City Council’s support and employee cooperation, has implemented dramatic cost saving measures over the past six years.

More than 120 full-time positions have been eliminated since 2001. Employee wages have remained essentially flat. The benefit package has changed. The fleet’s been reduced, divisions consolidated, new purchasing strategies employed, commercial tax appeals challenged, grants pursued, and debt refinanced to our advantage.

We’ve even trimmed or eliminated some nonessential services—so far with little impact on our daily lives.

We’ve reached out to neighboring communities looking for opportunities to collaborate, even before Lansing made the suggestion.

And, because we need innovation on both sides of the equation, the city has also moved forward generating new revenues.

That’s why we invest in developments like Ward’s. That’s why we’ve looked closer at reasonable user fees, even trying a pilot program at Summer-Stephens Pool—and finding success.

Due to financial problems outside of our control, more changes and more choices are coming. But as I mentioned earlier, the most important choice is the choice to put Dearborn first.

When our country was struggling to gain its independence, Thomas Paine wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls” because he knew that before America could be free, Americans had to be willing to bear the burden of uncertainty and personal hardship.

Most chose to bear that burden.

Today, we’re at a point in our City’s history where difficult choices must be made. And like 2 centuries ago, that process needs to begin from within.

Are we willing to bear the burdens to secure Dearborn’s future?

This choice, which we must all make, will be more important than any particular strategy we might pursue.

While that choice may prompt change, we will not change the essential character of our community. Fortunately, we are in control of that—as long as we have elected leaders who are courageous, employees who are engaged, residents who are informed and partners who are involved.

Working together, even in tough times, there are ways to keep Dearborn strong.

The key to that strength lies in our neighborhoods. My father liked to say that, “Good neighbors make good neighborhoods.” Working with you and for you, neighborhoods and the neighbors that live in them remain our City’s top priority.

We start with the basics—maintaining and upgrading the city’s infrastructure, an ongoing investment that even in tough economic times won’t falter.

We invested $16 million in reconstructed roads, water mains, sewers, and sidewalks undertaking high-profile projects throughout Dearborn.

To keep that investment viable, every day we’re either sweeping, patching, salting, plowing, grading, trimming, mowing, or planting.

In fact, in 2006, we planted 275 trees around town and supported efforts for the ongoing greening of south Dearborn, earning a Tree City USA designation for the 19 th year in a row.

But keeping up the roads and services around neighborhoods is not relevant unless our houses remain desirable.

We’re all concerned about our property values in these tough economic times. Add to that Dearborn’s aging housing stock and the surge of foreclosures, and the concern seems justified.

Yet, we’re aggressively using proven programs, newer measures, and a unique relationship with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stabilize our neighborhoods. For that, we owe a special thanks to Congressman John Dingell.

Through these efforts, 40 houses were purchased from HUD for demolition. In total, 59 eyesore homes were eliminated and these lots were made ready for new home construction in 2006. Another 12 houses were rehabilitated.

In addition, the City remains a leader in the STOP Mortgage Fraud Campaign. We also are in regular contact with financial institutions promoting education to avoid foreclosures and fraudulent borrowing.

Our statistics show that these programs are working, even in these trying economic times.

In 2006, 89 new single family homes were built, 59 condos were added, and more than 1,300 homes were sold.

Residents also followed our time-honored tradition in Dearborn of investing in their existing homes, adding value to our neighborhoods by building additions, porches, and decks. Altogether, residential building permits totaled more than $47 million.

That helped to keep Dearborn’s 2006 residential property values at a steady level. And we look forward to making new investment in property improvement easier, more predictable and customer friendly.

Now, it’s true that all across Michigan, “For Sale” signs are worrisome. But, it’s also true people are still in the real estate market.

To get them to buy in Dearborn, we’ll be launching a marketing campaign in 2007 in partnership with the Dearborn Board of Realtors -- so that homebuyers will understand what we already know about living in this special community.

One of our selling points is our commitment to our unofficial motto—Clean and Safe.

In 2006, Building and Safety worked to preserve neighborhood values through ordinance enforcement — and if a warning was issued, had an impressive rate of 99 percent compliance.

We also gave concentrated attention to sprucing up and cracking down on our commercial areas in a special “Clean Sweep.”

Working together, DPW and the Police Department halted a rash of graffiti — with immediate results.

Our sanitation division expanded its hours to address commercial and residential trash issues outside of the normal workday.

We added park rangers to the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center to reinforce a family atmosphere for its more than 600,000 annual visitors.

Our Fire Department retained its best in class status for its four minute response time and combined new technology with constant training for outstanding service.

Police and fire participated in emergency training with businesses around town, to stay prepared for any situation. And if there is a situation, averages show that the police will be there in four minutes — less if it’s a serious crime.

Helping to bolster that response rate is a reorganization of police beats across the city. This will lead to other benefits, like officers being even more in touch with the residents they protect and serve.

We’ve continued a police presence in the schools and even on our doorsteps, with the “Cops on the Porch” anti-speeding program.

Because of the world around us, all police divisions have seen more activity. But to their credit, they’ve maintained Dearborn’s standards of safety.

To help them, we’ve added a citywide GIS system that improves our ability to respond to emergencies.

And, technology has helped us stay more accessible to you by providing more information online for both business and pleasure such as buying tickets for The Center or making tee times at our golf course.

But, we haven’t forgotten the basics—the face to face contact to make our processes easier. We started a new program to help commercial investors navigate efficiently through our procedures—our first success was the newly opened “McDonald’s of the Future” on Michigan Avenue.

We’re also committed to giving people the tools they need to successfully live and do business in Dearborn.

A good start was our education series on municipal financing—we’ve held nine public sessions to put our budget situation in perspective and encourage good decision making. You can still see those sessions on CDTV, which, by the way, is no longer paying rent because it’s moved its offices to underused space right here in the library.

Building & Safety has expanded its outreach to realtors and landlords --and along with police and fire, has increased their participation at neighborhood association meetings.

That’s a lot. But more needs to be done.

The goal is to get all of us involved in choosing an affordable service mix. Then, we need to confirm that we’re delivering those services in the best way possible. Before we get there, however, we need to be able to accept the fact that the things we do and how we do them will change.

To guide that change, we need to commit ourselves to pursuing what’s best for Dearborn like we’ve done so many times in the past.

I know, based on my 17 years as Council President, we can accomplish what we set out to accomplish. Working together we’ve strengthened this community. And we have all benefited.

Despite our recent tragedy and the uncertainty we face, there’s no question that we have what it takes to succeed. The only question that remains for each of us is will we bear the burden to secure our future success?

I’m asking all who can answer yes to that question to join me. As Thomas Paine said, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”

With this positive attitude and community spirit, we’ll overcome our challenges. And we’ll give our children a special way of life that they’ll always treasure.

Thank you and God bless Dearborn.