Published July 15, 2025

Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud joined Dearborn City Council President Michael T. Sareini, local officials, and community members on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at a ceremony to rename the City’s senior housing building in East Dearborn in tribute to former Dearborn City Councilwoman Suzanne Sareini, the first Arab American elected official in the City of Dearborn, who served the community faithfully and with distinction for 24 years.

The renaming ceremony of Suzanne Sareini Manor, previously called Hubbard Manor East, marks the first City of Dearborn building named in honor of a female leader.

Former Councilwoman Sareini spoke to the crowd, “This [dedication] means a lot to my family and I… This city has meant so much to me. I grew up in the Southend, never thinking I would run for office.”

As an accomplished leader, Sareini also empowered women in the community through education, advocacy, and a variety of valuable programs, and created an inclusive and equitable environment through her service on the Council, which spanned six terms until 2013.

Find out more about Sareini and other trailblazing Dearborn women via the Dearborn Historical Museum.

Dearborn Council President Sareini remarked on his mother’s pioneering service to the City, “When there were only 4000 Arab Americans registered to vote, [Sareini] broke the ceiling.”

Mayor Hammoud joined in the chorus of praise for the community leader, “[Sareini] shattered the ceiling by being the first Arab American woman elected in the country that paved the way for so many of us to follow afterward.”

Participating in the ceremony were Sareini’s son, Houssain “Sam” Sareini, U.S. Navy Captain, other family members, as well as several members of the Dearborn City Council.

On Sept. 24, 2024, the Dearborn City Council approved Hammoud’s resolution to rename City spaces after community members to honor their impactful and lasting contributions to the city.

Suzanne Sareini Manor joins a list of four buildings renamed in the City after noteworthy community members for their selfless service to Dearborn. The four spaces include two independent living, senior apartment buildings (renamed Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr. Manor and Suzanne Sareini Manors), the Dearborn Historical Museum offices (renamed Jack Tate Museum Offices), and the rotunda gallery at the Henry Ford Centennial Library (renamed EmmaJean Woodyard Gallery at the Henry Ford Centennial Library), unveiling new names after notable community members.

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