2021 AND THIS IS FLASH POINT.
HI THERE, WELCOME TO FLASH
POINT, I HOPE YOU’RE ENJOYING
THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND I HOPE
YOU’VE HAD PLENTY OF BLESSINGS
TO COUNT.
YOU’RE A BLESSING TO ME.
AND SINCE ELECTION DAY I’VE WANT
TODAY SPEND TIME WITH THE NEW
MAYOR OF DEARBORN.
ABDULLAH HAMMOUD KNOCKED OFF FELLOW REP IN THE NEW YEAR AND
FELLOW REP IN THE NEW YEAR AND
HE’LL BE SWORN IN TO.
AND THE PRICE OF COLLEGE TUITION
HAS ROCKETED OUT OF SIGHT.
SO MUCH SO THAT THE COLLEGE
DEGREE WE’VE LONG CHERISHED AN
AS RESUME’ BUILDER LOOKS MORE
AND MORE DAUNTING TO MANY.
AMERICANS OWE MORE THAN $2
TRILLION ON TUITION LOANS.
A DEGREE FORWARD KNOCKS BOTH
TIME AND MONEY OFF GETTING THE
DEGREE, THE IDEA BEING THAT THEN
YOU CAN SPEND MORE TIME MAKING
MONEY OFF YOUR DEGREE.
AND WHILE MANY WOULD LOVE TO
SPEND THEIR MONEY WITH LOCAL
SMALL BUSINESSES THIS HOLIDAY
SEASON, SOME WONDER IF THE
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES ARE GOING TO
MAKE THAT TOUGHER. IT’S ALL TODAY ON FLASH POINT.
IT’S ALL TODAY ON FLASH POINT.
♪
>> WELL, DEARBORN HAS LONG BEEN
THE HEARTBEAT AND THIS YEAR AN
ARAB AMERICAN IS THE MAYOR OF A
CITY.
I’M TALKING TO MAYOR-ELECT
ABDULLAH HAMMOUD WHO WILL TAKE
OFFICE IN JANUARY.
AND YOU SAID SHORTLY AFTER YOUR
ELECTION, IN THIS TOWN WE ELECT
INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THE
DIRECTION THEY LEAD NO MATTER
THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THEY
PRAY.
EVEN IN MY HEADLINE THIS MORNING
YOU’RE THE FIRST ARAB AMERICAN
AND MUSLIM MAYOR OF DEARBORN.
IS THAT NOTEWORTHY OR MORE OF A
FOOTNOTE AS YOU TAKE OFFICE?
>> FIRSTLY, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME.
IT’S NORTH WORTHY AND HISTORIC
IN ITS OWN RIGHT WE NEVER RAN TO
BE THE FIRST WE RAN TO BE THE
BEST.
IN THIS TOWN YOU NEED NOT CHANGE
WHO YOU ARE, A DIFFERENT
SOUNDING NAME A DIFFERENT
ETHNICITY OR DIFFERENT FACE.
IN THE CITY OF DEARBORN PEOPLE
WILL REELECT YOU BASED ON HOW HA
YOU’RE WILLING TO WORK IN THE
COMMUNITY.
>> ONE OF THREE ARAB AMERICAN
MAYORS TAKING OFFICE IN
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN SO SPEAKS TO
SOME CHANGE IN THE ONLY IN OUR
DEMOGRAPHICS, BUT YOUR ATTITUDES
WHAT YOU’RE KIND OF SUGGESTING,
RIGHT?
>> CERTAINLY, IT DEMONSTRATES
THAT REPRESENTATION MATTERS AND
IT DEMONSTRATES THAT THERE ARE
QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS, OF
VARIOUS BACKGROUNDS,
ETHNICITIES, RACES AND FAVORITES
AND THEY’RE WILLING TO RUN FOR
OFFICE AND IN OUR FOUR CORNERS
AND THEY CAN WIN WITHOUT
CHANGING WHO THEY ARE.
>> I’M SURE YOU READ SOME OF THE
NASTIER THINGS SAID IN SOCIAL
MEDIA WHICH I DON’T NECESSARILY
RECOMMEND, BUT WE HAVE THE IDEA
OF SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND
STATE IN AMERICA, A TIME HONORED
TRADITION OF AMERICAN POLITICS.
