3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 • (313) 874-2100

Volume 3 No. 41October 21, 2011

50¢

Quick Hits

— HAMTRAMCK'S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD —

www.hamtramckreview.com • e-mail news@thehamtramckreview.com

3236 Caniff St. • Hamtramck 48212

Calling all angels …TheHamtramck Block Club As-sociation and the Ham-tramck Community Initiativeare looking for volunteers topatrol the streets next Sat-urday, Sunday and Mondayfor Halloween.Adult volunteers are

needed Saturday and Sun-day from 6 to 11 p.m. andon Monday from 5 to 10p.m.If you can help out, reg-

ister on any of those daysat Peoples CommunityServices, located on Jos.Campau at Danforth.

Who said this, and what isit about? You can find thequote and the story it be-longs to somewhere in thepages of this issue.

“We’re going to try tocomply the best we can,as soon as we can.”

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By Alan R. MadeleineThey rolled out the barrel -- of

Polish food.Then, they had a barrel of

fun.This past Saturday night,

Holy Cross Polish NationalCatholic Church held a Polishdinner from 4 to 7 p.m. in thebasement of the church, lo-cated on Pulaski at Fleming.By 6 p.m., the place was still

fairly full, with the remaining 40or so attendees still scarfingdown homemade (by FatherNowak and his wife!) porkchops and pierogis, as well asPolish sausage and sauerkrautfrom Srodek’s, dinner rolls andlemonade or coffee. All this, forthe measly sum of $8 peradult, and $4 per child.An array of donated, pre-cut

desserts were also availablefor an extra 50 cents per. Foodwas still coming out of thekitchen, with no end in sight,during the last hour.About 6:15, Eric Hite of

Toledo once again took thestage with his accordion aftera break. Hite, who also per-forms with the local favoriteband Polka Floyd, sang as he

squeezed out some familiarpolka beats to an appreciativecrowd comprised mostly of 50-plus-year-olds. A pair of womenkitchen volunteers dancedalong to one tune.A table in front of the stage

had some items for sale aswell, including homemadechocolates, as well as bath lo-tions, soaps and the like.Upcoming events for the

church include a bake sale thisSunday, Oct. 23, and a YouthHalloween Party the followingSunday after the 9 a.m. Mass.Kids will be able to change intotheir costumes and then enjoythe festivities. They’ll also havea “Santa Shoppe” on Sunday,Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon.By then, maybe everyone’s

stomachs will finally seem a bitless full from last Saturday’sstuffing!Holy Cross Parish Polish Na-

tional Catholic Church is lo-cated at 2311 Pulaski atFleming. To contact the rectory,call (313) 365-5191. To talk tosomeone in the church hall,call (313) 365-5070. They’realso online, at www.Holy-CrossPNCC.com.

By Charles SercombeLately, we’ve done a lot of

talking about new housingconstruction and rehabs ofexisting old stock housing.Now, let’s talk about hous-

ing demolition.Thanks to a $15 million

federal grant, under theNeighborhood StabilizationProgram, Hamtramck hasplenty of money to spend onhousing. It is probably thelargest housing program this

city has ever experienced inthe last several dacades.Unfortunately, Hamtramck’s

housing stock has taken abeating in recent years, dueto a wave of foreclosures.And also due to one errant

landlord who will go unnamed(and who has been seriouslypenalized).In the next week or two, the

city will begin the first of twophases in housing demoli-

If elected, hewill not serveBy Charles SercombeWell here’s a twist no one

saw coming in this year’selection for City Council.

Candidate Steve Shaya isasking voters to not vote forhim because he has taken ajob with the city.Shaya has been appointed

as a consultant to help run

Feds ordercity to printBengali ballotsBy Charles SercombeHere’s more proof that

Hamtramck’s Bengali com-munity is a major voting bloc.The federal government is

now requiring the city to printall election material, includ-ing ballots and candidatenominating petitions, in theBangladeshi language as wellas in English.That’s because, according

to the U.S. Census, theBangladeshi community issizeable enough to warrantseparate ballots. The agencysaid it used a variety of datato determine this mandate,but just what exactly the de-cision was based on was not

School BoardCandidate

Paid for by Committee to Elect Alan Shulgon

At Holy Cross, dinner has neverbeen this much fun

Grant will not only build houses, but also take some down

Continued on page 2Continued on page 5

Your Candidate Who:Is All About U!

H Understands and fights for transparency and protects your $$!!

H Understands and supports fire and police for a safer city!

The OTHER 2 Candidates who:RUN TO OBTAIN THEIR POWER!

Understand NOTHING and fight for NO-ONE• Never attended council meetings this year

Protect THEMSELVES• One of the candidates also has outstanding debts owed to the city!

• And the other maintains a job at the casino which is contrary to gaming commission!

WHO WOULD YOU PICK?Who Do You Want Protecting Your Interests?SIMPLY PUT...CATHIE LADZINSKI GORDON

Steve Shaya

Paid for by the Committee to Relect Cathie Gordon

2 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, October 21 , 2011

This week at the library...Story Time for Children - Saturday, October 22,

at noon. All children are invited for reading of abook by Steven Schnur, "Autumn, an AlphabetAcrostic."Toddler Time - Monday, October 24 at noon.

