Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. has written an open letter to Pastor Terry Jones, who is planning a protest in Dearborn.

Earlier, the mayor did a video interview with the Dearborn Press & Guide.  Mayor O’Reilly does a nice job of explaining why the location for such a protest isn’t suitable. The mayor also explains how Dearborn is not preventing free speech, despite what others have said.  In fact, Dearborn is one of the only cities that has established, by ordinance, “Permit Free Zones” intended for demonstrations and free speech. The video begins right after a short commercial. 

The mayor’s open letter to the pastor begins below. With all of the nonsense being misreported by media on this protest, someone needed to explain the facts and defend our city. Mayor O’Reilly does just that in his well-written letter:

Dear Pastor Jones:

I watched you on television speaking about the Constitution and Dearborn, and it appears you need more information about both before you come to our city. I can provide insight on the Constitution, and expertise on Dearborn.

First of all, Dearborn supports the Constitution as well as any city in America. Our commitment to the Constitution is unwavering, not merely convenient, which makes your hyperbole about Sharia Law being practiced in the courts or civil law of Dearborn nonsensical. So, you are coming to protest against an imaginary threat that doesn’t exist in our community. Not in our courts, not at our City Hall, not on our streets and not in any of our places of worship.

Still, because we do understand the Constitution here, we are not preventing you from expressing your free speech. In fact, in Dearborn, we’ve even gone one step farther than most communities in support of free speech. We established, by ordinance, “Permit Free Zones” intended for demonstrations and free speech.

One of those zones is at City Hall, where from my office I have heard many rallies being conducted in response to international, national or regional issues. This is a high visibility spot, seen by thousands of motorists but safe from traffic, with plenty of public space for protestors, supporters and the media. It is where we are asking you to conduct your demonstration. The steps of City Hall even make an impressive platform for speeches.

And, if you are unhappy with what you think is going on in Dearborn, than what better place to protest than with City Hall as the back drop?

Instead you insist on protesting in an area that has no public property to accommodate crowds, spectators, parking or the media. There is just a small public road with limited access which can’t be blocked and an adjacent grassy area for drainage. It is parallel to a major state road, but the small shoulder can accommodate people only when they have auto emergencies.

And, this property you are focusing on, in front of the Islamic Center of America, is also adjacent to four Christian churches, all of which will be hosting Good Friday services, adding to the traffic flow and congestion. It is ironic that the road that you want to protest near is called Altar Road, so named because it was first constructed to provide access to a row of churches constructed in the 1950s reflecting Dearborn’s diverse faith communities.

But I can understand if you don’t know the details of the site, or the particulars about Dearborn. But you should know about the Constitution that you claim to be defending.

The Constitution says that your rights must be balanced with the rights of others under the same document. Your free speech rights do not allow you to trespass on the private property of others or prevent them from the Constitutional right to freely practice their religion. I am not just talking about Muslims but members of all faiths.

The members of the Christian churches on Altar Road asked me last week if they should cancel their Good Friday services because of your planned visit. I assured them that they should not because the Constitution does not allow you to violate their rights. I don’t know why you selected Good Friday but it wasn’t very considerate of the significant Christian services being held at that time. I assure you that you will not make them forfeit their services.

You claim that you are coming to protest the radicalism of Islam. Like all of America, we are concerned about the radicalization of any religion that would rationalize extreme actions. However we have not let this concern turn into a twisted paranoia that promotes fear-mongering and misleading generalizations. You state that you are coming to the Islamic Center of America because it is the largest mosque in America. What does that have to do with the radicalism of Islam? While size may matter to you, we prefer to focus on actual behavior. And according to our Police Department and the anti-terrorism agencies they work with, there has never been evidence of any wrongdoing in any of Dearborn’s mosques.

It appears your choice of the Islamic Center of America is not because it has any relationship to the stated object of your free speech but because it symbolizes the Islamic faith in general. If so, that is not truly in line with the Constitution you say you are defending.

