Whoever is elected mayor of Opelika in 2020 will earn an annual income of $120,000 rather than $72,000, a decision that was authorized Tuesday by the Opelika City Council. Dearborn Heights already has its first Muslim and Arab American mayor. Arab-Americans across the country have been holding similar registration drives to mobilize political power over the years. However, the postal authorities misspelled the name and it was . Success is not measured by being the first, but by setting a good example to pave the way for others, he told Al Jazeera. He is the first Arab to embark on a long-duration space mission. The current mayor of Benton Harbor, a city near the western edge of the state, Marcus Muhammad, is also Muslim American. This summer, three intense thunderstorms in Southeastern Michigan caused severe flooding of thousands of homes in several Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, and Detroit neighborhoods signs of aging infrastructure and accelerating climate change. The increase for the mayors position was considerably more than that. [4] The current name of the town was an unintentional misspelling by the U.S. We were a catalyst for our community that was hungry to be involved in politics, and to have a voice. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Fairview AL - information about the town and its administration In January 2022, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith announced his resignation. This role required him to move with his family several times in the course of his 36 years, including the movefrom, Bob Joslin, 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, Katie Jones, Assistant to the MayorOffice: (256) 586-8128Fax: (256) 586-9711. [8] He was appointed president of the board two months after being elected;[9] he held that position until 2015 and remained on the board until 2017.[10]. 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.. The Office of Mayor is a part-time position. Micho Assi, an Arab American advocate, said Arab voters are not looking to elect just any Arab candidate but look for ones with the right qualifications. Council seats are at-large and are not associated with districts. 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 . 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. Mayor of Fairview: Keith A. Henry: Cullman County: Vital Records: Fairview vital records: . Dearborn, Michigan Hundreds erupted in cheers at a community centre in Dearborn as Abdullah Hammouds name with a checkmark next to it appeared on a giant screen, confirming that he will become the citys first Arab-American mayor. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Christian Syrian and Lebanese immigrants first arrived in the area in the 1880s, followed later by Palestinian, Iraqi, Chaldean, Yemeni, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi Americans, and more. His historic walk out of the International Space Station (ISS) lasted for nearly seven hours. Days before the general election last year, now-First Lady Jill Biden held a socially distant rally in Dearborn, telling Arab American attendees that their votes could decide the swing state of Michigan and the entire election. Tallassee reelected Mayor John Hammock to a second term. 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. By not increasing the salary until 2020, the city arguably saved money that it otherwise would have spent, Smith T also highlighted. In the same election cycle, Rashida Tlaib, of Detroit, made history when she was the first Arab and Muslim woman elected to Congress. Arab was incorporated as a town in 1892, but it did not first report a population on the census until the 1920 U.S. Census. Its all about being good neighbors, said Hammoud. 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.. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a Communities Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour out of Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan. 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. Dearborn, a city known for its large Arab and Muslim population, elects 31-year-old state lawmaker as next mayor. Abdullah Hammoud - Wikipedia In 2015, he was the first probate judge in Alabama to issue same-sex marriage . who was arab alabama first mayor. Arab was incorporated as a town in 1892, but it did not first report a population on the census until the 1920 U.S. He attended North Birmingham Elementary School, Putnam Middle School, and Shades Valley High School. [3], What is now Arab was established by Stephen Tuttle Thompson in the 1840s, and was originally known as "Thompson's Village". Somebody who was born and raised here, who happens to be Muslim Arab American. 30 Oct 2021. U.S. Route 231 runs north-to-south through Arab, and State Route 69 runs east-to-west, through the city's business district. Volunteers campaign for Abdullah Hammoud in Dearborn, Michigan, US November 2 . Address and Phone Number for Arab Mayor, a Mayor Office, at North Main Street, Arab AL. [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. Arab mayor Bob Joslin says, "The senior center is a very big activity in the city of Arab because this is a lot of these people's social . [7], In 2013, he ran for a seat on the school board again, this time successfully. 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. Im running as, more than anything, a son of Dearborn. You can cancel at any time. Where the fact that Arab Americans running for office is a natural thing, not the exception., WATCH: How American Muslims have been represented in popular culture post-9/11. Dearborns population is about 42% Arab, according to Census figures. 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Cell: (256) 506-6424. I was brought up to make everyone around me friends and neighbours alike to feel like family.. 