Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. is urging everyone who cares about Dearborn to ignore the words of people who plan to target this weekend’s Arab International Festival to misrepresent who we are in this city to serve their personal agenda.

Mayor O’Reilly’s open letter to our community begins below:

Dear residents and friends of Dearborn,

Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr.

This weekend we will again be visited by persons who want to use our community for their own ends. This time their target will be the Arab International Festival which has been part of our community for almost two decades. These visitors are not interested in the Festival or learning about and celebrating Arab culture. They are coming here to promote the concept that Islam is a false faith and that Muslims by teaching and nature are violent.

We know that there is no substance to their message – their goal is to promote fear and hatred in others. More than a month ago in Dearborn, faith leaders of all religions from all over Metropolitan Detroit rejected their message by standing together arm in arm and proclaiming that Islam is a legitimate faith and Muslims are an important part of our greater faith community.

Nowhere was the dishonesty of those using Dearborn to attack Islam more clear than when Terry Jones stood on the steps of our City Hall and recited the Pledge of Allegiance over as if we in Dearborn had never heard it. In his ignorance he failed to recognize that we recite the Pledge of Allegiance at events all over our City no matter who is the sponsor because we always stand together as Americans.

I sincerely ask everyone that cares about our City to wish these people peace and God’s forgiveness and then ignore them and their empty words. Their goal is to bait and anger us so that they can then misrepresent who we are in order to serve their personal agenda. Debating them and confronting them at this event or in our City can produce no positive result for us. We know we are people of peace but we are also people. All humans take exception to those who wrongly accuse us or suggest that our deepest beliefs are false and evil. It is human to become angry but it is divine to forgive. As all of our religions teach us we must rise above our human instincts and follow God’s instructions to be agents of peace and forgiveness. We must also encourage others to do the same.

We must be true to our collective goals of promoting a safe and positive environment for all of our residents and guests to be successful and enjoy their lives. We are a positive example of the ideals and goals of America to be a place of opportunity for everyone and a nation that respects everyone’s rights to their own beliefs. If we will stand for peace and tolerance, we will stand for America and Freedom.

Two years after a fire closed the Italian restaurant, the popular eatery has now reopened on Michigan Avenue in the building that once housed Kasey’s Salad Bar

Hassan Aoun, the chef from the original Ciao who opened the iburger lounge in the West Village Commons, is the man behind the new Ciao, Part II.

We haven’t had the opportunity to visit the new Ciao but would be anxious to hear from others here who have. Hopefully, the second time around for Ciao will be even better than the first . . .

In other restaurant news, Dearborn’s La Pita on Newman Street has opened a new restaurant in Ann Arbor. This is the second restaurant for La Pita near a university campus. The first was near the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, which has proven to be quiet successful.

We wish them the best of luck in Ann Arbor.

What do you do if a national magazine calls your city one of the top 10 dying cities?

If you are Flint and Detroit, ranked 9th and 7th, respectively, you do nothing after Newsweek magazine published its article back in January.

If you are Grand Rapids, Michigan, ranked 10th, you go on the offense and create a music video lipdub (5,000 people participated) to Don McLean’s “American Pie”, capturing the “passion and energy we all feel is growing exponentially” in our city, said Rob Bliss, the video’s producer. Bliss says McLean’s “American Pie,” a song about death, was in the end, triumphant and filled to the brim with life and hope.”

The video, complete with marching bands, parades, weddings and helicopter take offs, forced Newsweek to admit it was wrong for the “dying” label. Newsweek issued a formal apology to Grand Rapids saying, “First off, we LOVE your YouTube LipDub. We’re big fans, and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.”

The Grand Rapids LipDub, which has more than 3 million views and growing since it was posted May 26, got us wondering what would happen in Dearborn if such a designation was bestowed upon our city. Would there be the usual finger pointing as to whose fault it was for the label or would our citizens, elected officials and businesses rally to the cause? We’d like to think the latter.

If you haven’t already viewed it, the video is worth a watch and will make you smile. Lots of cooperation (not just financial) to make this video happen . . .  on so many different levels. Roger Ebert even called it the “the greatest music video ever made.”

If you are looking for bargains on all sorts of treasures then you’ll want to visit the Dearborn Hills Civic Association’s  annual Garage Sale, which kicks off today at 9 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Stroll through the lovely tree-lined neighborhoods of the Dearborn Hills, which is located south of Cherry Hill and west of Telegraph Road, and visit the more than 25 garage sales being held this weekend.

