Monday, October 10, 2005

Local agenda

Dearborn Heights works to unite diverse community

City Council considers a cultural relations panel to investigate incidents of discrimination in the area.

By Darren A. Nichols / The Detroit News

The week ahead Canton Township: Sue Trussell, district director for state Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton Township, will hold office hours for all constituents of the 7th District from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Flat Rock Community Center. The center is at 1 Maguire St., near Exit 29B of Interstate 75. The center's phone number is (734) 782-3488. Residents can reach Patterson at (866) 262-7307 or (517) 373-7350. Livonia: The council will receive an audit report from the Livonia Housing Commission for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2004, when it meets at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting will be inside the City Hall Auditorium, 33000 Civic Center Drive. For information, call (734) 466-2200. Grosse Ile: Dick Sorensen, a landscape architect from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Minneapolis, will host a public forum on the Humbug Trail 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Grosse Ile Middle School, 23270 E. River. The forum is to gather input on plans for trails at Humbug Marsh, which is part of the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge. For information, call John Hartig, refuge manager, at (734) 692-7608. Redford Township: State Rep. Andy Dillon, R-Redford, will meet with constituents over coffee from 8:30-9:30 a.m. today at Frank's Diner, 25700 Plymouth Road. Frank's phone number is (313) 937-0700. Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- The City Council is set to vote on an ordinance Tuesday to create a Community and Cultural Relations Commission in an attempt to foster a better understanding among its diverse population.

The group will be charged with investigating incidents of discrimination in the area and will seek to promote community harmony.

"The purpose is to do education and outreach in the community," said Councilwoman Margaret Van Houten, who introduced the ordinance last month.

"Hopefully, some of the tension in the area that's been coming out more recently will dissipate. We want all of our residents to get along. A part of this is just a sense of community that has been lost."

"I don't know of any incidents in Dearborn Heights," said Earl Berry, 75, who has lived in the Clariview subdivision since 1971. "You may just want to nip anything in the bud to make sure there isn't anything going on in violation of anybody's civil rights. I guess I would have thought it wouldn't be necessary. We have quite a variety (of races)."

The commission will have seven voting members: five mayoral appointees and two from the council. The Dearborn Heights city charter calls for the group to meet quarterly, but Van Houten said the group can gather more often.

"I see the Arab-American community in larger numbers, and it's a very visible community," said resident Zana Macki. "It gives the city an opportunity to have this dialogue going and to look at specific issues. It's a good way of heading off potential problems and to handle it internally so things don't get out of hand."

The ordinance was introduced last month with a bit of controversy. Van Houten, a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, unveiled the ordinance, which did not include sexual orientation as one of the protected groups.

Van Houten said it was because it was not recognized by the state, which adopted a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in November. Van Houten, who also is on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, was a supporter of that measure.

Mayor Dan Paletko and others disagreed with not adding sexual orientation to the ordinance.

Tuesday's meeting will be at 8 p.m. at the council's chambers, 6045 Fenton. For information, call (313) 791-3433.

You can reach Darren A. Nichols at (734) 462-2190 or dnichols@detnews.com.