Abraham Sets Sights on Downtown, Neighborhoods
Dearborn Councilman Robert Abraham says he is setting his sights on improving downtown west and east Dearborn business districts because what he and other elected officials have done in the past “has not worked.”
In an open letter to Dearborn, a copy of which was e-mailed to us here, the councilman says he is going to work with his council colleagues and the mayor to promote existing business and work to bring new business to our city.
“Two big goals I have for the City of Dearborn are focusing on seeing that our new Neighborhood Stabilization Program is successful, along with improving downtown west and east Dearborn,” Abraham says in his two-page letter. “These are two big challenges I believe our leaders can work on to help make business in Dearborn much better.
“Through our Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Association (DFNA) my goal is to bring back the standards of our neighborhoods with more than 30 neighborhood associations. We are seeing far too many foreclosures and rentals in Dearborn and with that come unique challenges.
“Both of our downtown districts have suffered throughout this economic crisis and need our help. I am going to work with the council and Mayor to see that we meet regularly to address problems and issues and to develop new and fresh ideas to promote existing business. I am also going to work to see that the city puts forth extensive effort in bringing new business to Dearborn.
“Despite our best efforts, what we have done in the past has not worked and I believe it is time for some “out of the box” thinking. I am also going to be regularly asking the citizens for their input as to what we can do to help our business districts.”
Echoing what many readers of this site have said in the past, Abraham also is urging residents to support our local businesses. “Many of these business owners and employees are Dearborn residents and they contribute significantly to our tax base, local charities and civic organizations,” he writes. “To lose even one business to closing or to a move to another neighboring city is a tragedy we cannot afford. If we support them, then we contribute to making them successful, which helps the entire city, including our citizens.”
Councilman Robert A. Abraham’s Letter to Dearborn
The New Year is approaching with each sunrise AND 2009 is coming to an end. We are entering the holiday season, which begins with a traditional “Thanksgiving Day”! This was an extraordinary year for the Abraham family, and like so many of us in Dearborn, we are thankful for so much.
Despite the tragedy of losing our home and beloved family pet Dublin to a fire, the Abraham’s have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. We are a
very close-knit family that lives in a wonderful city and despite tough issues we face; I believe we live in one of the best cities in America – Dearborn, Michigan.
Dearborn has far more parks than most American cities and one of the best recreation programs in the nation. We have far more services and amenities than most cities, including snow removal, curbside leaf removal, and an extensive trash removal program, along with The Ford Performing Arts Center, eight outdoor swimming pools and one of the finest police and fire departments in the nation. We are blessed with so much, it is too much to mention.
I am thankful that our biggest corporate benefactor – Ford Motor Company is financially solid, making a profit, has topped the charts in customer quality satisfaction, and is a great asset to our community. FMC is a fine corporate citizen and we should be thankful for their leadership and dedication to our city. Dearborn would not have even been what it is without Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford and the Ford family, so let us wish Ford well in 2010.
Two big goals I have for the City of Dearborn are focusing on seeing that our new Neighborhood Stabilization Program is successful, along with improving downtown west and east Dearborn. These are two big challenges I believe our leaders can work on to help make business in Dearborn much better.
Through our Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Association (DFNA) my goal is to bring back the standards of our neighborhoods with more than 30 neighborhood associations. We are seeing far too many foreclosures and rentals in Dearborn and with that come unique challenges.
Both of our downtown districts have suffered throughout this economic crisis and need our help. I am going to work with the council and Mayor to see that we meet regularly to address problems and issues and to develop new and fresh ideas to promote existing business. I am also going to work to see that the city puts forth extensive effort in bringing new business to Dearborn.
Despite our best efforts, what we have done in the past has not worked and I believe it is time for some “out of the box” thinking. I am also going to be regularly asking the citizens for their input as to what we can do to help our business districts.
Please support your local Dearborn businesses. Many of these business owners and employees are Dearborn residents and they contribute significantly to our tax base, local charities and civic organizations. To lose even one business to closing or to a move to another neighboring city is a tragedy we cannot afford. If we support them, then we contribute to making them successful, which helps the entire city, including our citizens.
