News

Actions

Abdullah Hammoud becomes Dearborn's first-ever Arab American mayor

'We never ran to be the first, we ran to be the best'
Abdullah Hammoud
Posted at 4:07 PM, Jan 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-15 14:04:26-05

DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Abdullah Hammoud was sworn as Dearborn's first Arab-American mayor of Dearborn.

He was sworn in alongside the newly elected city council, city clerk, and charter commission.

Hammoud, who was a Michigan state representative, won the election this past November after running against former State Rep. Gary Woronachak. He beat Woronachak by 9.4% of the total votes.

Dearborn has one of the largest Arab American populations in the country. About a third of the city’s residents are of Middle Eastern descent and about 4% are Black.

Hammoud, 31, served three terms in the Michigan House and graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in public health and business administration.

His family migrated to the United States from Lebanon.

Back in November, Channel 7 spoke with Hammoud about his win.

"I'm just humbled by the opportunity to give back to my hometown. It's everything," said Hammoud. "This is the greatest privilege of my life to date, the opportunity to really give back to the community that gave me and my family everything. I just look forward to doing what we can, to roll up our sleeves and help improve the lives of our residents."

Along with Hammoud, here are the following winners from the Nov. 2021 election who are either staying in office or will be sworn in:

Dearborn City Council

  • Michael T. Sareini
  • Erin Byrnes
  • Leslie C. Herrick
  • Kamal Alsawafy
  • Ken Paris
  • Robert. A Abraham
  • Mustapha Hammoud

Dearborn Charter Commission

  • Elizabeth Bailey
  • Hassan F. Abdallah
  • Sharon L. Dulmage
  • Jim O'Connor
  • Hussein Hachem
  • Cheryl D. Hawkins
  • Timothy S. Harrison
  • L Glenn O'Kray
  • Laura Dudgeon

Here are a few stories we did with Hammoud after his historic win:

Hammoud declares victory in race for Dearborn Mayor

Discussing an historic election night with Dearborn's next mayor