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 parents, teachers and community members are organizing to march on Lansing on April 12 to push back on Gov. Snyder’s proposed budget cuts to schools.

Four buses – provided by the Dearborn PTSA Council – have been reserved and will leave Dearborn School’s Administrative Services Center, 18700 Audette at 9 a.m.

Organizers are asking that attendees pack a lunch and arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. Buses will return from Lansing to Dearborn about 2:30 p.m.

Those interested in attending should email Colette Dunsmore, Dearborn PTSA council president, by Friday, April 8 at donoval@dearborn.k12.mi.us

“We want everyone to know up in Lansing that Dearborn is there and that we want to make sure our quality education continues,” said Dunsmore in an email to DeepsaidWhat.com. “Make signs, bring letters to the Governor, have your children write letters for you to bring up with you! WE NEED PEOPLE and lots of them!! So, please spread the word! . . . Let’s make Dearborn proud with the strong support and showing of our people in Lansing on Tuesday, April 12th!”

Separately, Morris Goodman, a Dearborn attorney, past president of the Dearborn Democratic Club, a longtime political activist and observer and regular reader of Deepsaidwhat.com sent along this column asking “Did you get what you voted for?”

Goodman says that July 1, 2011 cannot come soon enough because that is when Gov. Snyder will have been in office for six months  . . . and a recall can then be started.

His column begins below:

When the polls closed on August 6, 2010 in the Michigan primary election, 34 percent of Republicans voted for the Bill Milliken and Bill Ford endorsed self proclaimed non-ideological nerd Rick Snyder for Governor. Forty-two percent of Democrats voted for the two term moderate Majority leader of the Democratic controlled Michigan House of Representatives Andy Dillon.

How many of those Snyder primary voters thought he would put forward the kind of draconian cost cutting and tax burden shifting agenda he has so far? How many of those Dillon primary voters thought he would not endorse for governor the candidate he lost to, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, and later go to work for the Snyder Administration as Treasurer?

Read the rest of this entry »

Dearborn's popular Ciao Italian restaurant is expected to soon reopen on Michigan Avenue.

Two years after a fire closed the popular Ristorante Ciao in Dearborn, the chef from the popular Italian eatery is preparing to reopen the restaurant on Michigan Avenue in the building that once housed Kasey’s Salad Bar.

Hassan Aoun recently opened the iburger lounge in the West Village Commons, serving some fantastic burgers, gourmet pizzas (better than the ones Aoun served when he was chef at Ciao), soups and salads. It’s worth a visit if you haven’t done so already.

Aoun is now turning his attention to reopening Ciao. Many of you will recall the Salad Bar, which later was sold and became Parisian Bistro. Well, Ciao will move into that building in the coming weeks.

Hopefully, the second time around for Ciao will be even better than the first . . .

In other restaurant news, the new business moving into the former Little Cafe that we wrote about a couple months ago is now open for business. The restaurant is called “Good Times Caffe”. We haven’t had the opportunity to stop in yet but signs say it serves soup, subs and a host of other foods.

We plan to check out the place later this week and provide an update for all.

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.

“An Evening of Romance,” featuring piano sensation Jim Brickman, will be the featured attraction Saturday, April 2, at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center’s Michael A. Guido Theater, beginning at 8 p.m.

Brickman, winner of two Grammy Awards, has revolutionized the sound of solo piano with his pop-style instrumentals and star-studded vocal collaborationists.

Since the release of his debut album, “No Words,” in 1994, Brickman’s romantic piano sound has made him the best selling solo piano artist of his time and brought him two platinum and six gold albums.

Brickman’s best-known compositions include “Valentine,” “The Gift,” “Love of My Life,” “Simple Things” and “Peace.”

Tickets, priced at $35-$49, are on sale at the theater box office, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets may also be purchased on-line at www.dearborntheater.com.

For further information, call 943-2354.

Nearly 20 table sponsors have already signed up to support the Rotary Club of Dearborn’s “Shares & Cares” breakfast fundraiser on Friday, April 1, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the programs of Pro-Literacy Detroit, Michigan’s largest literacy agency which provides services to adult learners at no cost.

“We are delighted with the outstanding number of sponsorships we’ve received from community leaders, local businesses and organizations along with other Rotary clubs,” said Margaret Blohm, 2010-11 president of the Rotary Club of Dearborn.

Table sponsors include Rotary District 6400, Dearborn Rotary Foundation, the Rotary Clubs of Dearborn Heights, Detroit AM, Fairlane Sunrise, and Grosse Pointe Rotary along with the HFCC Federation of Teachers, Pro-Literacy Detroit, and Sanford Brown College.

Individual sponsors include Michigan Representative George Darany, Rick Goward, Kerrie Peterson, Sue Surducan, Jim Thorpe, Brian Whiston, Judge Richard Wygonik and Bob Ziolkowski.

Each table provides seating for 10 guests to attend a free breakfast program emceed by WWJ Newsradio 950 personality and Dearborn resident Matt Roush with remarks by Pro-Literacy Detroit CEO Margaret Williamson, volunteers and adult learners.

Barnes & Noble of Fairlane Green in Allen Park is providing beautiful leather-bound book centerpieces for the event, and will in turn be donated to Pro-Literacy Detroit, www.proliteracydetroit.org. The bookstore will also hold a Bookfair on April 1 to benefit the agency.

It is estimated that 47 percent of metro Detroiters are unable to read and that 44 percent of Michigan adults are unable to read above the fourth grade level. During the past 25 years, Pro-Literacy Detroit has tutored more than 12,000 adult learners and trained over 8,000 tutors to help metro Detroiters over the age of 16 to read.

The “Shares & Cares” fundraising breakfast is one of several efforts to benefit literacy programs now underway throughout Rotary District 6400, which includes southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario, Canada.

“We are extremely grateful to Rotarians for their support, by volunteering as certified tutors and through their generous financial and book donations,” said Williamson.

The cost to become a table sponsor is only $100 which covers the cost of breakfast for the sponsor and nine guests. Breakfast fellowship will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the event will conclude by 9 a.m. on Friday, April 1.

“If you don’t know any of our table sponsors and would like to attend the event, please let us know,” added Blohm. “We’ll make sure you have an opportunity to participate.”

For more details about becoming a sponsor or attending the event, please email event chair Amy Bazzy at ajbazzy@comcast.net or call 313-433-0013.

In the event you missed the Census news this week, Dearborn recorded a population increase, climbing to 98,153 in 2010 compared to 97,775 in 2000.

Of the 18 cities that border Detroit, Dearborn was the only city that grew, albeit a mere 0.5 percent. Even so, it is better than going the other way, which is what many other communities did.

The news should be taken as a testament to the relative stability of the two communities one expert told the Dearborn Press & Guide this week.

“When you look at the surrounding Wayne County communities this is definitely a positive for Dearborn and Dearborn Heights,” Dale Thomson, an assistant professor of political science at University of Michigan-Dearborn told the Dearborn Press & Guide in Wednesday’s edition. “I think it’s a testament to the service mix they’re providing and the kind of communities that exist there.”

For a look at the full Census figures for the state of Michigan, you can click HERE.

Henry Ford Centennial Library

A major renovation project has begun at the Henry Ford Centennial Library, with the entire third floor mezzanine-level of the building closed to the public through June.

Nearly all library material is available on the second floor of the building, so access to the collections will not be impacted.

However, the study space, beverage machines, and some stored reference material will not be available until the project is complete and the third floor is re-opened.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of June.

The plans call for the conversion of existing space into three medium-sized study rooms; one large, quiet study room; and one large conference room, which will be available to organizations to book for group meetings.

Restrooms, and a kitchenette that will be available for groups booking the large conference room, will be added to the area to make the space more usable and comfortable.

Running Fit, Inc. will be conducting its 2011 Annual Martian Marathon for the fifth time in Dearborn on Saturday, April 2.

The Martian Marathon event’s mission is to promote an active, healthy lifestyle for adults and children, with the long-term goal of ending childhood obesity and diseases related to poor nutritional choices. Partial proceeds from the event go toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and certain youth track and cross-country programs.

Around 3,000 – 4,000 runners are expected to participate this year, along with added crowd support. There are six different races, each of which will begin and end at Dearborn’s Ford Field.

The runners will travel through the neighborhood of Brady Street, Morley Avenue, Military Street, and Golfview Drive, and to the Ford Road entrance to Hines Drive. A map of the course is on the Martian Marathon website HERE.

The Dearborn Police will be regulating the event, and neighborhood streets will be temporarily shut down as the runners pass through. The following will be closed from approximately 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the day of the event:

• Part of eastbound Ford Road, between Golfview Drive and the exit ramp to Evergreen Road

• The exit ramp from southbound Hines Drive to Ford Road and the exit ramp from eastbound Ford Road to Evergreen Road

• Part of westbound Michigan Avenue from the Greenways Trailhead at Andiamo to Brady Street.

For more information, visit the Martian Marathon website or call the Department of Recreation at 313.943.2350.

The Dearborn High School Marching Band appeared on “Ireland AM” today (Wednesday)  at about 7 am. You can watch the band by clicking HERE. 

Some of you will recall that we wrote about the Dearborn High School band and Orchestra last September when they were invited to march in the 2011 Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Members, parents and supporters held numerous fundraisers so that some 119 people could travel to Ireland, including 18 chaperons.

Not just any high school band gets invited to perform in Dublin. You have to be good. And under the supervision of Dearborn High’s Music Director Jeff Oshnock, the Pioneers are outstanding. One proud parent tells us that Dearborn High School’s musicians score top rankings at solo/ensemble competitions and band reviews.

In 2008, the Dearborn High School Marching Band participated in the Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC. It was that performance that helped the band secure a position to perform in the 2011 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin.

The Dublin Parade will be streamed live over the Internet.  To watch, click HERE.You will have to get up at 6 am to view it live.

Official Festival Site is HERE.

The Dearborn High School band was featured on Local 4 News, WDIV and you can view that HERE.