Maps are available. See you there!

Budget hearings aren’t popular evening events among Dearborn residents, judging from the number of people who regularly attended sessions at City Hall this year (except for the well-organized Save our Pools team).

Yet the decisions our elected officials made in approving the fiscal year 2011-12 budget Tuesday night will have ramifications for all of us in the coming weeks and months.

So the question becomes is there a better way for our elected officials to more effectively communicate with all of us to get our input and alert us to what is coming before it occurs?

Tom Tafelski

We called out the City Council earlier this week for not having enough public hearings to collect input from residents on the budget. Council President Tom Tafelski took umbrage with that statement and quickly contacted us to set the record straight, saying our figure of just six budget meetings this year (a figure provided to us by former Councilman George Darany who is now a State Representative) was grossly understated.

Tafelski provided documents to us showing the total number of budget meetings was actually 14 this year, up from 12 meetings in 2010 and eight in 2009. Six of those budget meetings for fiscal year 2011-12 took place before April 15, the date the mayor presented his budget proposal to council, according to Tafelski. Seven meetings took place after the April 15 date the budget was presented to Council. The final meeting (budget approval) took place June 7.

Having meetings for the sake of meetings isn’t something we advocate but it still feels thin, particularly given the budget task this year and the more difficult cuts coming in fiscal year 2012-13. The challenge remains how to engage residents earlier in the process.

In regards to our suggestion that city-issued Council cell phones should be terminated, Tafelski and Councilman Robert Abraham quickly contacted us to tell us that neither uses a city-issued cell phone.

Tafelski said just two council members currently have city-issued cell phones: Nancy Hubbard and Suzanne Sareini.

The remaining council members get reimbursed by the city for minutes used for city work on their personal phones, Tafelski said. Those payments come from each councilmember’s city-issued personal budget, which is $3,500 annually. Council members use that same budget for educational purposes, as well, such as attending classes sponsored by the Michigan Municipal League, Tafelski explained.

Even with the budget passed, more hard work remains. Dearborn is considering seeking a millage increase that could be as high as 3.5 mills. City Council will need to approve such a measure by July 8 in order for it to make it on the November ballot. Lots of questions remain on what the added revenue would be used for and how the millage question would be framed.

The key thing for all of us will be to inform our elected officials what we expect from a millage increase. Emailing each of them is a good way to start.

Dearborn City Council

Tom Tafelski: 313.943.2405 – ttafelski@ci.dearborn.mi.us

Suzanne Sareini: 313.943.2404 – ssareini@ci.dearborn.mi.us

Mark Shooshanian: 313.943.2406 – mshooshanian@ci.dearborn.mi.us

Robert A. Abraham: 313.943.2408 – rabraham@ci.dearborn.mi.us

Brian C. O’Donnell: 313.943.2407 – bodonnell@ci.dearborn.mi.us

Nancy A. Hubbard: 313.943.2403 – nhubbard@ci.dearborn.mi.us

David Bazzy: 313.943.32402 – dbazzy@ci.dearborn.mi.us

The Dearborn City Council Tuesday night unanimously passed the fiscal year 2011-12 budget, raised the city’s parking rates and will now be looking at a tax hike for residents.

This was one of the most difficult budgets the city has faced in recent history, particularly since the city is facing a budget gap of up to $20 million. And the hard work isn’t over. A tax increase is next.

Yet our elected City Council held the fewest amount of meetings in recent history to discuss this budget. This is why the idea of expanding public input on the budget and delaying Tuesday’s vote for a week was shot down. There was simply no time left.

Our elected Council had backed themselves into a corner. The budget had to be passed before the new fiscal year begins next month. So when City Council President Tom Tafelski said Tuesday night he was “not pleased” with the budget AFTER it was adopted all we could say was, really?

The City Council received this budget from the mayor on April 15. In the past, budget hearings would have been held immediately after council received the first draft, sometimes as many as 30 meetings before adoption. This year the number of meetings, according to one former councilman, was about a half dozen. Residents had no proper forum to voice their ideas or objections or get the full picture as to why pools and library branches needed to be closed or why parking rates had to go up and, and, and . . .

As residents of this city, we deserve better from our elected officials.