So with the Michigan economy still in disaster, unemployment at record highs, school budgets slashed (my wife Mary Ann and sister are Dearborn teachers), business in the tank and the city’s tax base shrinking and the loss of my dog to a tragic fire…what am I thankful for in 2009?
Well, I still believe! I believe everything will get better if we work together. 2009 was a year to remember, that is for sure. Brandon, my oldest son, graduated from a 4 year university, started his accounting career, lives outside Chicago and bought a new Ford! Jared made the Dean’s List at MSU, with practically all “A’s” in his freshman year. Mary Kate started middle school at Bryant….all “A’s.
My family is healthy, my sister and her husband are expecting their first child, so I get to be an uncle! We have relocated to our temporary house and plan to begin reconstruction of our family home very soon. The election was very successful and I am excited to begin a New Year term as your city councilman. I am thankful and grateful for my wife. I could not do all this without her support. I cannot wait for our Thanksgiving dinner and just have everyone together. I believe this will be a perfect Thanksgiving to all.
~ Councilman Robert A. Abraham
November 25th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
“Please support your local Dearborn businesses. Many of these business owners and employees are Dearborn residents and they contribute significantly to our tax base, local charities and civic organizations. To lose even one business to closing or to a move to another neighboring city is a tragedy we cannot afford. If we support them, then we contribute to making them successful, which helps the entire city, including our citizens.”
Completely agree with this, Councilman. I’m looking forward to being perhaps a small part of the solution. If you read these comments, Mr. Abraham, please get in touch and let’s see what we can accomplish via online promotion of Dearborn businesses together.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Lets get rid of paid parking in West Dearborn or at least level the playing field and make the East end pay to park too.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Wonder if Germany had anything to do with this?
November 25th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
O’Reilly gave this suggestion to Bob, and told him to run with it, because he needs someone to do his experimenting. If it works the big guy can take credit with Bob for same, and if it doesn’t Bob looks like an ahole. Good try big guy, and Bob don’t be a pawn for the big guy.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Support what in West Dearborn? Another bar?
November 25th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Germany?
November 26th, 2009 at 8:33 am
I tried to support our local Rite Aid located in the middle of the ghost town on Michigan Ave. They had NONE of the advertised specials I went for. This too will kill their business.
November 26th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I doubt very much that O’Reilly gave Bob this suggestion – he would have suggested it himself.
November 26th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Wanting Better, how many times does it have to be brought up that east Dearborn businesses decided, wisely, to keep paying into a special assessment district. If the businesses there want to pay why force user paid parking on them?
November 26th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Are there two parking decks that have to be paid for in the East end? Why don’t we take ANOTHER vote. All those in favor of making residents pay for the parking decks say “aye”. All those in favor of making the businesses pay for the parking deck with an astronomical assessment that would put most of them out of business, say “Doug Thomas”.
I vote for getting rid of paid parking and hiking taxes to pay for the decks and make the businesses pay for lot maintenance. This way we can spread the cost across the whole city, not just the West end. After all, there are not TWO cities of Dearborn, just one.
November 26th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Paul makes some valid points, but the west Dearborn businesses in the locations of those lots did not want to pay the SAD’s any longer. The ones around the New Place and other areas with city owned lots, agreed to still pay the SAD’s and that’s why customers have free parking.
East Dearborn businesses also did not face 16.5 million dollars in parking rebuilds, along with 11.5 million of that in 2 parking garages and this expense the city felt was too much for the city to handle. Since those west Dearborn businesses said “no” to the SAD’s, along came the user paid parking. But like most others, I’m no big fan of the user paid parking either.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Stop Already: You are spot on. Spread the tax out across all residents. Pay for the decks and then REMOVE the special tax once the decks are paid for. But I do think businesses in the west end need to pay more than lot maintenance. Let’s not forget, west end business owners had the chance to do what businesses already do on the East end.
