Candidate Profile: Silvio Davis, Dearborn City Council

DEARBORN, MI — There are seven open seats for Dearborn City Council in November's general elections.

To help readers make informed choices, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Silvio Davis is running for Dearborn City Council. Here's how he filled out his profile:

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Age (as of Election Day)

35

Position Sought

Dearborn City Council

Party Affiliation

NA

Family

Charles Davis -76- Father Romona Mathis- 66- Mother Michael Mathis- 51

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Associates Degree

Occupation

Supervisor at Local Insurance Company- The Dearborn Agency

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/Silvi...

Why are you seeking elective office?

We will see at least 3 new faces on City Council and a new Mayor. The time for good hearted leaders to step up and fill those positions is now. This is one of the most important years we will see in change over in our leadership. We need strong individuals to be OUR voice. With my years of community service and involvement within the city I have already established relationships in city leadership and have a proven record of servicing our community. Service over self is the way I have lived my life the last 10 years and that is the way I will continue to serve all of Dearborn. With the new administration and new council we need those who are ready to work on Nov. 3rd to move our City into a positive direction. I have strong relationships with both Mayoral candidates and most of our council candidates, which will make the new transition smooth. Together we are going to move Dearborn into a positive direction.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

We have many obstacles we need to address. At the top of the list as of today will be our infrastructure and sewer systems. I witnessed people lose unreplaceable memories and many items in their basements due to multiple flooding this summer. I personally helped clean out basements for weeks to try to help ease that pain just a little. It breaks my heart to see families and/or people go through this. WE NEED to focus on fixing this issue or we will lose residents. It will not take over night to fix but the research, planning, and action needs to begin now and continue with the new administration and council. That work begins November 3rd, we owe it to our residents to focus and find solutions now.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

We have many great candidates seeking office this year, it is very nice to see those individuals step up and want to lead our city. The difference between myself and others is I have been visible in all corners of Dearborn for a decade now. I am 35, to me I started volunteering late, but I still have many years of continuing servicing Dearborn. I continue to volunteer with Dearborn Goodfellows, Hines Park PM Rotary, Special Olympics, Burn Drive, Exchange club, Dearborn Public schools mitten drive/school supply drive, Saving our Pools with running " Floatie" nights/ pool clean ups and many others that support our Dearborn Community. Key point, I am visible and active in our community year around, not just during an election season or the past year, but continuous service for all of Dearborn. You can ask all candidates for council and Mayoral, they all know my passion and commitment to our community. I will always be the positive voice for our community and will represent all of Dearborn.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

It is easy to point the finger or blame individuals or boards, but I am not here to do that. I am running to bring positive mindset, ideas, and commitments to council. Any candidate that does not fully understand how managing or operating an entire city can not " Challenge" how one has failed our city. We have many of challenges coming up with our new administration and council, we need people that are ready to work as one to move Dearborn in a positive direction. The hard work begins the day after the election and we all must come together and work as a team. My focus will be working as a team and addressing our residents concerns and being proactive on any additional issues.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Our local officials, community leaders, non profit organizations and many residents all stepped in and assisted with coronvirus. I volunteered with Dearborn Public schools as they passed out lunches daily to those who needed it throughout the summer. Myself and Hines Park PM Rotary worked at the vaccination center to ensure it was properly staffed, we all came together as one to get through this together. It is an every day battle moving forward but our leaders and community responded well and made sure we all had the resources needed during the hard times. I would of liked to see more done with the businesses in our community, we could of learned or done the same as some other surrounding communities to make our outdoor seating more accessible and focused on keeping our businesses opened. Everything was happening so quickly and orders from higher government changed weekly, over all I felt local officials did the best they could with what they had and understood. Now its time to make sure we all support your local small businesses, they have taken the biggest hit from all of this and need us now more than ever.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My platform will be very simple, I want to listen, learn, understand, communicate, and take action when needed. I can not say I will be reduce this while increasing or keeping that, that can not be done by an individual we will all need to work together to better Dearborn. We have a lot of work to do to ensure we move in a positive direction together, our administration, local officials, community leaders, and most of all our residents will all play a role in doing this. Our residents will have a voice through me and I will always do what is best for all of Dearborn.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been active and visible within the city for a decade now, with my years volunteer work I have proven to all corners of Dearborn that I am ready and prepared to serve you. People have been telling me for years that I should run and I always said "I am more of a behind the scene type of person", but I always get the job done and ALWAYS help where I can. This year I realized the need our city has, with at least 3 new faces on council and a new Mayor, the time for me to listen is now. Our community needs individuals who are connected to the residents and will represent all of Dearborn as one. My passion, commitment and my service over self mindset will ensure YOUR voice is heard and concerns will be addressed.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

From Councilman David Bazzy- " You will not have all the answers, never act like you do, but always follow up and respond." I owe a lot of my motivation and support to David for him giving me the confidence that I belong on City Council. I know I will never have all the answers or solutions, but together we will always work as One Dearborn, One Team and One Family.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Please VOTE, the best thing you can do for your community is to vote the right people into office. Remember to tell your family, friends and neighbors to vote as well. We have a lot of work to do but as always we will work as one to move Dearborn forward together. I have been endorsed by Dearborn Police Officers union, Dearborn fire fighters union, Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, former Councilman Mark Shooshanian and Councilman David Bazzy. I am the current President of The Dearborn Goodfellows, past President of Hines Park PM Rotary club, active volunteer with Special Olympics and only active member left from Save our Pools, currently still operate " Floatie" nights and organize pool clean ups. As a city official we as residents want to make sure they are visible and active in our community not just recently or during election season, but ALL year around for ALL of Dearborn. I am visible, I am active, and I am ready to your voice!