Children ages 2 to 5 are invited to join us in acelebration of the fall season, with short stories,songs and arts and crafts activities. (Must be ac-companied by an adult.)Computer Classes for Advanced Users - Tues-

day, October 25 at noon Adults with basic com-puter skills can enhance their computer literacyeach Monday at the library. Number of partici-pants is limited to available computers.Math Club Meeting - Tuesday, October 25 at

3:30 p.m. Mr. Nuo is the instructor for the mathclub and math tutoring.ESL Conversation Group - Tuesday, October 25

at 4:30 p.m. Conversation sessions with Ms.Trisa for advanced ESL students are free ofcharge to Hamtramck residents.ESL Class with Ms. Templin - Wednesday, Oc-

tober 26 at noon. Christine Templin is the in-structor for the ESL class for beginners.Everyone is invited. Free to the public.Computer Classes for Beginners - Thursday,

October 27 at noon and 1 p.m. Basic instructionson computer use for beginners will be held onWednesdays. Number of participants is limitedto available computers.Family Game Night - Thursday, October 27, at

5 p.m. Join your friends and family members infriendly skill and knowledge games. This monththe featured game is BINGO.Screening of Polish Movie "POGARDA" - Thurs-

day, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invitedfor the premiere screening of Polish movie "POG-

ARDA.” Admission is free, refreshments will beserved.ESL News for You - Friday, October 28 at 3:30

p.m. ESL reading and discussion class withLatisha Edge. Free to the public.Financial Activists Club - Friday, October 28 at

3:30 p.m. If you want to expand your knowledgeof budgeting and investing, play financial literacygames and learn how to grow your money, jointhe club. It is free of charge.Cooking and Nutrition Class #5 - Friday, Octo-

ber 28 at 10 a.m. Gleaners Food Bank is spon-soring cooking and nutrition classes taught by achef and dietitian at the Library. Classes are freeto the public. Sessions last two hours.Story Time for Children - Saturday, October 29,

at noon. All children are invited for reading of abook by Steven Schnur, "Autumn, an AlphabetAcrostic.”ESL Class with Christine Templing - Saturday,

October 29 at noon. Intermediate ESL class con-ducted by Christine Templing. Free to the public.Meeting of the Library Board - Thursday, No-

vember 10 at 6 p.m. Regular meeting of the Li-brary Board will be held in the auditorium. Opento the public.Friends of the Library Meeting - Thursday, No-

vember 10 at 6 p.m. FHPL President Kathy Kristyand Treasurer George Gorday invite all membersand volunteers to participate in the regularmonthly meeting.

Special Thanks for Donations: ChristopherHausner, magazines and books; Abdul Haque,books; Grgory Bogucki, books; Engela Martinez,books; Krzysztof Kichta, books; Sean Bieri,graphic books.

For more information about events at the library call (313) 365-7050, or visit our website athttp://hamtramck.lib.mi.us where you can also access our online catalog.

City Hall Insider …City Hall Insider …What is our City Council up to these days? We have the scoop and

the highlights – as well as the lowlights – of the latest council meeting.

Glob

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Educational Excellence

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Community. Involvement. Impact.

For more information call: (313)887-7500or visit: www.frontier-academy.net

Frontier International Academy 2619 Florian St. Hamtramck, MI 48212 (313)887.7500

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Honesty.

Respect.

Responsibility.

Integrity.

tion. This first round beginswith 40 structures, and thesecond part includes another40 houses.You may have already seen

a number of houses with or-ange or green notices at-tached to the front that shoutout: “Demolish this struc-ture.”The houses are either

owned by the state or the city,other than the seven or soowned by the former landlordmentioned earlier.Jason Friedmann, the city’s

Director of Community & Eco-nomic Development Depart-ment, said the decision todemolish the houses wasn’tmade hastily. He said severalinspectors looked at thehouses, and agreed that theywere beyond repair.“From the outside a lot of

these houses look prettynice, but when you get inside,there are problems,” Fried-mann said.What kinds of problems?Water damage is on the top

of the list, and that includes

the worst kind of mold.The first several houses to

come down will be replacedwith new housing. In all, 200 houses have ei-

ther been built or rehabbedhere in Hamtramck in the lastyear or so.Ironically, this is happening

during the worst economicand housing crisis this nationhas faced since the Great De-pression.Hamtramck’s hard luck, eh?

Grant will not only build houses, butalso take some down Continued from front page

the Department of PublicWorks, and there is a goodchance that if he wants thejob as director, he has a shotat getting it.Shaya said he is indeed ap-

plying for the job.Election law does not allow

for a candidate to have his orher name withdrawn from theballot at this point. If Shayawins one of the three seats

on council, he said he will im-mediately resign.And if that were to happen,

the next highest vote-getterwould take his seat on council.He is asking his supporters

to cast their vote for Coun-cilmember Cathie Gordon andcandidates Robert Zwolakand Anam Miah.“These three candidates

have the most experience for

the job, and love for our com-munity,” Shaya said in a pressrelease he issued onWednesday.There are six candidates, in-

cluding Shaya, running forone of three seats on council.Councilmember Gordon is theonly incumbent seeking re-election.In an otherwise dull election

year, things just got interesting.

If elected, he will not serve Cont. from front page

By Charles SercombeThe council met on Oct. 11,

and the meeting ran for al-most three hours. Only Coun-cilmember Kazi Miah wasabsent.Councilmember Catrina

Stackpoole started off themeeting with a note that theACLU is challenging Gov. Sny-der’s cuts to welfare. She alsonoted that state funding forthe THAW program, which pro-vides funding to low-incomehouseholds to pay for heatingin the winter, has been cut.“Knowing that, it’s going to

be a very hard winter” forsome residents, Stackpoolesaid.And on the subject of provid-

ing for the low-income, Stack-poole said that FriendshipHouse in Hamtramck is seek-ing donations of baby items,either new or gently used.If you can make a donation,

call (313) 871-7793 for moreinformation.From the public, Robert

Zwolak, who is a candidate forCity Council, said he would rec-ommend hiring fellow councilcandidate Steve Shaya as aconsultant to help run the city’sDepartment of Public Works.The appointment was on the

agenda for the council to con-sider. The city’s Director ofPublic Works was fired a fewweeks ago. City Manager BillCooper has been acting direc-tor in the meantime.Later in the meeting, Cooper

told the council he needs tohire Shaya because he hasalso been acting chief of thepolice and fire departmentsas well as city manager.“I’m getting stretched too

thin,” Cooper said.Zwolak said that instead of

capping the number of hoursShaya can work each week at30 hours, he suggested allow-ing him to work more hours inorder to “catch up.”“Thirty hours a week is just

not going to do it,” Zwolaksaid.As it turned out, the council

approved the hiring of Shaya.However, City Attorney JimAllen said Shaya had to quit

