working the circuit
working the circuit Sahera Housey vies for judge By Joyce Wiswell Even as a little girl in Telkaif, Sahera Gumma Housey knew she wanted to be an attorney one day. Her cherished grandfather was always supportive. “He’d always say, ‘she’s going to be something. Look at how she walks, look at how she talks – like an attorney,” Housey recalled. She held onto that dream when she was almost 8 years old and the Gumma family immigrated to the United States in 1976. Like so many other Chaldeans at the time, the family settled in the Seven Mile area of Detroit. “It was the thing then,” Housey said. “We lived on the same street in three different houses.” The family moved to Southfield in 1985 and Housey attended school at St. Mary’s, which closed ‘I am very fair in the way I approach my cases.’ in her junior year. “There were 200 people in the whole school and then I went to Southfield Lathrup, which had 2,000,” she said. “Talk about culture shock!” Keeping her eye on the prize, Housey worked odd jobs – she was a meat wrapper at a supermarket for a few summers – to help pay her tuition at the University of Detroit and UD’s Mercy School of Law. Now a successful lawyer for nearly 20 years, she’s set her sights on the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County. Housey is among five candidates for the seat being created by the retirement of Judge Edward Sosnick, who serves in the Family Division. Her rivals are Dan Christ, Karen McDonald, Jason Pernick and Layne Ashley Sakwa. The top two vote-getters in the August 7 primary go on to general election in November. Housey has served as a Friend of the Court Referee since 2007 and is assigned to Oakland Circuit Court Judge Joan Young. In her role as referee, she has presided over more than 5,000 enforcement hearings and more than 3,000 hearings regarding custody, parenting time and child support. More than 98 percent of her recommended orders have been entered without objection by the parties involved. “I love my job. Really, I love my job,” said Housey. “I really do make a difference. Most people are decent people and this is a very stressful time for them. I reinforce for them that the adult issues belong somewhere else, and they need to focus on their children’s well-being.” The work can sometimes be wrenching, Housey admitted. “You want to take every child home with you and adopt them,” she said. “It does make me appreciate my children and husband more,” she said of Brianna, 11, Dalia, 8, and husband Matthew. The family lives in Novi. The campaigning process has been gratifying. “People are wonderful, so generous with their time and energy and money. I’m in constant awe, I’m humbled by it,” Housey said. “I’ve received overwhelming support from the Chaldean community and different organizations have been tremendous.” Housey is the chair of the Oakland County Bar Association Family Court Committee and sits on the board of the Referees Association of Michigan and the Michigan Inter-Professional Association on Marriage, Divorce and the Family. She is also a seminar speaker on family law for the Oakland County Bar Association. She was previously involved with Legal Aid programs and served as chair of the Legal Section of the ACCESS Coalition on Domestic Violence. If she succeeds in the election, she’ll be the Chaldean community’s second Michigan judge. Diane Dickow D’Agostini is running for re-election for a third term at the 48th District Court, where she serves as chief justice. Housey calls being a judge “a natural fit” after all her years dealing with family issues. “I am very fair in the way I approach my cases. It’s not my personal opinion that matters,” she said. But even winning the judgeship will have its limitations, she admitted. “I don’t have magic powder to sprinkle on people to make them good parents.” Visit HouseForJudge.com. 28 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2012
old_4.417x5.917_BW.indd 1 6/20/12 2:20 PM Representative Jeff Farrington will continue to fight for small business owners throughout the State of Michigan. Some of his accomplishments over the past two years: • Named Legislator of the Year by the Small Business Association of Michigan. • Voted to eliminate the burdensome Michigan Business Tax. • Removed barriers and red tape related to businesses across the State. Jeff also believes in a strong faith and family life. • He has been married to his wife, Diana, for 25 years. • He has two wonderful boys, Mitch and Nick. • He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Jeff hopes to earn your support for the upcoming election. Please visit www.ElectFarrington.com for more information. www.ElectFarrington.com It’s not just about getting you back on your feet. It’s about getting you back to your life. Paid for by the Elect Jeff Farrington Committee, 8830 Summers Ct. Utica, MI 48317 “Save energy and save money.” “I’m Harold. I’ve worked as a service technician for DTE Energy for 24 years. I pay utility bills just like you. So, I do things to save energy, because I know that it will save me money. Did you know that by adjusting your thermostat just one degree, you can save 3 percent on your energy bill? Caulking windows, adding insulation, and changing your furnace filter can help in the summer and in the winter. Go to dteenergy.com to learn more about saving energy and money. We can help.” HAROLD Service Technician DTE Energy, 24 Years Visit us at dteenergy.com or call us at 800.477.4747 Few rehabilitative care centers have as impressive a record as Heartland. For years, our focus has been to return patients home as quickly as possible, while reducing their risk of rehospitalization. In fact, more than 9 out of 10* patients are able to regain their independence even before they leave our facilities. For better clinical and rehab expertise, remember, Heartland is your best way home. For more information, call 800.800.CARE, or visit IChoose Heartland.com. 12 locations in Metro Detroit: Allen Park Oakland Ann Arbor Plymouth Court Canton University Dearborn Heights West Bloomfield Dorvin Marvin & Betty Danto Georgian Bloomfield Health Care Center Georgian East ©2011 HCR Healthcare, LLC *National average JULY 2012 CHALDEAN NEWS 29