There is no Sharia Law in Dearborn, only Constitutional Law. Sharia Law is church- or faith-based law that is applicable only to the followers of that faith. For me it is Cannon Law of Catholicism, in Judaism it is Torah Law, and for Muslims it is Sharia Law. The actual originator of the event you plan to hold in Dearborn, Frank Fiorello of the Fraternal Order of the Dragon, accepted my invitation to learn more about Dearborn, and after seeing the truth, he canceled his protest.

But, if you don’t believe that Dearborn follows the Constitution, here are some realistic facts for you. Businesses in Dearborn lawfully meet the diverse needs of our Greater Detroit area, but if Dearborn practiced Sharia Law, would we have three adult entertainment bars and more alcohol licensed bars and restaurants per capita than most other cities? None of that should be allowed under Sharia Law.

How about this? A business we boast about, the nationally known Dearborn Sausage, opened more than 60 years ago across the street from the first mosque in Dearborn and is famous for its sausages and spiral sliced hams. It is one of many meat packing operations in our City and no one has ever objected.

Dearborn is also famous for The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, where more than 1.5 million visitors come each year from across the country and the world to learn about the foundations of our American way of life.

Dearborn is a diverse, safe and unified City that is addressing its future in a proactive manner. We cherish the American Dream that brought so many people here during the last century to earn a decent wage and enjoy a high quality of life thanks to Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. And for Dearborn, our success and our identity is tied to welcoming people of all backgrounds who have chosen to make America, and our community, their home. We are proud to have welcomed them.

As we work hard to balance your rights with the rights of others in Dearborn, you will be extended every courtesy during your visit – as long as you follow the law based on the Constitution’s protection of everyone’s rights. That should be a familiar statement to you.

You have said over and over that “Muslims are welcome as long as they follow the Constitution.” Surely, then, you wouldn’t ask less of yourself.

Look for some heated discussions at Dearborn City Hall in the coming weeks as several pools and library branches are now on the chopping block, actions city leaders will need to take to wrestle down a $20 million budget deficit.

These are both hot topics with residents and it will be interesting to see if the City Council is up to making the tough decisions that need to happen in our city.

Snow Library on the west side and the Esper branch on the east side are the current branches in the crosshairs of the city, according to the Dearborn Press & Guide Henry Ford Centennial and Bryant Library will not be touched as they were donated to the city by Ford and are required to remain libraries or they would revert back to Ford Land ownership, Mayor John O’Reilly told the paper.

As for pools, it appears Ten Eycke, Whitmore Bolles, Lapeer, Crowley and Hemlock are on the endangered list.

Pool usage and geography will be the determining factors for what pools will remain, according to the paper.

“The ones that look to be the most likely for staying open start with Dunworth,” O’Reilly told the Press & Guide. “That’s one that’s not proposed for any cuts or closure – and Ford Woods in the east end. Then after that, the next highest in location and usage is Summer-Stephens and then after that we get into a whole other situation where geography really factors in more.”

O’Reilly told the paper that Crowley and Lapeer are the highest priority to keep open because they are located in neighborhoods hemmed in by major roads.

“The goal is to provide reasonable access to everyone,” O’Reilly told the Press & Guide.

The thorny issue of police and fire staffing levels in Dearborn is the subject of a column today in the Sunday edition of the Dearborn Press & Guide by Joey Thorington, president of the Dearborn Firefighters, IAFF Local 412.

In his column, Mr. Thorington reminds us that every member of council (including Mayor O’Reilly who was then council president) and the late Mayor Michael Guido signed an endorsement for the staffing level proposal.

The language of the staffing requirement stayed the same even after the City Charter was reviewed by a board of elected officials in 2007, Thorington writes. “They recognized the importance of the staffing language and chose to leave the police and fire staffing levels as originally stated in the charter . . .”

“Do not forget; public safety workers are not the ones who broke the financial system,” Thorington writes. “It was big banks and the housing market crash that made things fall apart. We are here, like the rest of you, trying to put the pieces back together and make it work.  We are working with the city to make ends meet. It is in the best interest for all of us involved to have Dearborn remain a strong, vibrant city.

“We have been adjusting how we do business and how we operate for many years.

• In 1980, we ran 5,908 calls. We were a Basic Life Supporting agency, staffed with 125 firefighters.

• In 1990, we ran 6,882 calls. We were a Basic Life Supporting agency, staffed with 117 firefighters.