Platinum Landscaping, whichis a contractor that works forthe city.Also, if Shaya were to win a

seat on council, he wouldhave to choose one job or theother.Councilmember Tom

Jankowski said the city man-ager needs to keep a “closeeye” on Shaya’s relationshipwith Platinum while he worksas a consultant for the city.“Kind of a slippery slope,”

Jankowski said.Cooper said that any use of

Platinum will have to first beapproved by him.Mayor Karen Majewski

asked how the hunt for a newdirector was going. Coopersaid the deadline to submit aresume is Oct. 28. So far, hesaid, four people have ap-plied, out of which three “haveno business” applying for thejob.Cooper said he expects to

hire a new director by no laterthan the end of November.Now, onto more of the pub-

lic addressing the council.Former councilmember John

Justewicz questioned the pay-ment of $40,000 to an attor-ney who has been involved ina housing discrimination law-suit for over 30 years.He said an audit needs to

be done over how the attorneyhas been justifying paymentfor the work he has per-formed.As for the issue of medical

marijuana, Justewicz said peo-ple flout the law daily.(Editor’s note: A blunt a day

keeps the doctor away?)In a review of city expenses,

Councilmember Jankowskiquestioned a payment of$1,680 to retired police Sgt.Wally Tripp.City Manager Bill Cooper ex-

plained that he had to bringTripp back as a consultant totrain an officer who replacedhim in the evidence room.Cooper said that, after Tripp’sretirement, it became appar-ent that no one knew how todo his job.As a result, Cooper said he

is having other officers learn

the job as well so the depart-ment isn’t caught with justone person who knows thejob.Councilmember Jankowski

said that may be so, but thereis no contract to employ Tripp“No contract, no check,”

Jankowski said.He further said that it’s “bad

practice” for a city to “hiresomebody with a handshake.” “Cities don’t operate that

way,” he said.Councilmember Cathie Gor-

don agreed, saying thereneeds to be a breakdown ofhow many hours Tripp worked.In the vote to cancel the

payment to Tripp, the councilvoted in unanimous agree-ment.In a further review of ex-

penses, CouncilmemberStackpoole questioned whythe city was billed differentcosts for cutting lots. Somewere billed higher than others,she said.City Manager Cooper said

that’s because some lotshave garbage in them theyneeded to be cleared out be-fore the grass could be cut.After a brief discussion, the

council agreed to hire five de-velopers to either build newhousing or rehab existinghousing. The cost of the proj-ect is being covered by a fed-eral grant worth $15 million.One of the projects is being

done by a Hamtramck resi-dent, Steve Hughes, who willuse recycled materials fromother houses to rehab.The council also approved a

contract with Zachary & Asso-ciates to come up with a mar-ket study of the formerShoppers World building.Eventually, the city will hire adeveloper to redo the building.The thinking, so far, is to

have commercial space onthe ground floor and livingspace on the upper.The market study will help

decide what kind of livingspaces should be built, suchas one, two or three bedroomunits.That’s it for this week. Look

for part two in the next issue.

Best Polish Food in Town!

Friday, October 21, 2011 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 3

Second Front Page

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Holy Cross ParishPolish National Catholic Church

2311 Pulaski, HamtramckVery Rev. Jaroslaw Nowak, Pastor

313-365-5191 • www.HolyCrossPNCC.com

Sunday English Holy Mass 9 a.m.Sunday School 10 a.m.

Soup Kitchen 2nd Sat. of the Month 2-4 p.m.October 23 Bake Sale 10 a.m.

October 30 Youth Halloween Party 10 a.m.

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(313) 368-921411300 Conant • Hamtramck

Monday-Saturday4:30am-7:00pm

Sunday 7:00am-5:00pm

By Charles SercombeWhat comes down, must go

back up.Trees, that is.The city’s main business

district, which runs the lengthof Jos. Campau, was dealt amajor setback recently. Treesalong the avenue had to beremoved because they liftedup sidewalk slabs, brokeapart cast iron grates sur-rounding them, and in somecases actually bent curbs.Simply put, they were the

wrong kind of trees to beplanted along sidewalks. Dar-ren Grow, the city’s Director ofthe Downtown DevelopmentAuthority, was handed the dif-ficult decision to tear downthose trees.The trees were removed

thanks to a grant from DTEEnergy. And now, new trees

are going up again, thanks tothat very same grant. Andthere’s more. The sidewalkslabs that were ruined by theformer trees are now beingreplaced.Good-bye trip-and-fall law-

suits – at least along certainparts of Jos. Campau.New tree planting began in

Veterans Park this past week,and more trees will beplanted along Jos. Campauand its side streets in thecoming weeks.True, Hamtramck won’t be

as green and shady for a fewyears. But down the road,generations to come willenjoy what’s being plantedtoday.

By Alan R. MadeleinePerhaps you’ve seen the

signs on the fringes of town,celebrating St. Lad’s Class CBaseball State Championshipof 40 years ago.Ah, but there’s more to the

story than can fit on a smallsign. Just ask Paul Janas,one of the team’s star play-ers.The year was 1971. It was

the first ever state baseballchampionship, according tothe Michigan High School Ath-letic Association, or MHSAA(www.mhsaa.com). It wasplayed that year at Marshall,Michigan, as Janas recalls it.To be champ of that class,

St. Lad’s had to defeat Dear-born Sacred Heart. This theydid, by a score of 4-0, also ac-cording to the MHSAA web-site archive. Janasremembers it as 3-0, perhapsbeing modest.“Of course, it was 40 years

ago,” he says with a chuckle.“We had won the league

championship first, then thecity one, right there at TigerStadium,” he continues.Asked what was specialabout that team, he says,“We had a pitcher, Tom Cre-peau (he pronounces thisCRAY-po), who went 16 and 0for us that year.”

