Guest Columnist Says ‘O’Reilly Deserves Re-Election’
Morris Goodman, a Dearborn attorney, past president of the Dearborn Democratic Club, a longtime political activist and observer and regular reader of Deepsaidwhat.com, provided us with a column today on his thoughts about Dearborn’s mayoral race.
His column begins below:
Morris Goodman
Mayor O’Reilly has been confronted with the perfect storm of economic woe – (1) plunging residential values leading to plunging property taxes; (2) increasing stress on neighborhoods due to foreclosures; (3) huge cutbacks in state revenue sharing; and (4) visibly growing commercial vacancies. He has led the city in a fiscally prudent way to maintain as many of the quality services Dearbornites have grown to expect, with a shrinking workforce due to a hemoraging budget.
If ever there was a person literally born to be Dearborn’s Mayor now, it is Jack O’Reilly. Not only was his father Mayor, but he spent his professionally formative years after graduating from law school absorbing what government is all about working for Congressman Dingell in Washington and as a committee staffer in Lansing. Moreover, as we all know, prior to becoming Mayor, he learned everything there is to know about Dearborn by serving on the City Council for nearly 2 decades, mostly as President.
Of equal importance to his education to be an effective at Dearborn’s helm is the decade Mayor O’Reilly spent as the CEO of SEMCA (Southeast Michigan Community Alliance) prior to becoming Mayor. He administered tens of millions of dollars in federal and state workforce development and substance abuse prevention and treatment funds. With Dearborn’s unemployment problems and resulting substance abuse spin off, isn’t it fortuitous that our Mayor is so familiar with the relevant programs and agency heads.
Also as SEMCA’s CEO, Mayor O’Reilly worked with a governing board composed of the region’s business, labor, and civic leadership. Certainly knowing these people and his way around Lansing and Washington has been invaluable in his efforts to build on and develop Dearborn’s assets. The proposed new Amtrak train station at Greenfield Village on the new high speed rail link from Detroit to Chicago and the proposed new convention center at Fairlane Town Center are both due to the Mayor’s drive, vision, and contacts.
Dearborn Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr.
While I am a long time supporter of the Mayor and worked with him as a consultant for several years at SEMCA to leverage combining the 7 regional Michigan Works agencies, I am no apologist for him. He clearly does not need to be lauded by me to secure a huge re-election victory. What is important however is that Dearborn residents understand that Jack O’Reilly is not your usual politician. So many voters are turned off by the constant bitter partisan state and national battles. In 2009 the choice here simply is not “the lesser of two evils” or “we could have done worse.” No, in Dearborn on November 3 when we re-elect Mayor Jack O’Reilly, we can truly feel, “We could not have done better.”
October 16th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Goodman keeps sucking up to the Big O, because as usual he is looking for a handout of some sort. Make up your own mind as Goodman doesn’t influence anyone, so simple vote for yourself.
October 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
O’Reilly can rest easy now, this endorsement should squeeze him over the top
October 16th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
hmmm, can anyone get a column on their thoughts of candidates, or is it only the Movers and Shakers of Dearborn?
October 16th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Big Jack doesn’t deserve anyones vote — how much have we paid out in lawsuits since he has been in office — check on that Mr. Gooddman.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
He hasn’t sold me. O’Reilley has done nothing to clean up Guido’s corruption at City Hall. His big action was to move Norwood from the Department he screwed up to another department. That’s not the kind of action I want to see. Prus doesn’t owe any favors. He might be willing to throw the trash out instead of just recycling.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I swear if we end up with the same dagone people after this election i’ma runnin for City Council in 2013!
October 17th, 2009 at 6:00 am
couldn’t agree more. he hasn’t moved as fast as i would have liked cleaning up city hall and he is micro-manager to the point nothing gets done, but he really does have Dearborn’s best interests at heart. now if he could just be more consistent in what he allows some businesses to get away and for others can make their lives difficult.
October 17th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Anon. – get your campaign signs ready cause unless there is a BIG turnout I am afraid we will end up with the same dagone people. With any luck at all maybe 1 one new person on the council.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I guess it is a big surprise to me that Mayor O’Reilly is in ANY danger of losing his re-election campaign. Hopefully this is not a shade of the final mayoral election in which Mike Guido was running unopposed and for some reason became so paranoid that he ordered the city emergency (as in 9-11 style emergency) sirens to be sounded to get voters to the polls.
My guess is that the Goodman column has more to do with getting voters to the polls so they will re-elect the O’Reilly incumbent slate to the city council.
Yawn……
October 19th, 2009 at 10:38 am
New Poll: Mayor O’Reilly’s performance as Mayor of Dearborn. Have your say: http://www.networkdearborn.com/polls.html
October 19th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
After what I saw at the council meeting tonight, I would have to be dead to vote for O’Reilly. He was rude and abusive to other council members and the public, and he got into a shouting match and tried to speak over the council president. How very unprofessional! Everyone has a bad day, but he has definitely had too many lately.
Mr. Deep, I hope you will consider posting an article about Mr. Pruss’ candidacy, as well, to give him equal time.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Mr. Goodman like all Democrats refers to state revenue sharig in number 3. Once and for all Mr. Goodman, it is tax payer sharing. The state only get revenues from the tax payers.
Diogenes
October 20th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Dearbornnette, so glad someone else saw meeting last night. The mayor was very rude and certainly didn’t want anyone else speaking on the subject. I still don’t understand why he has any say in the meeting unless he is asked a question. The council mtg. is turning into the mayor’s mtg. Time for Tom T. to pick up the gavel and start pounding.
October 20th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
o’rEILLY MADE A FOOL OF HIMSELF, AT LAST NIGHTS MEETING — HERE IS A VOTE FOR pRUS.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
What has Morris been promised by the Big O to run this commercial here and in the local paper?
October 24th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
The reality of the situation is that ALL OF US have been confronted with the same “PERFECT STORM” as has Mayor O’Rielly.
It is also a reality that what you have done in the past is no longer remotely relavant to what you are doing NOW–in the present time. The game and all its rules has totally changed.
The mark of a true leader is ability to confront TODAY’S challenges head-on. Morris, you can go on forever and forever about Mayor O’Rielly’s past accomplishments. You can remind us of his familty legacy. You can inform us all of how “connected” and “hooked-up” he is to both Lansing and Washington. You can tell us about all the “proposed” developments that are now on the table.
Morris, please tell me, in very concise terms, what has Mayor O’Rielly accomplished for the city since he became our Mayor. please tell me what exactly he has done to address any of the following–your words… (1) plunging residential values leading to plunging property taxes; (2) increasing stress on neighborhoods due to foreclosures; (3) huge cutbacks in state revenue sharing; and (4) visibly growing commercial vacancies.
Morris, please enlighten me on how a should not expect much, much, much more from a leader who has been on our payroll, in one form or another, for the past 25 years?