On Monday, Marshall County Probate Judge Andrea LeCroy, above left, administered the oath of office to the mayor and town council of Cherokee Ridge, which recently became a municipality. Information found on CountyOffice.org is strictly for informational purposes and does not construe legal, financial or medical advice. Originally, the name proposed was Arad. The Mayor's Office houses the highest-ranking government official in Arab. Aug 4, 2021. All Rights Reserved. [49], He grew up with three siblings; his older brother Ralph was killed by gun violence in 2011. A 15-year-old from Tuskegee was the sixth person to be arrested in the mass shooting that took the lives of four people and injured 32 people . [34] Woodfin also urged the council to pass a "shelter-in-place" ordinance on March 24, which has been extended through the end of April 2020. Woodfin cited Biden's ability to "make sure down-ballot candidates can win" as a primary reason for his endorsement. Johnny Hart - City Council - City of Arab, Alabama | LinkedIn It offers a validation on the notion that for communities like the Arab-American community in Dearborn and enclaves like it, that there is power in self-determination, he said, and that people born and raised in these communities have good ideas, fresh approaches and energy and enthusiasm to inspire the belief that they can win.. Randall Woodfin (born May 29, 1981) is an American lawyer and politician who is the 34th and current mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, after winning the October 3, 2017, runoff against incumbent William A. We finally have Arab Americans speaking for themselves, being elected to office, representing their communities, gaining recognition for this population, gaining a voice for them, said Sally Howell, director of the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Despite the citys large Arab community, it has never been led by an Arab- or Muslim-American. And they talked to me a little bit about it, and I told them back then that I thought, in 08, it should have been $100,000 or $110,000. Hammoud, currently a state representative, won the primaries in August with a comfortable margin. He is a board member of several community organizations, including the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama. The increase for the mayors position was considerably more than that. The symbolic capital of Arab America, Dearborn, Michigan, finally has an Arab American mayor to speak on behalf of this unique population. U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, estimates that 40 to 65 percent of homes in Dearborn were damaged in June floods, and Michigan Gov. Woodfin's nephew Ralph Woodfin III was killed in August 2017. The per capita income for the city was $23,986. [42], Woodfin identifies as a political moderate, but has championed many progressive policies such as criminal justice reform,[43] free college tuition,[44] and marijuana legalization. 2000 census data. The Office of the Arab Mayor provides information on Arab government programs, government policies, and Arab boards and commissions. contracts on behalf of the City. So we just accelerated that process and made it more organized., AAPAC was careful to be very global, wide and encompassing, including a lot of women in leadership positions and all kinds of Arab Americans, Muslim and Christian, with heritages from different countries. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Due to years of inaction, and after the murder of George Floyd, residents took to the street to try and take down the monument themselves. Theres a clock on the wall, and theres the question of when is the next heavy rain thats going to set in thats going to lead into the next catastrophic flooding, similar to what we experienced in the past summer when nearly 20,000 homes experienced some type of flooding, Hammoud said. Considering that Arab Americans and Muslim Americans have been an integral part of the Dearborn community for the last 100 years and there havent been any Muslims in city government leadership until 2019 (outside of city council), this election is extremely significant, said Petra Alsoofy, outreach and partnerships manager at The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) and a Dearborn resident. The goal isnt to be the first Were trying to set a standard that individuals might sound a little different; you might pray a little different, but if you do as good a job, you wont be the last, he said. Souad Abderrahim is the first woman to be mayor of Tunisia's capital in Its all about being good neighbors, said Hammoud. A Michigan city considered to be the center of Arab America has finally elected its first Arab-American mayor.. Abdullah Hammoud, the son of Lebanese immigrants, was born and raised in Dearborn . The Office of Mayor is a part-time position. The Arab Mayor, located in Arab, AL, oversees government services for the municipality. He has said the sudden death of his older brother, Ali, in 2015 pushed him to re-evaluate his purpose and run for office. She said Woronchaks campaign slogan insinuated that his opponent could not represent the entire city, but that it backfired on him, frankly.. [3] Woodfin earned a Juris Doctor from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. Arab Map. A drawback, though, is that so many members have been elected or appointed to important positions that they are often too busy to be able to help volunteer as much as they used to. He served as mayor for 13 years before becoming a Wayne County Commissioner in 2014, where he still serves. The Arab time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The Mayor appoints all city department heads, enforces all City of Arab ordinances and resolutions, and proposes the Citys annual operating budget. Asked about his early success in politics, he said, Most people in Dearborn view me as somebody they grew up with as a brother, a son, a grandson. Arab, Alabama, in Marshall county, is 29 miles S of Huntsville, Alabama (center to center) and 127 miles W of Atlanta, Georgia. [24], Birmingham's high violent crime rate was a central plank of Woodfin's campaign platform; his nephew, Ralph Woodfin III, was shot and killed in August 2017, just weeks before the general election. Public Libraries Survey, 2015, Institute of Museum and Library Services. [14] were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Five of the six suspects charged in the Dadeville mass shooting appeared in court Tuesday morning for an Aniahs Law hearing. The Mayor serves as the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of Arab City Government, and is responsible for the implementation of all City Laws & Operations set forth by the Office of the Mayor and the City Council. Arab, Alabama - Wikipedia He did, and was elected Mayor in 2012, and was re-elected to a second term in October 2016, which expires in 2020. (Photo by Farah Nosh/Getty Images). Howell, among other experts, said she estimated that well more than half of Dearborns population is of Arab descent, a fact not reflected by the US Census, which counts the Arab population as white, leading to undercounting. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a Communities Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour out of Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan. "[48], Woodfin believes in climate change and in 2018 he signed the "Alabama Mayors for 100% Sustainable Energy Pledge" pledge by the GASP (Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution) to fulfill a campaign promise. [21], Woodfin's administration has drawn criticism for a perceived lack of transparency, with AL.com columnist Kyle Whitmire calling Woodfin's attempts to block public information requests "stalling and stonewalling" and a violation of his campaign promises to increase transparency. Arab Mayor - Arab, AL (Address and Phone) - County Office And as recently as 1985, mayoral candidate Michael Guido, who won the election that year, released a campaign flyer addressing what he called the Arab problem. Aside from the local policy implications, advocates have said a Hammoud victory would embolden the Arab communitys presence on the political map beyond Dearborn. The population density was 561.8 inhabitants per square mile (216.9/km2). The per capita income for the city was $20,035. At the time, he was told that politics was not for us, and that he should wait until the community matures. Post-9/11 surveillance has left a generation of Muslim Americans in a shadow of distrust and fear, Bostons changing demographics on display in mayoral race dominated by women of color, The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), first Yemeni American in any state legislature, Hammoud received 42.36 percent of the vote. Arab was also incorporated in the same year. That more than one Arab and Muslim candidate ran in the mayoral race is also significant in itself.. Mayor Arab City Hall 740 North Main Street Arab, Alabama 35016 Cell: (256) 506-6424 Office: (256) 586-8128 Fax: (256) 586-9711 Email Bob Joslin. Arab American activists said if Hammoud does win the election, it would be a historic achievement highlighting their communitys growth in size and political power. The population density was 620 inhabitants per square mile (240/km2). Published After eight well-deserved years of retirement, Bob was encouraged to run for the Office of Mayor. Earlier in the day, campaign volunteers some wrapped in blankets to ward off the cold November temperatures sat as close as they legally could to the entrances of polling stations, passing out signs and flyers. During your stay in Arab, you can visit the Arab Historic Complex, Buck Island Reef National Monument, and Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center. However, Majewski told The Detroit News on Aug. 4 that she was not worried, Ive come in second on primary night before and Im still here so. . I was brought up to make everyone around me friends and neighbours alike to feel like family.. [citation needed] He is a fan of Mannie Fresh, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, and Big K.R.I.T.[51]. Hammoud showed up to a meet and greet event with local candidates on Thursday in a navy blue tracksuit with a jacket featuring his campaign logo, running shoes and conspicuously colourful socks. [19], In March 2018, Woodfin's transition committee announced it had discovered that the city's pension fund had been consistently underfunded for more than 15 years, endangering the city's credit rating and retirement benefits for thousands of city employees. Being perceived as good neighbors has been an exercise in patience for Muslims and Arab Americans in these suburbs. The Arab population is counted as a sub-category based on national origin, which leads to undercounting. Scott Thurmond as interim chief. I support a lot of things on the left butif Im being realI also believe you gotta win. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. If you have questions or fears based on things you might have heard in the media or some negative perceptions about Muslim and Arab Americans, ask, he has said to voters. One of Woodfin's early campaign promises was to address food deserts in the city. If we had raised it each and every year, then the city would have incurred that expense, and we would be, at this point, at the $120,000 anyway after 12 years, Smith T said. Is Dearborn for $ale, read a banner on Woronchacks campaign website, alleging donations came from outside the state. [1] He previously served as president of the Birmingham City School Board (2013-2015) and as a city attorney of . J.R.N. Stiffler said if Hammoud wins, it would cement the perception of Arab Americans as an important voting bloc with their own interests. The city of Arab was founded by Stephen Tuttle Thompson and was originally known as Thompson's Village. This is the equivalent of $1,230/week or $5,330/month. Hammoud is serving his third term as state representative for Michigans 15th District, which includes Dearborn. [13], During the campaign, Woodfin criticized Bell's failure to improve Birmingham residents' quality of life[14] and promised to focus his administration on revitalization of the city's 99 neighborhoods. Mayor City of Arab, Oct 1988 - Feb 2002 13 years 5 months. Opinion | All politics is local. All of Alabama's mayors races this year Its humbling because it shows that someone like me, who has a name like Abdullah Hussein Hammoud, doesnt have to change or shy away from their identity to achieve success.. Theres a lot of significance, said Matthew Stiffler, a researcher at the Dearborn-based Arab American National Museum and lecturer at the University of Michigan. According to the Detroit Free Press, incumbent mayor Karen Majewski, who was elected as Hamtramcks first woman mayor in 2006, received 27 percent of the vote in the Aug. 3 primary, coming in second to Amer Ghalib who received 37 percent of the vote in a four person field. [39], He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, despite having received Bernie Sanders' endorsement during his 2017 mayoral race. Gretchen Whitmer requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for four counties. Bill Bazzy, an immigrant from Lebanon, an engineer, retired U.S. Marine, and former City Councilperson was appointed mayor in January 2021 after the previous mayor, Dan Paletko, died in December 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19. The median household income was $42,435 and the median family income was $64,432. Bell. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. ET to upgrade the space station's power . In January 2022, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith announced his resignation.