Maybe surprisingly, only afew went on to bigger and bet-ter things in baseball. Janaswas one of them, to an ex-

tent; he played four years(1972-75) at Wayne Stateafter graduating from St.Lad’s, and 20 years later, wasinducted into WSU’s SportsHall of Fame.But there was no Tom Pa-

ciorek on their squad. Really,not even a Pinky Deras.Janas says that the real keyto that season was anotherhall of famer – their coach,Mike Soluk.“Mike was an incredible

coach. He’s in the coaches’hall of fame,” Janas says.“He was also the school’sfootball coach. But he was

especially great coachingbaseball.”Janas was the catalyst be-

hind getting the team back to-gether again, after all thoseyears, this past winter for adinner at Dave & Buster’s inUtica. Amazingly, everyonewas still alive, including thecoach. They managed a won-derful turnout, Janas notes,with 15 of the original 18members able to make it.“The reminiscing went late

into the night,” Janas says.“Everybody got a baseball,signed by everyone else,which made the night extra-special.”And, while they had never

before reconvened over theprior 40 years, Janas sayshe’d like to see them do itmore frequently now, perhapsevery year or two, if othersare willing.His signed baseball will

have to vie for space onJanas’ mantle with anothergreat souvenir of their titlerun -- and one with a terrificbackstory, to boot.“About, oh, I don’t know,

maybe 20 years ago or more,my brother-in-law surprisedme one Christmas with thetrophy itself,” Janas says, stillsounding amazed. “After St.Lad’s closed, they had a rum-mage sale, and lo and be-hold, there was our trophy. Hewas able to pick it up for, Ithink, $5.”Another tale to come out of

all this was a long-standingbet, finally paid off.Janas was invited to dinner

by Coach Soluk and his wife.Also at the dinner? The coachof Dearborn Sacred Heart,George Harrison. No, not thefabled moptop, but a name-

Forty years later, the champs of St. Lad’s remember a special moment

Continued on page 5

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Here is the second part ofour talk with candidates run-ning for two seats on theSchool Board.This week we are running

the questionnaire responsesfrom Dennis Lukas, RiponAhmed Lasker and Alan Shul-gon. Candidate MagdalenaSrodek did not return herquestionnaire.

Name: Dennis LukasAge: 67Education: Masters in Ed-

ucation, plus 16 more creditsin education programsOccupation: Retired

Why are you running forSchool Board?As a resident of Ham-

tramck, and an educator inthe Hamtramck School sys-tem, I have been involved ineducation. While employed, Itook part in numerous com-mittees and workshops eval-uating how improvements orinterventions that might beneeded. As a trustee, I willcontinue to offer my expertisewhere I can.

What experience do youbring to this position?I was a member of the Ham-

tramck School District Recre-ation Commission, and wasalso elected to the Ham-tramck Charter Commission.I left the Recreation Commis-sion as its president. I amalso a retired HamtramckSchool District educator. Asan educator, I had the oppor-tunity to serve on variouscommittees that helpedstructure, and improve, thedistrict’s curriculum. While Iwas a recreation commis-sioner, I made proposals thathelped to improve communityprograms. As a charter com-missioner, I was instrumentalin making changes in how wegovern ourselves.

What are some of the pri-mary issues facing the dis-trict, and what do youpropose to do about them?One of the issues that the

district is facing is the loss ofsome of its students. Withthe losses in our student pop-ulation, we also lost funding.As expenses keep rising, lessmoney is available. As aboard member, I will evaluateall financial needs. Some fi-nancials are fixed, while oth-ers may be adjustable.

What are some of thestrengths and weaknesses ofthe district?One weakness we have as

a district is the loss of manyof our students to otherschools. Consequently, welost some experienced teach-ers, and we have curtailedsome programs. Our district’sstrengths are in its dedicatedemployees, and improvedother programs (sic). One ofour great strengths is our stu-dents. They are individualswho want to learn, and theyare involved in various hands-on leadership activities aswell.

State funding has been cutto all school districts. Whatdo you propose to do to sur-vive the loss of revenue? Many other districts are in

the same position that thisdistrict is in. Many have foundways to help themselves. Weneed to communicate withthem, to see if their strate-gies are helpful in our own

district. We need to look atwhat grant money is avail-able. Some grants are avail-able for districts only, and arefound in private organizationsor from different federal gov-ernment agencies. Whereas,some grants are available toindividual educators only. Theamount of grant money maynot be large, but it will be use-ful to the students in thatteacher’s classroom. In ourdistrict, the school districtsupport staff have reevalu-ated their contract, in order tohelp reduce the debt. In otherdistricts, unions have donethe same. Other employees,from the top down, may haveto do the same. It would bethe right thing to do in today’seconomy.

Student enrollment has de-clined in recent years. Whatwould you do to attract morestudents into the district? It is unfortunate that we

have a declining enrollment.This is not due to our not hav-ing done something. The abil-ity to correct this situation isfound outside the school dis-trict. These negative influ-ences cannot be remedieduntil 2012. Presently, weneed to focus on the positiveactivities and programs thatwe do have. One solution isthe hands-on leadership rolesmany of our students haveundertaken. For example, stu-dents in the middle schooland high school are involvedin promoting health in ourcommunity. Other studentsare involved in the roboticsprogram in both schools. Weneed to increase and pro-mote these activities. Stu-dents in other districts needto know of our progress. Inthe high school and commu-nity center, we have photo-graphs of many prominentgraduates in sports and vari-ous other successful careers.We must continue this pro-gram. It is unfortunately afterour students graduate thatthey fall out of “radar range.”They move out of the city andstate. We lose track of themand their successes. Wemust have a way for theschool district to keep trackof our students, and askthem to help promote our dis-trict. It has happened else-where; it can happen here!

Should the district run itsschools year-round? Why orwhy not?I don’t see this happening

in the Hamtramck School Dis-trict because of the age of ourbuildings and infrastructure.A year-round educational sitemust provide a safe and com-fortable environment. Thereare successful year-round pro-grams elsewhere in the U.S. Ijust don’t see it happeninghere right now. In order forany school building to operateyear-round, it must have suffi-cient heat and electricity. Thedistrict has moved forward toimprove its heating system.But it is hard-pressed to ade-quately improve its electricalsystem so that air condition-ing would be available at allsites. At this time, somerooms in some buildings havewindow air conditioning units.At the middle school, all ofthe portable classrooms haveheating and air conditioningunits. These heating and cool-ing units are separate fromthe main building.

