Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud
Melvindale Mayor Nicole Shkira
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Melvindale Mayor Nicole Shkira spoke at the April 23 Dearborn City Council meeting, ostensibly to ask for an extension of a canceled jail contract, but instead insulted Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
Shkira, who showed up unannounced and spoke during citizen comment time, violated protocol by addressing a contract issue in a public forum.
She failed to take a conciliatory approach, and accused Hammoud of failing to arrange a meeting and of having a full voicemail box, both of which he denied. She, in turned implied that he was lying.
Shkira said at the council meeting that the 90-day notice of the Melvindale Police Department’s revocation of jail privileges with Dearborn, which expires May 9, was not sufficient time for them to retrofit their existing facilities, which have not been used for seven years. Melvindale has been unable to contract with other neighboring cities for jail privileges.
She said she reached out to Hammoud for an extension through the end of August, to give Melvindale time to update its jail facilities, and said he would respond once he spoke to Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin.
“I reached out twice, and both times his mailbox has been full,” Shkira said. “Mayor Hammoud, this is not good business practice, and it is very unacceptable.”
She said it was a “serious situation that needs to be addressed.”
Shkira also accused the jail of selectively rejecting Melvindale prisoners prior to the contract expiration.
“It has also been brought to my attention that Dearborn is not taking all of our prisoners,” she said. “They will take felony warrants and domestic violence arrests, but not any misdemeanors.
“This puts our city at a huge liability, so I am asking the council for an extension or some type of an agreement and also to house our prisoners per our contract.”
Dearborn City Council President Michael Sareini said the council meeting was not the forum to discuss contracts. He asked her if she was mayor when the cancelation was presented, and she initially said she wasn’t, then corrected herself and said she was, and that she was sworn in in December.
Sareini asked Shkira if she understood the terms of the jail contract.
She replied that she did, and that Melvindale was a distressed community and they need more time to retrofit its jail.
“Ninety days was not long enough to get everything in order,” Shkira said.
Shahin agreed with Sareini that the Dearborn City Council meeting was not the appropriate forum for Shkira to address the jail contract, but agreed to briefly respond to her comments.
“I understand Melvindale’s situation, and I have sympathy for them, but I am making this decision because it is in the best interest of the Dearborn residents and taxpayers, and ultimately, that is what is driving it,” he said.
Shahin said cities that do not have jail facilities can reach out to the Wayne County Sherriff’s Department for felonies, domestic violence and drunken driving arrests.
He corrected Shkira and said the Dearborn jail has been housing misdemeanor prisoners for Melvindale during the 90-day notice period.
Shkira said she understood Dearborn’s position, calling it “unfortunate.”
Sareini asked Shkira if she has been pleased with Melvindale’s arrangement with the Dearborn Fire Department for its services, and she acknowledged that she has been pleased with it.
Hammoud told Shkira that his voicemail box is never full, and she interrupted him to contradict his assertion.
“We provided an email address and you can always email, and I am sure some of the folks you brought today know how to shoot a text message saying, ‘We’re trying to get a meeting together,’” he said. “That meeting had never been scheduled and nobody reached out to the appropriate channels to actually schedule that meeting, so to show up to a council meeting to berate the mayor and to speak negatively about the city and how we conduct business, what I would say and what I would clarify is there is a reason for why we decided to execute the cancelation clause and terminate this contract.
“It’s because there was poor performance on those who decided to disrespect our officers, disrespect our supervisors, and going into a whole host of issues that I wish to not disclose at this public meeting.”
Shkira implied that Dearborn personnel disrespected Melvindale personnel as well, to which Hammoud said he wholeheartedly disagreed.
“I guess we’ll agree to disagree,” Shkira said.
Many members of the Melvindale City Council, who met May 1, expressed their dismay and embarrassment with respect to Shkira’s actions.
Melvindale Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Joe Jackson apologized on behalf of the city and addressed on social media Shkira’s “incompetence and embarrassing behavior.”
“I am appalled, and it was done with zero knowledge of council or corporate counsel,” he said. “It was done in poor taste and was completely rogue.”
To see the recording of the April 23 Dearborn City Council meeting, go to the recording at cdtv.viebit.com/player.php?hash=ADLT4KipdcGfCrh9, and go to 30 minutes into the meeting to view the interaction.