SO I GUESS HOW MUCH DOES YOUR
FAITH INFORM YOUR POLITICS AND
THE WAY THAT YOU LEAD YOUR LIFE?
>> YEAH, AND I DON’T THINK, YOU
KNOW, AS SOMEBODY WHO GREW UP
PROUDLY MUSLIM AMERICAN HERE IN
THE CITY OF DEARBORN, CERTAINLY
FAITH WAS A NEAR AND DEAR PART
OF MY LIFE AND PROVIDED ME A SET
OF VALUES THAT I LIVE BY EACH
AND EVERY SINGLE DAY.
TREATING FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR WHAT
YOU WANT YOURSELF.
UPDATE THE MOST MARGINALLIZED
DOING SO MEANS YOU’RE UPLIFTING
THE COMMUNITY.
THOSE BELIEVES ARE THINGS THAT,
YOU KNOW, EMPOWER ME TO MAKE THE
DECISIONS I DO EACH AND EVERY
SINGLE DAY, ENSURING THAT EVERY
CHILD IN OUR CITY IS GROWING UP
IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT FUELS
THEIR IMAGINATION AND NOT THEIR
ASTHMA, ENSURING THAT SENIORS
HAVE A HELPING HAND AND LIVE AT
HOME COMFORTABLY AND
INDEPENDENTLY.
AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I
BELIEVE IN AND THE MAJORITY OF
DEARBORNITES.
>> YOU ALSO KNOW THAT RIGHT NOW
IS A VERY NASTY SEASON IN
AMERICAN POLITICS.
THERE’S BLOOD THIRST EVERYWHERE
YOU TURN.
EACH -- THE TWO SIDES THAT WE
TYPICALLY THINK OF RIGHT AND
LEFT ARE BARELY ON SPEAKING
TERMS RIGHT NOW.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE
POLITICAL ARENA?
>> YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN IN OFFICE
FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW AND BEING
MAYOR ACTUALLY ALLOWS ME TO TAKE
A BACK SEAT TO THE PARTISAN
POLITICS, GIVEN IT’S A
NONPARTISAN SEAT.
WHAT I’M ABLE TO DO IS UTILIZE
THE OFFICE OF MAYOR I THINK IS
BEST POSITIONED TO IMPACT AND
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR
NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE
CITY.
WE’RE IN THE BEST POSITION TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
EACH AND EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND WORKING WITH EFFECTIVELY
WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL AND THAT
IT’S QUALIFIED AND TRUSTWORTHY
TO IF HE CAN WAIT POSITIVE
CHANGE AND MOVE NEARBY FORWARD.
>> AS YOU KNOW, AND YOU RAN ON
THIS IDEA AND TALKING QUITE A
BIT WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE
NEIGHBORHOODS, MANY OF WHICH
NEEDS INFRASTRUCTURE HELP AND
DEARBORN IS ALWAYS IN THE
HEADLINES, UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN
WE TALK ABOUT THE MASSIVE RAINS
THAT WE HAD OVER THE PAST SUMMER
AND ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS.
YOUR MARCHING ORDERS AS YOU MOVE
INTO OFFICE IN JANUARY ARE
PRETTY CLEAR FOR YOU, RIGHT?
>> THERE’S A CLOCK TICKING ON
THE WALL TO YOUR POINT, WHEN IS
THE NEXT HEAVY RAIN COMING THAT
COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC
FLOODING EVENT AND ON DAY ONE
PRIOR TO ASSUMING OFFICES,
SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM
SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE THAT A HEAVY
RAIN HAPPENS, THAT PEOPLE DON’T
HAVE TO BE ANXIOUS ABOUT WHETHER
OR NOT THEIR BASEMENTS ARE GOING
TO FLOOD AND THEY’RE GOING TO
PUT THEIR LIVELIHOOD OUT TO THE
CURB WAITING FOR A DUMP TRUCK
PICK IT UP.
>> AS MUCH AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE
BILL PROMISES CHANGES FOR
AMERICAN COMMUNITIES AND AS MUCH
AS PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT THE
AMOUNT OF MONEY IN IT, IT’S
ACTUALLY NOT A BOTTOMLESS PIT.
THERE ARE GOING TO BE LIMITS ON
IT AND WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAKE
SURE THAT DEARBORN GETS ITS FAIR
SHARE?
>> I THINK YOU MAKE SURE THAT
YOU’RE ADVOCATING FOR THE FAIR
SHARE AND WORKING WITH REGIONAL
PARTNERS AND WORKING WITH
PARTNERS IN LANSING AND PARTNERS
AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL OF
GOVERNMENT TO ASSURE THAT
DEARBORN MAKES THE AMOUNT OF
MONEY IT NEEDS TO IMPROVE THE
INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT’S NOT JUST IN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE, IT’S THE
PROMISE OF THE BUILD BACK BETTER
AND WE HAVE THE AMERICAN RESCUE
PLAN DOLLARS AND SEVERAL OTHER
WAYS THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE
PRIORITIZE THESE ISSUES FOR OUR
RESIDENTS.
SO WE HAVE TO WORK, YOU KNOW, IN
A SMARTER WAY, A MORE EFFICIENT
WAY AND SHOWING THAT EVERYONE IS
PULLED TO THE TABLE REGARDLESS
OF POLITICAL BELIEFS WITH THE
PRIORITY THAT WE HAVE TO DO WHAT
WE MUST DO TO HELP FIX OUR
CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> YOU’RE LEAVING THE CAPITAL IN
LANSING AND I’M CURIOUS ABOUT
YOUR TAKE OF THE ATMOSPHERE
YOU’RE LEAVING THERE. >> WE WATCHED THE GOVERNOR GO
>> WE WATCHED THE GOVERNOR GO
TOOTH AND NAIL OVER COVID RE
RERESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES AND
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHETHER YOU
THINK THE HEADLINES MATCH THE
RELATIONSHIPS AND THEABILITIES
RIGHT NOW, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
OUR LEGISLATURE?
>> YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THERE ARE
ISSUES THAT THE LEGISLATURE
DISAGREES WITH WITH THE GOVERNOR
AND THERE ENDS UP BEING A
PARTISAN DISAGREEMENT, BUT OFTEN
NOT CAPTURED IN THE HEADLINES,
BOTH SIDES COMES TO THE TABLE
WITH THE ADMINISTRATION TO PASS
SOMETHING MEANINGFUL SUCH AS THE
BIPARTISAN APPROPRIATION BILL
THAT WE’RE WORKING ON CURRENTLY.
REGARDLESS OF WHATEVER POLITICAL
BELIEFS THEY HAVE.
WHAT’S NOT CAPTURED HOW MANY
TIMES WE COME TOGETHER TO
CAPTURE IT IN PERCENTAGE,
CLEARLY 90% OF BILLS ARE PASSED
IN A BIPARTISAN MANNER AND
TRADITIONALLY THOUGH BILLS ARE
THE OUTLIARS THAT TEND TO MAKE
MORE NOISE THAT ARE CAPTURED IN
THE HEADLINES.
>> AND LASTLY YOU WORRY ABOUT AS
MAYOR OF DEARBORN GETTING AS
MANY PEOPLE VACCINATED.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TRYING TO
MOVE THE PANDEMIC FORWARD OR OUR
RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC FORWARD
AS YOU BECOME MAYOR?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THE
UNIQUENESS OF ME COMING IN AS
MAYOR, I’M ALSO A PUBLIC
HEALTH--
THE FIRST PUBLIC HEALTH MAYOR
FOR THE CITY OF DEARBORN, AN
EPIDEMIOLOGIST BY TRADE.
WHAT WE’LL DO IS PROVIDE
REAL-TIME INFORMATION TO THE
RESIDENTS, WORKING WITH OUR
PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OVER AT
THE COUNTY AND WE HAVE PLANS FOR
BRINGING IN A PUBLIC HEALTH
DIRECTOR OVER AT THE CITY OF
DEARBORN TO BEGIN TO SEE WHAT WE
CAN DO BEST IN IMPLEMENTING
PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES TO
SAFEGUARD OUR RESIDENTS.
>> ABDULLAH HAMMOUD AS WE’RE
RECORDING THIS YOU’RE AWAITING
WORD FOR YOUR WIFE TO GO TO THE
HOSPITAL FOR A BLESSED EVENT,
DIDN’T HAPPEN DURING OUR
INTERVIEW.
I’M HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
BUT CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
BLESSED EVENT COMING YOUR WAY
AND HOPE WE’LL TALK TO YOU ON