Dearborn Heights council declines corporation counsel recommendation after closed-session discussion of Masloom case

The Dearborn Heights City Council moved into a closed session at 5:45 p.m. July 15 to discuss the legal case identified in the meeting as Masloom v. Dearborn Heights, and later returned to open session and rejected the corporation counsel's recommendation related to that discussion.

Councilman Hassan Ahmad moved to enter closed session, seconded by Councilwoman Nancy Bridal. The roll call taken before closing recorded all members present voting yes: Councilman Hassan Ahmad; Councilman Moe Beydoun; Councilwoman Nancy Bridal; Councilman Robert Konstan; Councilwoman Denise Malinowski Maxwell; Councilman Hassan Saab; and Councilman Tom Winslow. The council returned to open session at 6:19 p.m.

During closed session the council said the session could include the mayor, Chief of Staff Hernandez, the corporation counsel, and outside counsel Carlito Young of the law firm identified in the meeting as Fruzari, Schultz, Jupak (as announced at the meeting). After the council returned to open session, a motion was made to "follow the recommendation of our corporation counsel, as discussed in closed session." The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Nancy Bridal. After a voice and roll-call sequence the council chair announced that the motion failed; the meeting record shows the motion failed by a 3-4 margin.

The council did not state the substance of the corporation counsel's recommendation on the public record during the open session discussion, and no statutory citations or legal findings were read into the record at that time. Council members did not elaborate on the legal advice in open session following the vote.

The council closed the meeting and moved to a study session after the vote.