Dearborn Heights swears in ordinance director as residents press council on speeding, blight and trash pickup

The Dearborn Heights City Council held a ceremonial swearing-in for Yousef Nasralla as the city's ordinance director and spent part of its public-comment period addressing neighborhood safety and service complaints. Nasralla, who said he lives in Dearborn Heights, thanked the mayor and residents and gave his direct contact information to the public: “You can always reach me,” he said, adding he will respond if he does not immediately pick up.

Why it matters: Residents said recent enforcement actions have produced tickets but not visible change on speeding, e-bike behavior, and chronic blight in some trailer-park blocks; council members and the mayor said they view stronger, sustained enforcement as a priority but noted resource limits and staffing shortfalls.

In remarks after the swearing-in, several council members praised Nasralla's work over the administration's first weeks, citing frequent weekend enforcement and an effort to hire younger staff. "He's put the city of Dearborn Heights first," a council member said. Nasralla told the council he accepted the post because he and his family live in the city and he wants to continue serving the community.

During public comment, Angela Venegas and Laurie Malene pointed to recurring problems including speeding near neighborhood schools, street-level disorder and a trailer park on Palim Road described as “almost inhumane.” Malene said she had seen repeated short-term enforcement efforts that did not produce long-term improvement: “Every chief has said, we'll have people out. They did for one week. Every chief has done the same thing,” she said.

Council members acknowledged the frustration and described steps under way: repeated ticketing by ordinance and police, neighborhood monitoring, discussions with the police chief about targeted patrols, and a promise to follow up on long-running complaints. The mayor said the police department is still understaffed and that the administration will pursue neighborhood plans that go beyond one-off patrols.

Waste collection also surfaced in public comment. A resident raised a multi-week pattern of delayed yard-waste and recycling pickups by the city's contractor, Priority Waste. The mayor said the administration and corporation counsel are reviewing the contract and that potential penalties are under discussion.

What comes next: Council members urged residents to share specifics with staff so follow-up can be tracked and asked Nasralla to continue coordinating with police and code officers on targeted responses. The administration said it expects to report back on enforcement plans and any contractual action on waste pickup in the coming days.