• In 2000, we ran 9,111 calls. We became a transporting, Advanced Life Supporting agency, staffed with 120 firefighters.

• In 2010, we ran 10,029 calls. We are a transporting, Advanced Life Supporting agency, staffed with 120 firefighters.

“The Dearborn Fire Department has evolved into a “we fix it” department for the public. As long as it is not a burglar, when the public calls for an emergency, we show up and “fix” the situation, no matter the reason (many times in conjunction with the police performing their duties).

“Sometimes it appears that the firefighters are solely fighting for our own jobs. You need to look deeper into the arguments. We are fighting to adequately and safely perform our jobs, which is protecting and assisting residents in their greatest time of need.”

To read Mr. Thorington’s full column, click HERE.

Dearborn's Public Service Days begin April 4 and continue each week through Dec. 2.

Dearborn’s Public Service Days – established as a way to keep our neighborhoods well-maintained – begin April 4 and will occur every week through Dec. 2, which means parked vehicles must be off streets between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during each neighborhood’s trash collection day.

Vehicles left on the street during Public Service Days will be ticketed. Vehicles in a driveway may be parked across the public sidewalk without penalty, but city officials say parking on the grass is always prohibited.

Public Service Days are the same day as trash collection day in a neighborhood. On these days, city crews provide neighborhoods with services like street-sweeping, loose leaf collection, tree trimming, and sewer maintenance.

Signs in every neighborhood alert drivers to the Public Service Days applicable on the surrounding blocks.

Check www.cityofdearborn.org or call 313.943.2886 for general information on Public Service Days.

For parking issues related to Public Service Days, call 313.943.2276.

The free 2011 City of Dearborn Calendar, which is available at the City’s libraries and City Hall, is also handy for additional information. Page 30 of the City Calendar has more details, as well as a map of Public Service Days/Trash Collection Days.

The contentious issue of paid parking in downtown West Dearborn will be the topic of a City Council study session on Wednesday, March 9, at Dearborn City Hall.

The meeting takes place at 5:30 p.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room. We will have more details about the upcoming meeting later today.

While it is a bit early to think about lawn work, the City of Dearborn will start its curbside collection of yard waste material the week of March 14 so residents can dispose of materials left over from the fall and early winter.

Beginning the week of March 14, residents can put yard waste in properly marked containers at the curb on their trash collection day, weather permitting.

The mid-March start up allows residents to get a jump on spring cleanup and dispose of materials left over from the fall.

Residents are reminded to place the yard waste materials in the proper containers at least three feet away from their trash cart and recycling cart.

Residents can place their yard waste in paper bags or in their own 20-32 gallon container. Cardboard boxes and plastic bags are not permitted. Containers should be marked with yard waste stickers, which are available for free at the Dearborn Public Libraries, Mayor’s Office, and Public Works Yard.

City officials say do not put yard waste in your trash cart or your recycling cart. Yard waste is classified as grass clippings, weeds, leaves, and shrub and brush trimmings.

Fruits, vegetables, dirt, sod, and animal droppings should not be mixed in to yard waste. Roots should be free of dirt.

Brush can be up to four feet in length and three inches in diameter. It should be tied with heavy cord or rope and weigh no more than 35 pounds. Shrubs should be bundled the same way, with root balls removed.

For more information, call the Department of Public Works at 313.943.2085.

The City of Dearborn’s Recreation Commission is hosting a public hearing on March 8 to discuss a series of improvements to Camp Dearborn, including a new walking path, canoe launch and a shore fishing platform.

Residents will be able to comment on a proposed Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant application for improvements at Camp Dearborn in Milford.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Board Room of the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave.

The grant would fund the installation of a multi-use path that will connect the Milford Trail on General Motors Road to Camp Dearborn. The path will include a canoe/kayak launch and a shore fishing platform on the Huron River.

City officials say all improvements to be funded with this grant are proposed to be universally accessible; therefore, the City would especially like to receive input from citizens with disabilities.

If you are unable to attend in person, written comments about this grant proposal can be addressed to Greg Orner, Director of Recreation, City of Dearborn, 15801 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI, 48126.