Anything else you wouldlike to add? (No further response)

n n n

Name: Ripon Ahmed LaskerAge: 31Education: Bachelors De-

gree in Business Manage-mentOccupation: Small Busi-

ness Start-Up Consultant.Also, employed part-time as aCustomer Service Represen-tative with Westin Hotels.

Why are you running forSchool Board?I believe that it takes a vil-

lage to raise a child, andevery child deserves our ut-most attention. I am runningfor the school board to servemy community (along with thestaff of Hamtramck schooldistrict) by sharing my time,ideas and enthusiasm, to fa-cilitate our students to reachthe peak of educational suc-cess, and to become respon-sible citizens of the 21stcentury.

What experience do youbring to this position?I am acquainted with the

needs of our children and the

members of our school dis-trict, and I have a profoundaspiration to help make a dif-ference in our educationalsystem. My own educationalbackground gave me the abil-ity to know where and whento extend my help for profes-sional help (sic), explore formutual resolution, and pro-mote practical fiscal manage-ment of our availableresources.

What are some of the pri-mary issues facing the dis-trict, and what do youpropose to do about them?1. The harsh financial pres-

sure facing the HamtramckSchool District: It is neces-sary that a course of actionbe followed that communi-cates the issues to theschool staff, and the commu-nity at large, and (asks for)their professional help andinput in solving the problems.Then, the board must practicepractical fiscal managementin prioritizing and approvingappropriate strategies. Theboard must look for modelsthroughout the country thatfaced this similar situation,and see the steps they havetaken to overcome thesechallenges, and then seektheir input or help;2. The need to improve stu-

dent academic success: Withthe district’s changing popula-tion demographics in recentyears, it has been an ongoingchallenge to raise overall per-formance levels. Proper stepsmust be taken so that we per-form well on the standardizedtests. Practical goals must bein place to meet the AYP. Stu-dents with the ability to per-form well should be offeredmore advanced placementclasses;3. Lower enrollment and

poor building infrastructure:The school district must beable to compete with localcharter schools. How? By em-phasizing results on the stan-dard tests, by offeringadvanced placement courses,by setting individualized stu-dent goals, and by focusing onstrong parent-teacher-studentrelationships. As for the build-ings, structurally: Develop afive-year plan of work (sic), es-tablish refresh cycles (sic)and evaluate the longer-termneed for new facilities with

advanced technologies. Theimmediate goal should be toplace emphasis on basicneeds and overall outlook.

What are some of thestrengths and weaknesses ofthe district?We have experienced teach-

ers and staff. We have pas-sionate board members, andcompassionate citizens, andwe have a newspaper who istrying to help the district. Wehave a melting pot! However,everybody melts in their ownpot. Lack of quality, sacrifice,and communication is ourmajor drawback.

State funding has been cutto all school districts. Whatdo you propose to do to sur-vive the loss of revenue? First of all, evaluate other

school districts – what they

are doing, and have done.Secondly, budget according tothe limited resources. Third, ifpossible (for the time being)explore pay cuts as an option.Fourth, and most importantly,prove to others, with realisticdata, that to enroll your childin Hamtramck schools is toyour benefit.

Student enrollment has de-clined in recent years. Whatwould you do to attract morestudents into the district? Board members cannot at-

tract students by themselves.But they can help sell thequality of the schools to thecommunity. My goal is to im-prove the quality of theschools. Magnets attractmetal, and quality schools at-tract students.

4 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, October 21 , 2011

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School Board candidates discuss why they arethe best ones for the job

Continued on page 5

Should the district run itsschools year-round? Why orwhy not?If we use our time and re-

sources properly, there is noneed for year-round school. Iunderstand that year-roundschool is a trend for this era.But in many instances, it hasnot shown improved results.Additionally, we have limitedresources. Extra time wouldcost more money. However, ifthe teachers think that theycan improve the results of ourstudents, and that extra timewould play a major factor,then I think it’s an option thatneeds to be evaluated.

Anything else you wouldlike to add?Quality education is a civil

right, and fighting for qualityeducation is a civil war of ourtime. A friend once told methat, if we do not make imme-diate changes in the deliveryof public education, we havefailed in our obligation to thenext generations, and doomthem to unemployment, un-deremployment, poverty,crime, gangs, prison. Vote forme on November 8th for abrighter future for our chil-dren.

n n n

Name: Alan ShulgonAge: (Not answered)Education: B.A. in Law En-

forcement and Protection(Mercy College of Detroit)Occupation: Investigator for

the State of Michigan

Why are you running forSchool Board?Hamtramck Public Schools

need a board member whoknows how the district isfunded and operated, and I’mthat person.

What experience do youbring to this position?I have nine years’ experi-

ence as a school board mem-ber in Hamtramck, and haveserved as both its Vice Presi-dent and Treasurer. I havethree years’ experience serv-ing as a City Councilperson inHamtramck. I am currentlythe President of the Ham-tramck Housing Commission.And, I have a strength inbudgeting, which is an assetI can bring to the district. Iknow the different revenuestreams that flow into the dis-trict, and how it all must bespent. Hard economic timesare with us now, with no reliefin sight. You have to go withsomeone experienced, who isnot afraid to make a toughdecision. That someone isAlan Shulgon.

What are some of the pri-mary issues facing the dis-trict, and what do youpropose to do about them? Loss of revenue and declin-

ing enrollment are the pri-mary issues facing thedistrict. Both issues are ex-plained below, in response toyour (other) questions.

What are some of thestrengths and weaknesses ofthe district?Our district is fortunate to

have very good educationaland support staffs, who offera fine education. Our build-ings are well-maintained andmanaged. A weakness is theinability to get parental in-volvement. Believe me, a lotof things have been tried toget the parents involved, withonly limited success. I’mopen-minded, and will listento anyone who has an idea onthis issue. Another weaknessis spending more money thatyou take in. This issue is nowbeing addressed by the cur-rent board, and I will makesure that this continues.

