Hammoud Will Deliver First State Of The City Address Tuesday: Here's How To Watch

DEARBORN, MI — Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud will deliver his first State of the City address Tuesday evening.

Hammoud will speak at 6 p.m. inside the Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, where officials expect more than 600 people to attend. You can also watch it online on YouTube or on Facebook on the city's accounts.

"This is an opportunity provide the people of Dearborn a formal update on the administration’s achievements, priorities, and aspirations for the future," city officials said in a Facebook post.

Hammoud, 33, was elected in November 2021, becoming the city's first Muslim mayor of Arab descent. U.S. Census data shows that 47 percent of Dearborn residents identified as Arab ancestry.

The address comes as city officials filed a lawsuit against Pro-V Enterprises, LLC, claiming the trucking and scrapyard company creates excessive amounts of dust that endangers the health of residents in the area.

Hammoud has focused on curbing reckless driving in Dearborn's neighborhoods. City officials announced last week crews will install speed humps in three busy areas to curbed speeding and reckless driving in Dearborn neighborhoods.

In February, Hammoud announced the city is working with Google to modernize Dearborn. The effort includes transitioning the city’s website to make it an around the clock online service provider and improving the city’s translation capabilities.

Hammoud has also worked to bring diversity to City Hall, including hiring the city's first ever Muslim police chief.

On the other hand, Hammoud has faced challenges, including from retired firefighters, who were upset about possible retiree health care benefits. The Wayne County Clerk's Office also complained about the city's decision to print Arabic ballots, arguing the language may not qualify as a minority language in need of protection.

Hammoud also drew ire from parents when he opposed removing certain LGBTQ+ books in the city's district.

"As a parent and as a Mayor, I believe we can have both," said Hammoud, adding that when it came to issues as important as childhood education, "people can disagree on ideas without letting bad-faith actors tear our community apart."