Mayor's Office

   Ruth A. Canfield is beginning her ninth year as Mayor of Dearborn Heights. Elected in 1993, Mayor Canfield ran on a commitment to make Dearborn Heights' city government more accessible, responsive, and adaptive to the changing needs of its citizens and the demands placed upon the city by the state and federal governments. She works every day to provide Dearborn Heights' 61,000 citizens with high-quality city services at a reasonable cost.

   Mayor Canfield has called Dearborn Heights, and before that, Dearborn Township, her home for over 40 years. She served as a City Councilwoman for 14 years, and before that, as a member of the District 7 School Board. She is a mother of two children, Christina and Michael, and the grandmother of two terrific grandchildren - Jonathan and Sara.

   Mayor Canfield is a member of the Central Wayne County Sanitation Authority, the Conference of Western Wayne, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) the Vista Maria advisory board, and the Rouge River Stormwater Project Steering Committee. Mayor Canfield is also an honorary member of the Dearborn Heights Chamber of Commerce, and the Dearborn Heights Lions and Rotary Clubs.

   While it’s not easy to point to one singular accomplishment over the last seven years, Mayor Canfield's greatest personal achievement has been her reputation as a "hands-on" Mayor, who takes her job seriously, and who’s always available to meet with people and hear their needs.

   Under Mayor Canfield's leadership, the City of Dearborn Heights has had six straight balanced budgets, each without a raise in taxes. Hundreds of new families and businesses continue to make Dearborn Heights their home. Property values continue to rise in every corner of the city, contributing to the city's desirability as a prime residential and commercial area in the heart of Wayne County. Dearborn Heights' image as a solid residential community, made up of close-knit neighborhoods, good schools, and a diverse population, are qualities Mayor Canfield works to encourage and preserve every day.

   Dearborn Heights is committed to providing the best public safety services, and is proud of its first-class 911 dispatcher program, advanced life support service from the Fire Department, and the Police Department's successful Citizens Academy and community policing program. A new fire station was completed in 1999, and the Mayor, working with the City's Tax Increment Finance Authority, and the 20th District Court, is working to secure property for a new Police Station and Courthouse facility at the corner of Michigan Avenue at Beech Daly, which should be open by the end of 2002.

   The Mayor has also led the effort to rebuild the City's Department of Public Works, and to improve the City's snow removal, street sweeping, improvement and maintenance of city parks, and water main repair services. Even though they've been tested by four natural disasters in the last six years, the DPW has more than met the challenge, and has provided Dearborn Heights residents with critical services when the City needed it most.

   Under the Mayor's leadership, the City committed itself to providing essential services to the most deserving in our community - our senior citizens and youth. The City continues to provide dynamic and varied senior citizen programming year-round at both the Eton and Berwyn Senior Centers. The Mayor has also led the effort to improve the City's many neighborhood parks, expand recreational opportunities at the Richard Young Recreation Center and Parkland Park, and make the Canfield Ice Arena a more updated and community-focused facility.

   The Mayor has also worked to improve the City's roads, water, and sewage services. Since 1994, Dearborn Heights has been at work repairing roads, sidewalks, and has improved sewer service along the Rouge River and Ecorse Creek Watersheds. The Mayor has been a regional leader in the development of a Rouge River Stormwater Management Plan, and works to make our waterways cleaner in a way that's fair to taxpayers and based on attainable goals.

   This is just a sampling of what has accomplished in the past seven years, and is a sure sign that new initiatives will continue from the Mayor's Office that will keep Dearborn Heights a "City with a Future."

   The message on Mayor Canfield’s door at City Hall says "walk in," and her website is no different. Please feel free to give her a call, e-mail, or fax about city issues that are of concern to you.

Letter from the Mayor

You can contact the Mayor of Dearborn Heights in the following ways: