Dearborn School Board fails to appoint a new trustee amid controversy

Hundreds of Dearborn residents packed the board room as an important item on the agenda was announced: the appointment of a new trustee during a long Dearborn School Board meeting that lasted 3.5 hours on Monday, June 12th, 2017,

After only serving 3 years in the Dearborn Schools, the former Chair of Trustees for Dearborn Schools. Mariam Bazzi resigned from her post on May 22, 2017 to take on the Wayne County Judgeship.

This has created a vacancy on the board and the charter states that an appointment must be made within 30 days. Otherwise, the process would be handed over to Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA). The administration posted the position and began accepting applications from May 23 until June 1st. Seven people applied for the post and six of those who applied ended up interviewing for the position. All the interviews are available on dearbornschools.org and the district’s YouTube channel. The applicants were Roxanne McDonald, Adel Mozip, Celia Nasser, Alex Shami, Zeinab Sobh, and Irene Watts.

A press release by Dearborn Schools was released on June 2nd mentioning the names of the applicants and adding “Each candidate brings a unique set of skills and background knowledge to the position. Ms. McDonald and Mr. Shami have both served on the Board, McDonald from 2012 through 2016 and Shami from 1995 to 2002. Adel Mozip is no stranger to the Dearborn Public Schools serving on the District’s Strategic Plan Committee and having previously run for a seat on the Board.”

The interviews occurred on June 6th and a selection for the new trustee was scheduled for June 12th. During the June 6th meeting, Trustee Berry put a motion to move the process immediately to Wayne RESA without stating reasons why. Many speculated that the selection was already made prior to the interviews. Berry inquired where to file violations of Open Act Meeting as he felt some board members meet and discuss board matters outside the meeting room. Discussions of board matters outside the meeting room are prohibited thus making it a violation of the Open Meeting Act.

As a consequence, a heated meeting followed on June 12th. After the completion of regular agenda items, citizen’s participation started with several speakers voicing their concern about rumors and speculations around town. These rumors and speculations were similar to those made on June 6th insinuations that a pick was already made by some Trustees and that there is a political organization influencing board members to make the pick. Other speakers spoke in support of Adel Mozip while one spoke in support of Zeinab Sobh. Adel Mozip placed 3rd in the November elections receiving more than 11 thousand votes. Charles McDonald; Roxanne McDonald’s husband also spoke before the board telling them repeatedly “Shame on you if you are making casting vote based on political favors.”

The board didn’t acknowledge nor thank the speakers for their concerns. The concerned parents, students, and educators were all respectful in their speeches except for a former City of Dearborn 2003 mayoral losing candidate, federal prosecutor and a senior member of the Arab American Political Action Committee(AAPAC), Abed Hammoud. Hammoud spoke in front of the board, calling parents who voiced their concerns about the process bullies and accused them of pressuring the board to “choose their candidate.” He bragged about his attendance of many board meetings and activism. People who attend the meetings regularly for the past 2 years didn’t see Mr. Hammoud in attendance until the news of former Trustee Bazz’s appointment to the Wayne District Court.

The board members casted their votes one after another providing their rationale for the vote. Trustees Thorpe and Petlichkoff voted for Roxanne McDonald with reasoning on former experience while on the board. Meanwhile, Trustees Meade, Lane, and Hammoud voted for the same unknown candidate, Celia Nasser. Trustee Fadwa Hammoud went on and beyond to explain why she chose Celia Nasser and even listed things that were not even mentioned in the applicant’s interview. Trustee Hammoud didn’t disclose to the public that she received campaign contributions from Candidate Nasser nor their close relationship. Candidate Nasser's main recommendation letter came from her first cousin and former Trustee Mariam Bazzi. That relationship was not disclosed either during the open meetings. Trustee Meade in his rationale for supporting Candidate Nasser stated she has been “active” in the community with the League of Women Voters. According to the League, Candidate Nasser just joined in May 2017 (less than a month from her application to fill a vacant seat)! He also mentioned that Candidate Nasser also has children in the district (which is not the case). Recalling 2015 appointment, when 19 applicants applied. 3 members (Bazzi, Meade, and Lane) also voted for the AAPAC supported candidate (now Trustee Hammoud) from the first round. People following the process do not see this as a coincidence.

The connection between AAPAC and the Board of Education is no secret. It is indeed bragged about by their mouthpiece, the Arab American News. Following the appointment of now Trustee Hammoud, the paper stated in the same article of Hammoud’s appointment, “AAPAC has continued to build strong ties with the board of education. The organization had backed Scholelles, in addition to current trustees Bazzi, Roxanne McDonald, Mary Lane and Michael Meade”. The article went on to explain the family relationships that helped in the last appointment.

Since the board was in deadlock on June 12th, they have another opportunity on June 19th during the Henry Ford College meeting to make an appointment. Hence, If 4 members of the board agree on a candidate, citizens are allowed to voice their concern during the meeting as well. The meeting will be held on Monday June 19th at 7:00pm in the Andrew Mazzara Administrative Services 7 Conference Center (ASCC, Building L on the Henry Ford College Main Campus in the Rosenau Board Room located in the 1st floor). If a consensus cannot be reached, the process would move to RESA in which Trustee Berry and many others believe it’s the best and fairest solution.