State funding has been cutto all school districts. Whatdo you propose to do to sur-vive the loss of revenue?The employees have al-

ready made a sacrifice -- bymaking concessions in theircontracts. Dickenson Westhas been closed, savingmoney too. I would recom-mend that the district start ahiring freeze, and that any re-tiring employees not be re-placed. Any critical positionthat must be filled would bebrought before the wholeboard for approval beforeposting it.

Student enrollment has de-clined in recent years. Whatwould you do to attract morestudents into the district?We have a sound educa-

tional system, which includesafter-school programs that wehave to sell to potential stu-dents. It’s not that the stu-dents are leaving for anotherschool because of our educa-tional programs – they aremoving out of the city andstate. The pool of students isdecreasing, and attractingnew students is difficult.

Should the district run itsschools year-round? Why orwhy not?I don’t believe this is a

good idea at this time. Year-round schooling would proba-bly increase operating andinfra-structure costs, whichthe district can’t afford.

Anything else you wouldlike to add?(No further response)

Friday, October 21, 2011 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 5

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Hamtramck Housing Commission

Alternative Education Classes for Students 16-19 Years of Age

Monday-Thursday12:30pm-3:00pm ~ Limited Seating ~Housing

Commission Residents &

Qualified Residents(Adults 20+ who meet the State of Michigan criteria for high school

completion classes may also apply)

immediately known.Hamtramck is not alone in

beng ordered to print sepa-rate ballots. Some 248 votingdistricts across the countryhave been told to print upseparate ballots for theirdominant ethnic group.City Clerk Ed Norris said the

mandate will mean an addi-tional cost to the city, but hedid not know how much moreelections will now run.He said there is not enough

time to ready ballots for theBengali community for theNov. 8 General Election. Thenext election, after November,is the Republican Primary onFeb. 28.Norris said he’s not sure if

the additional ballots will beready by then, either.“We’re going to try to com-

ply the best we can, as soonas we can,” he said.Part of the problem in get-

ting ballots ready is findingboth a reliable translationservice, and a printer thathas the proper font for theBangla language. Anotherissue to figure out is who isresponsible for preparing andpaying for the separate bal-lots when elections are underthe jurisdiction of the countyor state.Not all elections are solely

city elections. Norris said try-ing to coordinate this man-date with county and state

officials is another hurdle tojump.In the online social network

site Facebook, there hasbeen criticism of this man-date. There are some who be-lieve that if you are a citizenand are eligible to vote, youshould be able to understandthe English language.But the Voting Rights Act of

2006 mandates special lan-guage ballots be issued incommunities with ethnic ma-jority.Norris said that there is no

appeal option to challengethe mandate. Norris addedthat the city has already pro-vided some election materialin Polish, Arabic and Bangla.

Feds order city to printBengali ballotsContinued from front page

Legal Notice RegardingSpecial Land Use

To the Property Owner or Party-in-Interest:Rukshana Begum, the owner of 2434 Neibel, has made arequest to the Plan Commission of the City of Hamtramckfor a Special Land Use:

V – 1.03. Uses Subject to Special Land Use Approval.In the R District, only the following uses shall be permit-ted, subject to the limitations of the special land useprocess as prescribed by this Ordinance:

g. Grocery stores

A public hearing will be held in the Council Chambers ofCity Hall, 3401 Evaline, Hamtramck, MI 48212, onWednesday, November 9, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. thus afford-ing the opportunity of your input being recorded on thisspecial land use request.

Any variation or modification granted by the Commissionwould have no bearing on private restrictions. You may ap-pear, authorize others to represent you, or you may ex-press your views in writing. Communications must bereceived before the date of the hearing.

Plan Commission • City of Hamtramck

School Board candidatesdiscuss why they are thebest ones for the jobContinued from page 4

sake.You see, they had bet on

the loser of the game buyingdinner for the other and hiswife. Now, after all theseyears, the debt got paid offon a recent evening, righthere in town at the famedPolish Village Café.And as for those signs?“I asked each player to

pitch in. It ended up costingabout $30 each,” Janassays. For that, they were ableto get four of the 2x3 signs,and then they placed themat the four ends of town.One is on the southwest

corner of Caniff at Buffalo,another on the SE corner ofCaniff and I-75, by the Mobilstation. A third is down bywhere Jos. Campau dead-ends at Hamtramck Drive,and the last is at the cornerof Jos. Campau and Carpen-ter, on the west side of thestreet.Check ‘em out – and as

you do, go ahead and feel alittle pride. Pride for a teamthat not only appear to stilllike and respect each other,but who still care enough toshow it, for all of Hamtramckto see.

Forty yearslater, thechamps of St. Lad’s remember a special momentContinued from page 3

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“Hall of Shame” presentssome of the worst cases ofblight in the city in the hopesthat someone from City Hallwill take note. Well, one canonly hope.

By Charles SercombeRecently, we talked about

one of those strange mo-ments we have all experi-enced, when you suddenlynotice something new or oddon a block that you haveprobably passed by hundredsof times.A regular writer to our

paper, Christine Komisarz,had one of those moments,too, when she was out walk-ing her dog “Lucky.”She was going down Edwin

St. near her house when shelooked over, and tucked in themiddle of two nicely kepthouses was a house that re-ally doesn’t fit. In fact it does-n’t really fit anywhere, whichbecomes glaring when youlook around and notice hownice the rest of the housesare on the block.The house had been in a

fire, and the front door has a

piece of plywood nailed to it.Upstairs, the door leading tothe small porch is wide open.If you look closely, thehouses on each side of thishouse have been damagedby the fire, which happenedseveral months ago.It seems that almost every

block has at least one ofthese cancers.While I was taking photos

of the house, a Polish-speak-ing women next-door openedher door and asked if I waswith the insurance company.I said no, and she said she

spoke no English and re-treated back inside.I was left thinking: Has she

been waiting for the insur-ance company, all this time,to take care of the damage toher house?The house is at 2019

Edwin, and it has a backstory. Oh, does it have astory. A horror story.Last May, police officers ar-

rested a man living in thehouse for income taxes heowed to the city.The house was soon after

condemned because -- offi-cers told me -- the inside ofthe house was covered infeces.Human feces.After we ran that story, we

got an angry call, from eithera family member or a frienddenying the inside was feces-covered.We don’t know what the

truth is, but the house indeedis condemned, and no one isallowed to live there.A next-door neighbor, Tom

Witkowski, said he had beentrying to sell his house be-cause the house in questionwas not only an eyesore, itstunk to high heaven.Not surprisingly, he was

having a hard time finding anytakers.All it needs is a little, ah,

cleaning up.Or, tearing down...?

