Tafelski Running For Mayor To 'Re-establish Leadership'

DEARBORN, MI — Tuesday’s primary election is an important one in Dearborn. Voters will be asked to select single candidates for mayor and clerk to run in November’s general election. Five candidates are running for Mayor.

Patch recently sent questions to the candidates. The idea is for the candidates to introduce themselves and their ideas to voters. What follows is a verbatim transcript of the questions and answers from candidate Thomas Tafelski:

Please provide basic biographical information
I am product of the Dearborn Public Schools system (Maples Elementary and Junior High, Fordson High School) and hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. I was first elected to City Council in 2001 and have won re-election three times since, serving terms as Council President (2007-2013) and President Pro Tem (2013-present). As a member of Council, I have been a consistent advocate for fiscal responsibility, enhancing public safety, pro-growth business policies, strengthening neighborhoods and common sense that sometimes is lacking inside city hall. Outside of my service on Council, I have a successful career as an independent financial professional specializing in retirement planning and wealth management. I am also the proud father of three teenage boys.

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Why are you running for Mayor?
I am running for mayor to re-establish leadership and confidence in City Hall. Every neighborhood and business owner must feel like they have someone who listens to their concerns. The Mayor is responsible for ensuring the city provides high-quality services in an efficient manner, but he or she is also supposed to be an advocate for constituents. That’s something I’ve always taken seriously on City Council, and something I believe the current administration is not taking seriously enough. As Mayor, I would make this a priority.

My record on City Council shows that I’m not afraid to ask difficult questions, which has sometimes put me at odds with the current administration and even my fellow Council members. However, I will never compromise on my principles or my commitment to Dearborn, and I will never settle for less than the best for all of our residents. The last 16 years on Council have given me intricate knowledge of how the city operates and also convinced me that there’s so much more we can do to better serve residents and make Dearborn a benchmark community in Southeast Michigan. Dearborn must be more forward-thinking and business-savvy to secure a brighter future, and my experience in public service and my success in the private sector would enable me to hit the ground running on day one.

What are your top priorities for your term if you win?
I want to strengthen every neighborhood association, encouraging participation among all residents through more productive relationships with City Hall. We need to ensure that city ordinances are enforced fairly so that there is no misunderstanding of the fact that we are one community.

It is essential that Dearborn elect a mayor who puts public safety first, and not only in an election year. A mayor must seek the input and perspective of those protecting us. We also need a mayor who is personally committed to providing the right resources to ensure our public safety personnel are well-trained and well-equipped. I will be that kind of mayor, and my City Council voting record demonstrates this.

More specifically, I will prioritize the following during my first days and months in office:

· Providing greater fiscal accountability in the way the city spends taxpayer dollars
· Programs that result in cleaner, safer and healthier neighborhoods
· Collaborating with Dearborn Public Schools on public health/safety issues
· Working to establish public-private partnerships to re-open and repair all
neighborhoods pools
· Strengthening all neighborhood associations
· Engaging more closely with our downtowns and business organizations
· Ensuring that police, fire and EMS are fully staffed and trained