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. Absolutely not. Arab Precinct (Marshall County 26th Precinct) first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census. Please subscribe to keep reading. Eddie Smith, council president and Ward 4 representative, said the ordinance to increase salaries for the mayor and council members - who serve part-time - in 2020 involved a lot of conversing and studying. Hammoud will also work to reduce taxes and assist residents in combating the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, according to his campaign website. Public Libraries Survey, 2015, Institute of Museum and Library Services. And the same thing for our politics. In a historic victory, a 31-year-old state legislator born to immigrants from Lebanon defeated a 66-year-old veteran politician to become the first mayor of Arab descent of Dearborn, a city long . 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 . Many were drawn by work opportunities at Ford Motor Company in the 1920s. Hammouds victory holds national significance, local experts have said, as it illustrates that Arab-American communities, through increased political participation, can decisively influence election outcomes and elect their own representatives to work on issues that matter to them. It is a huge deal for the Arab community in Michigan and nationwide, Sally Howell, director of the Center for Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, told CNN. Huntsville International Airport-Carl T Jones Field is the nearest airport. Cherokee Ridge Mayor and Town Council sworn in. Issues of race are not merely history in the city, however. The first Muslim and Arab American mayor elected in the U.S. was Abdul Al Haidous, a Lebanese American immigrant and small business owner, elected November 2001 in the small town of Wayne 20 minutes west of Dearborn. In 1960, it was changed to the Arab Census Division as part of a general reorganization of counties. Taking the oaths were, above, from left, Councilman Scott Nixon, Councilman Preston Jacobs . Despite the possibility of making history if he is elected mayor, Hammouds vision is more about what he wants for Dearborn. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. His remarks came after a video emerged of Hammoud speaking at a mosque where he urged greater voter participation from Arabs and Muslims making references to our community. The 41-year-old, dubbed the "Sultan of Space" by his alma mater, will become the first Arab astronaut to embark on a six-month space mission when he blasted off for the ISS in early March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As Dearborn is often presented negatively due to its populations background, having a Muslim and Arab [American] mayor will hopefully highlight the incredible resilience and success of this community, Alsoofy said. [26] After a lengthy search, Woodfin appointed former Los Angeles Police Department commander Patrick D. Smith to the position. Natural gas is also provided in Arab, through Marshall County Gas District, which is based out of Guntersville. READ MORE: Post-9/11 surveillance has left a generation of Muslim Americans in a shadow of distrust and fear. the first female mayor of Tunisia's capital in 160 years. NFL draft big board: Best players available heading into second round 28.2% of households were one person and 13.7% were one person aged 65 or older. He is a Democrat, but mayoral candidates appear on the ballot without a party label. His son Mustapha who is now running for Dearborn City Council in 2021 wears the Hammoud for Mayor T-shirt at his side, then son Mazen and wife Mona (L-R) | Photograph courtesy of Abed Hammoud. Mayor Paul South - City of Jackson Alabama In comparison, the future salary is $75,000 less than the existing salary of Auburn City Manager Jim Buston, who earns $195,000. Overall, Mayor Joslin says the state of the Arab is somethi Thats foundational to what Dearborn is, right? [10] The city is primarily in southern Marshall County; a small portion extends south into Cullman County. I think if you want to be mayor of Dearborn and you refer to our community, you should mean all of our community, not just one group or one section of town, Woronchak said in a campaign video, calling for an end to divisions in the city. Arab (/e.rb/) is a city in Marshall and Cullman counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, located 10 miles (16km) from Guntersville Lake and Guntersville Dam, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. [33], Along with the Birmingham City Council, Woodfin's administration passed a $15 million COVID-19 response plan in March 2020, allocating extra money for first responders' personal protective equipment, allocating overtime pay, and placing $1 million in a small business emergency loan fund. Postal Service in 1882 of the city's intended name, taken from Arad Thompson, the son of the town founder, who had applied for a post office that year. 29.6% of households were one person and 14.9% were one person aged 65 or older. 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. Bell. He would go on to win and remain in office until his death in 2006. Meet the Mayor - Arab City, Alabama | Government Speaking later with the Opelika-Auburn News, Ward 3 Councilman Dozier Smith T, who led the initiative to adjust the mayors salary, said he didnt know why the salary had not been adjusted incrementally. Arab's senior center is now open at at full capacity, and seniors are ready to get back. While he is hopeful to be re-elected, Fuller shared Smiths outlook that a higher mayors salary will be needed to attract future talent. Census.[12]. Every step alone cannot be connected with all the progress. 