Hey blight-busters, give us acall or an e-mail if you knowof a problem spot in the city.You can reach us at (313)874-2100, or email us at:news@thehamtramckreview.com, or just stop by the officeat 3020 Caniff.

6 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, October 21 , 2011

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In almost three weeks fromtoday, Hamtramck voters willbe heading to their precinctsto vote who should serve onthe City Council and SchoolBoard.Unfortunately for voters,

this campaign season hasbeen painfully low-key. Thecandidates have hardly beenvisible, which is pretty weirdgiven that Hamtramck has al-ways been known for its color-ful politics.In a new ripple in the coun-

cil race, we received late wordthat candidate Steve Shaya istelling his supporters he isbowing out of the race. Shayasaid he would rather take thejob as Hamtramck’s directorof Public Works – if the job isoffered to him.If he were to win a seat on

council, Shaya would have toresign from office in order totake the Public Works posi-tion.Technically, he can’t remove

his name from the ballot be-cause it’s too late to changeit. So, he is throwing his sup-port behind Cathie Gordon,Anam Miah and RobertZwolak.We also throw our support

behind these three candi-dates. Although we have notalways seen eye-to-eye withZwolak on a number of issuesin the past, and in fact we did-n’t fully support him in the Au-gust primary, we feel he hascome around in the last fewmonths.

Since the primary election,Zwolak has made a numberof good points at councilmeetings, and out of any ofthe candidates, he has themost experience. In the pasthe has served a term oncouncil, and he has alsoserved on the Charter Com-mission, which successfullyproduced a charter that vot-ers approved. He was alsoonce city clerk.Anam Miah is running for of-

fice for the second time. Hehas a clear head when itcomes to the many issuesfacing the city, and we like theenthusiasm he brings to thetable.Gordon has consistently

been a champion of the con-cerns of the community, al-though at times she can be athorn in the side of the admin-istration. Sometimes that’s agood thing.Overall, GORDON, MIAH

AND ZWOLAK are the bestchoice for city council.In the race for two seats on

the School Board, we wishthere were actually moreseats open. The seven candi-dates running are that good.Coming up with endorse-

ments was hard. But when itcomes down to it, experiencecounts. And Alan Shulgon isclearly the most experienced,having served on the boardbefore.He has also been a city

councilmember and is cur-rently serving on the Housing

Commission.On top of that, he is a re-

tired Hamtramck detective.Shulgon’s background knowl-edge on school matters is in-valuable.As for our next endorse-

ment, Dennis Lukas is an ob-vious one. He is a recentlyretired teacher from the dis-trict, and he has great insightinto the needs of the commu-nity.The fact that he chose to

work and live in Hamtramckshows true commitment.As much as we like Lukas,

candidate Darla Swint is alsoa valuable asset to the com-munity. She has great ideason how to draw in more par-ent participation, and she hasgreat compassion for our stu-dents, many of whom comefrom broken homes.It’s truly too bad there isn’t

another seat open for her.To tell the truth, it’s a coin

toss between Lukas andSwint. But if we had to go with just

two, we recommend SHUL-GON and LUKAS for schoolboard. It should also be noted that

candidate Magdalena Srodekdid not return her question-naire. From what we know ofher, she is highly educated,and very concerned aboutpublic education in Ham-tramck. We just wish we knew more

about where she stands onlocal issues.

Our endorsements for City Council and School Board

The Hamtramck Review Published every Friday3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 Phone: 313-874-2100 Fax: 313-874-2101

www.hamtramckreview.com • email news@thehamtramckreview.comEditor/Publisher: John Ulaj Editor: Charles Sercombe

Office Manager: Jean Ingenthron Sales Manager: Dave SweetCopy Editor: Ian Perrotta

This newspaper is not responsible for mistakes in advertising beyond the cost of the space involved.

Review: Opinion Page

Letters • Letters

A HUD High Performer

2620 Holbrook St • Hamtramck • (313) 873-7878Hamtramck Housing Commission(HHC) does not discriminate on thebasis of race, color, religion, nationalorigin, sex, handicap or familial status

• Heat & Water Included

• Individual Kitchens• Income Based Rent• 24 Hour Security

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HamtramckSenior Plaza

I would like to thank all ofyou that voted for me, forHamtramck City Council, inthe primary election this pastAugust.I was extremely pleased to

have made the cut, and be onthe ballot for the Novemberelection.I have always held the wel-

fare of our city as most im-portant; and this is why Idecided to run for council.But, I have a better way toserve our city. I have ac-cepted a position as interimDPW Director. It is a positionfor which I am well educatedand qualified.

Unfortunately, the CityCharter does not allow me tobe employee of the city andhold public office at the sametime.Therefore, it is with deep

emotions that I must with-draw from actively pursuingelection to the City Council. Ihave already resigned fromthe employment with Plat-inum Landscaping becauseof the conflict of interest.(Editor’s note: Platinum

Landscaping is a contractorcompany employed by thecity.)Note that my name will (ap-

pear) on the ballot in Novem-

ber; but if elected, I will re-sign. So, I am asking myfriends and supporters tovote for the people I feel havethe same values and idealsthat I do: CouncilwomanCathie Ladzinski Gordon,Robert Zwolak and AnamMiah.These three candidates

have the most experience forthe job and love for our com-munity.

