More than 6,000 signatures have been collected by a group seeking to change Dearborn’s city council format from an at-large body to holding district-based council elections.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dearborn Wants Wards filed the petition with the Dearborn City Clerk’s Office on June 18. If the language is approved, the city would have council members per district and only two at-large seats, for a total of nine council members.

If the language is approved, the city would have council members per district and only two at-large seats, for a total of nine council members. 

Campaign spokesperson Mona Mawari says the changes are overdue and necessary for equal representation of the city’s east and south sides. 

“So most of the seats are won by folks from the west side; and the East End has only one person on city council, and the South End has none,” she said. “So that’s when I decided to create this campaign where we will be going to change the structure of city council to a more equitable structure.”

If all the signatures are certified and election language is approved, voters in Dearborn will see the measure on their ballot in November.

Changes to the city council and charter commission would go into effect in 2029.

Other headlines for Monday, June 30, 2025:

• A series of bills were introduced in the state Senate that aim to make renting more accessible. The bills would cap rental application fees at $25, eliminate junk fees that occur after a lease is signed, and seal eviction records.
• The city of Dearborn will be increasing its police presence this Fourth of July weekend to combat a rise in illegal fireworks usage. Parents of children caught mishandling and using illegal fireworks will also receive citations as well. Police are reminding residents that fireworks are only allowed on private property from 11 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. between June 29 and July 5.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.