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. He likened the attacks that Hammoud faced to right-wing theories peddled during the 2008 US presidential elections that Barack Obama would be a president for Black people only. [23] Woodfin has argued that his predecessor's policy regarding urban blight was "not as aggressive as it needed to be" and that it would be a "priority" for his administration. John B OReilly has had the seat since 2007, having ascended to it after being city council president for 17 years after the death of then-mayor Michael Guido who had been in office since 1986. The first post office was established in 1882, and Thompson became the postmaster in 1892. Dearborn, Michigan - For the first time in decades, the mayoral race in Dearborn is wide open, creating an opportunity for the Detroit suburb known as the capital of Arab America to . And to get it, you had to volunteer.. Published I want my children to grow with the same love and passion that I have for Dearborn, he said. In 2018, Egyptian American doctor, Abdul El-Sayed made national headlines when he mounted a serious campaign for governor with support from Sanders. Males had a median income of $32,425 versus $24,265 for females. Woronchak, a former state representative and county commissioner, had promoted his own close ties to the Arab community during the campaign, arguing that his years of government experience made him better suited for the job than his younger opponent. [35] Under Woodfin, the Birmingham City Council voted to extend the city's mask mandates through May 24, 2021, after Governor Kay Ivey announced that the statewide mandate would end April 9. At the 2000 census there were 7,174 people in 3,012 households, including 2,075 families, in the city. Zahid N. Quraishi, nominee to be US District Judge for the District of New Jersey, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pending judicial nominations on Capitol Hill in Washington,DC on April 28, 2021. We have a lot to go still. Finally, weve got an Arab American speaking for this community that is identified with Arab Americans, Howell said of Hammouds victory. We lawyers, we say a brick is not a wall, said Abed Hammoud. Dearborn is home to the countrys largest mosque and its first Arab American museum. To the young girls and boys who have ever been ridiculed for their faith or ethnicity, to those of you who were ever made to feel that their names were unwelcome, and to our parents and to our elders and to others who are humiliated for their broken English and yet still persisted: Today is proof that you are as American as anyone else, Hammoud said. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,461. If re-elected, he said he plans to continue donating the difference in his salary to charities, although he will no longer provide a list to the council, noting that he doesn't want to appear as though he is bragging. If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you. Males had a median income of $44,401 versus $40,062 for females. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $288,383 and as . At the time, he was told that politics was not for us, and that he should wait until the community matures. The population density was 561.8 inhabitants per square mile (216.9/km2). After eight well-deserved years of retirement, Bob was encouraged to run for the Office of Mayor. The Mayor approves the financing of all City of Arab operations, and negotiates and executes contracts on behalf of the City. The Mayor recommends actions to the City Council, presents proclamations and awards, and performs ribbon cuttings for new businesses. Hammoud said the history of racism in Dearborn weighs heavily on him and he has pledged to confront it, starting with building a diverse administration if elected. Abdul El-Sayed, a public health expert who ran for Michigan governor in 2018 but fell short of winning the Democratic nomination, also said Hammouds victory will resonate beyond Dearborns city limits. [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. The Arab time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The mayoral campaign started with seven candidates, but only Hammoud and Woronchak the top two vote-getters in an August primary made it to the final round. Be proud of your name, be comfortable in your identity, because itll take you places if you work hard, youre passionate and you inspire people.. Both Hamtramck and Dearborn are already magnets for anti-Muslim activists who frequent the area when they want to harass Muslim worshippers, burn qurans, pose for Instagram in heavy armor outside a mosque, or seek to disrupt Muslim American festival goers, Howell says. Scott Thurmond as interim chief. Woronchack has questioned the large sums his opponent has raised nearly $545,000 compared with approximately $95,000 he garnered, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press earlier this month. Did you encounter any technical issues? The city of Arab was founded by Stephen Tuttle Thompson and was originally known as Thompson's Village. Dearborn, a city known for its large Arab and Muslim population, elects 31-year-old state lawmaker as next mayor. But more recent surveys suggest the city could be more than half Arab. American Community Survey, 2017, U.S. Census Bureau. [citation needed] He is a fan of Mannie Fresh, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, and Big K.R.I.T.[51]. [31] Additionally, 2020 resulted in the highest murder rate in Birmingham, Alabama in 25 years.[32]. [17] The census division only includes the Marshall County portion of the town of Arab. 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. Private Schools, Homeland Infrastructure Foundation. These cities have also seen remarkable economic growth and flourished culturally in the past 30 years because of investments by Muslim and Arab American institutions, entrepreneurs, and homeowners, said Sally Howell, a professor at the University of Michigans Dearborn campus and director of the Center for Arab American Studies. Third party advertisements support hosting, listing verification, updates, and site maintenance. Mayor City of Arab, Oct 1988 - Feb 2002 13 years 5 months. NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen and United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al N eyadi are scheduled to begin their spacewalk on April 28 at 9:15 a.m. 2023 Cable News Network. The future salary for the Opelika mayor is comparable to some full-time annual salaries of other Alabama city mayors in similar forms of mayor-council governments. 