24 CHALDEAN NEWS
24 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2007
stepping up Will Warren get its first Chaldean mayor? BY JOYCE WISWELL Warren mayoral candidate Richard Sulaka remembers going door to door for votes more than 10 years ago when he ran for City Council. Not realizing his ethnicity, one woman mentioned that the city’s woes were the fault of the “damn Chaldeans.” After Sulaka spent time talking with her, she ended up putting his lawn sign in front of her house. Now that he’s running for mayor, Sulaka is braced for more anti-Chaldean sentiments. “Warren has a reputation for rough-and-tumble politics,” he said. “I’ve heard that my opponents will use my ethnic background against me. They’ll put me on a camel with a turban and a machine gun and paint me as a terrorist. Most residents are probably not aware of the difference between Arabs and Chaldeans.” Sulaka, a Democrat, said he does not plan to base his campaign on the fact that he is Chaldean. “I happen to be Chaldean, which I’m very proud of, but I want to talk about issues and my vision for the city of Warren.” That vision includes conducting an audit of city finances; eliminating the position of deputy mayor; ending the practice of political consultants working out of City Hall; and returning the city’s cable TV station to the citizens instead of political interests. Sulaka hopes to raise 0,000 for the primary election on August 7. He raised nearly half that in just two weeks in February with two fundraisers. “The Chaldean community understands that I am proud of my ethnic heritage and that I appreciate their support,” Sulaka said. Sulaka, 51, has lived in Warren for 40 years. A firstgeneration Chaldean, he has been involved in city politics for 17 years, serving on the Planning Commission and being elected to the City Council. He has been City Clerk, an elected position, since 1999. He and his Italian-American wife, Giovanna, have three children, two of whom are active in the Chaldean American Student Association at the University of Michigan. The family belongs to Shenandoah Country Club. Warren, Michigan’s third-largest city, is ethnically diverse with a population that includes Chaldeans, Arabs, Italians, Poles, African-Americans, Asians and Ukraines. Sulaka estimates that 5 percent of the city’s population is comprised of Chaldeans and Arabs. The current administration, led by term-limited Mark Steenbergh, “has operated by threats and intimidation,” Sulaka charged. He takes issue with PHOTO BY DAVID REED Steenbergh’s characterization of Warren as a “fortress.” “We are not an island,” he said. “I would meet with other communities – Detroit, Oak Park, Ferndale. We all have a lot of same issues.” Warren is divided by I-696, a “DMZ” (demilitarized zone) mentality Sulaka pledges to change. “We need to be sure that landlords are keeping up their properties. When you look at 14 Mile and Schoenherr and 8 Mile and Dequindre, it sometimes looks like two different communities.” Developing a downtown area, which Warren presently lacks, is a key issue. “I’d love to get a Barnes & Noble, a Champps restaurant, and make a downtown that is a gathering place,” Sulaka said. Also key to Sulaka’s campaign is the promise not to pick residents’ pockets. “I will never raise taxes unless it’s from a vote of the people,” he said. “And you can quote me on that.” Sulaka declined to say if his political ambitions go further than Warren. “Right now I just want to be mayor,” he said. “But you never say never in politics.” Learn more about Sulaka’s campaign at www.SulakaForMayor.com. “The Chaldean community understands that I am proud of my ethnic heritage and that I appreciate their support.” – RICHARD SULAKA The candidate mixes with Fran Denardis and Emily Dettloff at a recent fundraiser. MARCH 2007 CHALDEAN NEWS 25
