By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — The deadline has passed, the petitions have been turned in and a primary election will have to be held Aug. 6 to decide the final candidates for the November general election.
At the May 14 deadline, five had submitted petitions to run for mayor, three for city clerk and 21 for city council.
The mayoral race will include five candidates including incumbent Mayor John O’Reilly Jr. O’Reilly has been mayor since taking over after the death of Michael Guido in late 2005. He was elected to finish Guido’s term in February 2007 and then won a four-year term in the 2009 election. He will be running against student Zaid Abdulmalik, handyman Edward Binkley, self-employed Nofila Haidar and investment consultant Tahir Hassan Alaragy.
The race for city clerk will include the incumbent Kathleen Buda running against student services liaison Khalil Dakhllah and operations manager Mark Jess Dawdy. Buda has been city clerk since 1997 and is running to win her fifth term.
The council race will be narrowed down to 14 after the Aug. 6 primary. Seven will be voted onto the council in November with the recipient of the most votes becoming council president. The candidates with the second-most votes will become the president pro tem and will run the council meetings if the president is not able to attend.
The council race will include five incumbents: Robert Abraham, David Bazzy, Brian O’Donnell, Mark Shooshanian, and Council President Thomas Tafelski. Councilwomen Nancy Hubbard and Suzanne Sareini are not seeking re-election.
The other candidates for the next city council are Jane Ahern, wireless consultant Michael Albano, attorney Tarek Baydoun, Realtor Mohamed Berro, sales representative Bob Bochenek, attorney Susan Dabaja, self-employed salesman Stephen Dobkowski, nurse and former school board trustee Sharon Dulmage, business owner Steven Gulbord, CEO Maureen McIlrath, Wayne County sheriff’s deputy Patrick Melton, former school board trustee Mary Petlichkoff, DPS media secretary Colette Richards, sales representative Mike Sareini, Kristyn Taylor and building official Robert Watson.
Dearborn City Clerk Kathleen Buda said the petition signatures need to be certified for the candidates to be placed on the ballot.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at boliver@bewickpublications.com.)