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. We all come from the Arab world where theres no democracy. The Arab presence in Michigan extends well beyond Dearborn. Arab has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. But, because we didnt increase it for the last 12 years, the city has not spent that money. Although he no longer has that original Hammoud for Mayor T-shirt, he is now, 20 years later, running for mayor of his hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. Candidates today, he says, already know how to run a campaign from having worked on other campaigns. Mayor Kelley has overseen the growth of his city from 6,000 in population to over 20,000. 740 North Main Street. Other candidates that year, including the aforementioned Abed Hammoud, who helped found the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) in 1998, running for mayor in Dearborn and Shahab Ahmed running for city council in Hamtramck that year, lost their election bids, in part because of post-9/11 fear and backlash. [12] In the general election, held on August 22, 2017, Woodfin won 40% of the vote, triggering a runoff election with Bell, who placed second. Yalla Vote means Hurry Up and Vote in Arabic. His successor will be Jeff Mims, who won the election in the Peach City. Look at the Books: A Q&A With Birmingham's Next Mayor", "A Work in Progress: Woodfin Assesses His First 100 Days", "A Hole in the Balance Sheet: Birmingham's Impending Pension Crisis", "Woodfin Highlights "Moral Obligations" of Proposed 2020 Budget", "Whitmire: What's Randall Woodfin hiding? He will succeed John B OReilly, who did not seek re-election after being diagnosed with an undisclosed illness. So my counterpart in Auburn is Jim Buston.. Changes in U.S. immigration laws in 1965 and a long string of political conflicts abroad also contributed to the growth and diversity of this population. Water service in Arab is provided through Arab Water Works, which gets water from Browns Creek in Guntersville Lake. Still, the mayors seat in Dearborn is special, Stiffler said, not only because it is the top executive position in one of the states largest cities, but also because of the offices unsavoury history with racism. Randall Woodfin. Hammoud says he is ready to get to work and immediately begin tackling issues that affect his city, including climate change. Abdullah Hammoud, the son of Lebanese immigrants, was born and raised in Dearborn, where he was elected mayor on Tuesday. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. But I think in winning, what you demonstrate, is that Abdullah is as American as any other name., Late media personality Russ Gibb introduces 2001 Dearborn mayoral candidate Abed Hammoud at a July 2001 fundraiser. Dubai: United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi has become the first Arab citizen to walk in space. Ironically, he gave his own son the same advice his father gave to him: dont do it. Home of the Hicks and White trash where the crack flows like the Mississippi River. At the 2000 census there were 7,174 people in 3,012 households, including 2,075 families, in the city. About Us Contact Us Bob Joslin - Facebook 1.7%. City of Arab, Alabama Oct 2008 - Present 14 years 7 months. City elections occur every four years, coinciding with the presidential elections. All Rights Reserved. Abed Hammoud, who first ran for mayor of Dearborn in 2001 and co-founded the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) in 1998, saw these mayoral and city council wins as part of the Arab . After taxes, he said this has averaged approximately $16,000 each year. You have permission to edit this article. The increase for the council and the council president is about a 3 percent increase, I think, Smith said, referring to how council members salaries rose from $12,000 to $13,200, and the council presidents went from $13,200 to $14,400. Im a member of the Muslim American community. He served as mayor for 13 years before becoming a Wayne County Commissioner in 2014, where he still serves. The median age was 40 years. Woodfin cited Biden's ability to "make sure down-ballot candidates can win" as a primary reason for his endorsement. 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. As Opelikas mayor, Gary Fuller manages the city of Opelika in a similar manner as Buston does for Auburn, in which department heads report to them. Dearborn itself has elected many Arab candidates, starting with Suzanne Sareini, a Lebanese American business owner, who won a seat on the city council in 1989. And his son gave him the same answer that he gave his father: if I dont do it, who will? ARAB, Alabama One of the last areas of our community to reopen from this pandemic will be the senior centers. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang A Warner Bros. Locally, his election also breaks a long legacy of racial segregation in the city, Howell told Al Jazeera. Bob Joslin, 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. 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. A Michigan city considered to be the center of Arab America has finally elected its first Arab-American mayor. In doing that, Bob was able to focus on his first true love restoring antique cars a passion that continues to connect him with his son and four grand-sons. Are you an official in the Arab government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? [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. He & wife Paula, both from Wichita, Kansas, celebrated their 56th year of marriage on December 22, 2018. . who was arab alabama first mayor. Tuesday nights results capped months of electioneering in Dearborn. The Opelika mayors annual salary was last adjusted on Feb. 19, 2008.