Individuals with disabilities who require special accommodations, auxiliary aids or services to attend or participate in this public meeting should contact 313-943-2350 or TTY 313-943-2199.

Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr.

With the city looking at a $20 million gap between revenues and expenditures, Dearborn city officials will be asking for a tax hike this year.

At his State of the City address Wednesday, the Dearborn Press & Guide reports that Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly said he would “recommend the City Council approve a 1.38 mill increase as they formulate the budget, which must be balanced and adopted by June 30. Currently the city has an operating millage of 13.62. If the increase is adopted it would be the highest rate allowed under the City Charter.

“For a house with a taxable value of $70,000 — about the average for Dearborn — the bottom line would be about $100 more in annual taxes. The increased cash flow would be a needed step in the right direction, said O’Reilly.

“If that measure proves insufficient, O’Reilly said the city could issue a ballot proposal asking for an additional 3.5 mill increase, up to 18.5 mills. The maximum allowed under state law is 20 mills. Either increase still would equate to a total tax bill less than what most property owners paid in 2006, though. And if it does come down to a ballot proposal said the proposal would come with a five-year sunset clause.”

The mayor also said that while the city has reduced general employee staffing by nearly 30 percent over the last decade, there are plans to cut 40 more positions in July. As far as cutting police and fire staffing levels, the City Charter-mandated police and fire minimum staffing levels makes that much more difficult.

“No one likes to hear it, and I prefer not to say it, but we have to face it,” O’Reilly said. “The voter-approved City Charter provisions of our police and fire departments severely reduce our flexibility to manage costs.”

The Press & Guide reports that the mayor underscored the staffing mandate predicament by saying that public safety costs in Dearborn are about $51 million a year, while the city’s operating tax — the lion’s share of city revenue — only pulls in about $48 million annually.

“We need to understand that mandating the number of officers and firefighters doesn’t automatically correspond to our desired level of security,” O’Reilly said.

For the full State of the City story written by J. Patrick Pepper in the Dearborn Press & Guide, click HERE.

Dearborn residents will soon be able to use Dearborn Heights’ libraries as part of a year-long pilot reciprocal borrowing program that begins March 1.

The reciprocal borrowing agreement will give Dearborn residents access to Dearborn Heights’ John F. Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy libraries and Dearborn Heights residents will have access to the Henry Ford Centennial Library, as well as the Snow, Bryant and Esper branch libraries.

It isn’t clear yet what, if any, type of financial savings might be realized by each city through such a program but residents will certainly benefit with greater choice.

The new system will give Dearborn residents access to 146,000 volumes from Dearborn Heights Public Library, and limited access to their network shared system, which contains even more resources.

It will also allow residents a greater geographic proximity to libraries, and access to 70 more public computers.

Extended library access also means additional library hours on nights and weekends, as well as in the summer. Dearborn residents will also be able to participate in library programs at both Dearborn Heights libraries.

Dearborn Heights residents will reap many rewards similar to those listed above as they will have access to all libraries in the Dearborn Public Library system. Benefits to Dearborn Heights residents include access to more than 290,000 items, including a large DVD collection and an International Cinema Collection, as well as 104 public computers with internet access and standard software programs. In addition, Dearborn Public offers a wide variety of online databases that include Mango Languages, Ancestry Library Edition, AllDataPro Automotive Repair and Biography Resource Center as well as access to downloadable audio books and e-books.

The reciprocal exchange applies to residents, property owners, or taxpayers in the City of Dearborn or the City of Dearborn Heights.

In an effort to reduce overtime costs, the Dearborn City Clerk’s Office is closing a half hour earlier each day, providing customer service now between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. City Hall, at least for now, will remain open until 5 p.m.

City Clerk Kathleen Buda says the change is due to staff cutbacks and an attempt to avoid employee overtime. Buda says customer service is still a top priority and the change will allow the Clerk’s Office to complete individual requests by the time City Hall closes at 5 p.m.

The City Clerk’s Office provides birth and death certificates and registration; City Council agendas, minutes, and records; business licensing; voter registration; and notary services. It also administers city, school, county, state and federal elections; and maintains local ordinances.

The City Clerk’s general information number is 313-943-2010.