Closing pools and libraries isn’t going to fix the budget issue we have. If we are going to start nickel and diming, let’s take away the city paid cell phones from each City Council member. Do part time jobs really need a city paid cell phone? Let’s also consider a deeper pay cut for Council members. If Councilman Brian O’Donnell can take a 25 percent pay cut (you’ll recall he said he would when he ran for office) why can’t the rest of the Council? Sure the $3,900 O’Donnell has given back in pay to date isn’t going to repair the city’s deficit but if all of Council did the same that would be another $23,000 and change to date back to the City.

Now comes the work of convincing residents that even with all of these cuts we now need to pass a tax hike. Here is what will be cut this year:

• Snow Branch Library and both Whitmore-Bolles and Hemlock pools will close

• The Health Department will be eliminated by month’s end

• Our operating millage will increase by 1.38 mills to 15, which is allowed by the City Charter. The total 2011-12 millage rate will now be 21.9, up from 19.5 mills in 2010

• Parking rates will increase between $1 per hour and 50 cents depending on lots. The high traffic ones will be the most expensive. Sunday and holiday parking will remain free

• Leaf removal will remain because it is part of the city’s garbage millage

• Some 42 city jobs will be cut via a combination of unfilled vacancies, facilities closures and layoffs. Another 23 employees have taken buy-outs

The final public hearing on Dearborn’s proposed fiscal year 2012 budget will be held today, June 6, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers.

On Tuesday, June 7 at 5:30 p.m. the city will adopt the budget and set the tax rate for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins July 1, 2011.

No matter what is cut from the city to save money, including pools, library branches and the end of leaf pickup, we can all count on the city coming to residents to vote on a tax hike this year to cover the city’s massive budget shortfall.

If you have time, please try to attend both meetings this week.

If you need more information, feel free to contact your City Council office at 943-2025.

If you travel Gulley Road in Dearborn, you’ll need to find an alternate route for at least the next two weeks. Repairs are scheduled to begin the week of June 6 on the Gulley Road bridge, north of Michigan Avenue.

Traffic will be maintained for northbound traffic. Southbound traffic will be detoured. Drivers searching for a southbound route are advised to use Cherry Hill, Ford Road or Michigan Avenue to reach their destination.

The repair work will take about 14 days, weather permitting, Dearborn officials say.

The GV Cement Co. will repair the bridge deck and bridge approaches on the north side.

Maintaining one way traffic for north bound drivers was recommended by the Dearborn Police, Dearborn Fire Department, Dearborn Heights Fire Department and Dearborn Heights DPW.

The Wayne County Department of Public Services is sponsoring a free Household Hazardous Waste Collection event 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 18 on the campus of Henry Ford community College, 5101 Evergreen Road.

It is open to Dearborn and all other Wayne County residents.

The event will allow residents to dispose of items such as household paints, stains, and dyes; floor care products such as wax and carpet cleaner; furniture polish; bathroom cleaners; stain removers; solvents; non-controlled pharmaceutical waste; nail polish; glue; fertilizer; lawn and garden chemicals; pesticides; antifreeze; motor oil; gasoline; propane tanks; automotive and dry cell batteries; fluorescent bulbs; fire extinguishers; smoke detectors; mercury thermometers and thermostats; and elemental mercury.

People are also encouraged to donate computer CPUs, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, and mice, as well as cell phones, fax machines, copiers, and televisions, for electronics recycling.

Among the items not accepted are: commercial and industrial waste, radioactive material, explosives, ammunition, 55 gallon drums, shock sensitive materials, household trash, refrigerators, microwaves and other appliances, ties, yard waste, roofing shingles, and concrete will not be accepted at this event.

For more information on the event or on how to rid of the items not accepted, contact the Wayne County Department of Public Service at 734-326-3936.

Family Dollar is expected to soon open in the former site of Jo-Ann Fabrics.

There soon will be one less vacancy along Newman Street next to ACO Hardware in Dearborn.

The long-vacant building (not owned by Norm Newman who has his share of vacant buildings in our town) will soon be the home of a future Family Dollar store. Hardly the kind of store most of us would like to see fill Dearborn’s retail void but maybe it is a sign of the times  . . . and probably better than a vacancy.

The owners of Family Dollar have been talking about moving into the former Jo-Ann Fabrics building for about two years, according to one city official. Now, it appears the owners are a bit more serious having recently come to City Hall to have their plans for the new store reviewed, including new signage for the store.

No word yet on when it will open but it should be soon as putting up shelving to stock Made in China goods won’t take too long.