November 27th, 2009 at 9:25 am
You mean they had a chance to pay for the decks or to stay with an S.A.D system? Was it realisitic to ask or expect them to do that (pay for the decks), plus pay for lot reconstruction and maintenance? If the decks were paid for, I think the business owners would rather return to an S.A.D. system. I have no problem with that if that’s what you mean. At least it would take away the excuse of “paid parking” for why the west end isn’t doing as well as we’d like.
How about the businesses pay for lot maintenance and the price of all those parking meters and the tax payers pay for the decks and recoup some of what they pay with any settlement from BK?
Then again, there’s always something. At what point does an owner say “I’m not making it because people don’t want to buy what I’m selling for the price I’m asking?” In other words; What happens if there is no significant improvement whatsoever if paid parking is scrapped?
I too would like to see residents pay for the decks with a one-time tax and then see it removed. Wonder how much money the city will see from the BK “win”?
November 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Stop Already – Wonder how much money the city will see from the BK “win”? I would say that will be a long long time – if ever. I don’t see to many people voting for a one-time tax, especially those in the east end.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
One time taxes NEVER go away. I hope residents aren’t duped into voting for another tax.
November 27th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hey, maybe we DO need to think “outside the box”! Can it be possible to look into what other cities are doing, and even talk to city officials from other states, to see what they have done. Stop and look at which communities are doing well with customer traffic. Personally, I have always liked a variety of stores close to each other…not restaurants, but not necessarily boutiques either. You have to ask…what will draw people from outside the city to shop, eat and stay awhile here?
Yes, we can all gripe about the paid parking…but that’s only half of the story here. Maybe we all should stop complaining about our problems and come up with solutions, or even possible suggestions, then maybe it will be a start into something that will blossom.
November 27th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
“One time taxes NEVER go away. I hope residents aren’t duped into voting for another tax.”
So then keep paid parking.
November 28th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Actually it was Mike Albano, he’s had a hard-on for this, since before the Election. See P&G link, I’m surprised He didn’t admit to it. article.http://pressandguide.com/articles/2009/11/25/opinion/doc4b081ff0ced21140493919.txt
November 28th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Watch Dog – don’t know what you are referring to – Mike Albano’s article talks about Safe Neighborhoods with a crime free housing program that he said Bob Abraham is taking part in. Mike also stated that he has been thru this program in CA and I sure he would be willing to give Bob a hand with this project if asked. I don’t see anything at all about paid parking in his article.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Does Abraham know the election is over and he was re-elected? Too bad he didn’t send this message out before the election. It might have been a real rallying cry.
Something definitely is off-kilter here. And, might I mention the horse already has left the barn and is living in Allen Park…
November 28th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Agree that the things council and mayor have done have not worked to help our struggling downtown. i can’t think of any things, by the way that anyone in the city has done. but tell me why has it taken this long for genius Abraham to finally come to this conclusion. action to help our downtown was needed on the ride down. now we are in the tank and getting out will take that much longer. we needed action a lot sooner. interesting that he lists absolutely no detail other than saying that we need to think “outside the box.” please let’s not use such overused sentences any more. they are tiring and say and mean nothing.
November 28th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
If we are lucky, maybe the successful business people–D’Ambrosio, Bazzy, and Kiernan– who ran for Dearborn City Council and, unfortunately, lost the election, are whispering in Bob Abraham’s ear and he is listening. Let’s hope so. And let’s hope the others are listening.
As we have had professional bureaucrats/politicians/public employees (i.e. non-business professionals) making bad business decisions in Dearborn for way too many years, this is our best hope.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
D’Ambrosio, Bazzy and Kiernan have more business experience between the 3 of them than the other 11 plus the mayor does put together. But that would have taken too much common sense to elect someone with the experience they have to run the city! Not one of them are real comfortable being the center of attention, but where willing to make changes in their life to do what they felt would help this city. There would have been alot of changes for the better in this city if it where run by some business minded people, that have there business here and live here also! The voters made a BIG, BIG MISTAKE! Now they can live with it and bitch about it!