Steve ShayaCandidate forHamtramck City Council

Breaking news … OnThursday, right before wewent to press, DetectiveJohn Aiello gave us an up-date on the four murdersuspects who have yet tobe charged.The four suspects are be-

lieved to be connected withthe stabbing death of

Joseph King, 24, of Detroit.King bled to death two Sat-urdays ago after his throatwas slashed.Aiello said that evidence

has been turned over tothe state police lab for re-view. He declined to saywhat the evidence is, butdid say it will take at least

two weeks before the labcan look at the item oritems.“We’re in a two-week

holding pattern,” he said.Depending on what the

lab finds, charges may ormay not be filed.

Council candidate explains why hehas to bow out of race

By Walter WasaczIt’s said that whatever hap-

pens to Detroit, so goes Ham-tramck. If you were to relysolely on the local mainstreammedia, you’d think Detroit is nomore than a crime-infestedwasteland. Well, we’re here tosay that isn’t so. Our friendsover at modeldmedia.com andmetromode.com have been re-porting on fascinating develop-ment projects for the past fewyears.With their permission, here is

a round-up of their reports

from the past week:The American dream once

meant leaving urban centersfor the promise of a betterquality of life in the suburbs.But that dream is now fraughtwith challenges, particularly inthe older, "first ring" communi-ties closest to our cities.

Reimagining the Region:Building a NewMetropolis brought togetherpolicymakers and communitymembers – including Ham-tramck Mayor Karen Majew-

ski, last Thursday to discussstrategies for urban and sub-urban revitalization in the De-troit area. The program was held in

Royal Oak.A groundbreaking two-part

documentary series, The NewMetropolis, which explores therise, fall and possible rebirthof America's older suburbswas also part of the program.The event moderator was

Stephen Henderson, host ofDetroit Public Television's

Metro news …

Continued on page 9

When it comes to good foodand great times, Hamtramckhas plenty to offer. In this col-umn, we’ll talk about what’shappening at our bars, restau-rants and other events thatcan be found throughout thecity.

By Charles SercombeUsually in this column we

celebrate things that are aliveand fun.Today, though, we are going

to raise our glass to an old

haunt that was once one-thirdof what I like to call Ham-tramck’s triangle of rock.The former Hamtramck

Pub, at 2048 Caniff, burneddown Saturday night. Andwhen we say burned down, wemean totally gutted with justpart of the sides and the frontremaining standing.It is totally gutted, and from

what we have heard the cityneeds to do an emergencydemolition of what remainsbecause it may fall down atany moment.Man, so many memories

here. The Pub was right atHamtramck’s entrance thereon Caniff, close to the free-way. Inside, Rod and Cole –and their buddy Paul –

opened their doors to De-troit’s rock and roll commu-nity.Probably a couple of gener-

ations of rockers graced theirtiny stage. In the mid-1980s,Hamtramck was home to De-troit’s garage rock movement.I was part of that, having

played drums in the HystericNarcotics. At that time, it seemed that

the only place to play in theDetroit area was the Pub, Pay-checks down the street and

Lili’s.The Hysteric Narcotics were

gig whores. We’d play any-where, anytime, and itseemed like we played Ham-tramck almost every week-end. We made the circle, fromthe Pub to Paycheck’s to Lili’s.And then repeated it all.Rod and Cole ran a modest

establishment. Their bar hadthe cheapest little PA, butthey were generous hosts –and maybe a little pricklysometimes.The most memorable night

for me was one where Iwasn’t even there. How’sthat?A good friend of mine, Rick

Metcalf, was there one Satur-day night when the Vertical

Pillows were playing. After theshow, he got into his car,parked across the street fromthe hall next door, and all of asudden felt a sudden hot painflash in his left leg.Unbelievably, a stray bullet

fired from a crazed nut fromthe hall pierced through thecar door and into his leg.Poor Rick spent I don’t

know how many months in a

hospital bed at Detroit Receiv-ing – one of the worst emer-gency rooms and hospitals to

find yourself in.He’s now got a metal rod

holding his leg together.In situations like this peo-

ple often joke about things tosoften the blow. I think it wasRod – or maybe Rick? – whocame up with the joke aboutbeing able to get a “shot and

a beer” at the Pub.I also remember Rick re-

counting his Hamtramck po-lice experience once the copscame. For some reason –maybe panic? – he pulled hiscar into the gas station downat the corner and waited forpolice and the ambulance toarrive. A couple of detectives ar-

rived, who are now long re-

tired and will remainnameless. One of the detec-tives, Rick said, reeked of

beer and slurred his words. Well, we’ve gotten way off

track here.The Hamtramck Pub is now

gone for good.I was hoping someone

would buy it and do some-thing with it.Rod and Cole are de-

ceased. And I just learnedthis week that, Paul, died justtwo months ago. I’ve beentold, from a stroke. He hadfallen on hard times andspent most of the day walkingthe streets.Listen up, all of you young

dudes, Ian Hunter was rightwhen he warned that rock androll can be cruel.I asked the city what was

the status of the Pub’s owner-

ship, which also featuredapartments upstairs. It ap-peared that the building hadbeen vacant for a few years.According to city records,

the structure came into theownership of the city last Feb-ruary. Jason Friedmann, thedirector of Community & Eco-nomic Development, said thecity bought it for back taxesowed to the county. Thethought was to rehab thebuilding, but once inspectorsgot inside, a basement full ofwater was discovered.It was decided then to de-

molish it.So, in the long run, the Pub

was going to come to its finalend one way or another.Fortunately, we still have

Paycheck’s – but it’s justhanging on. Lili’s was soldand is still one of the bestrock and roll joints around.It’s now called The PaintedLady.Do yourself a favor and stop

by one or both bars in thecoming weeks. And, ofcourse, raise a toast to Rod,Cole and Paul.In the Good News Depart-

ment, last Saturday’s citywidearts festival was nothingshort of a huge success, ac-cording to our pal and occa-sional correspondent WalterWasacz. Frmo what he could esti-

mate, there were several hun-dred visitors to the city. We’veincluded a few photos he tookof the event.Sometimes in Hamtramck,

it’s two feet forward and thenone step back. Saturday wasdefinitely two huge strides for-ward for Hamtramck.

Do you know of a cool bar, agreat restaurant or just anice place to hang out? If youhave tips on special events orjust want to shine some lighton your favorite spot send amessage to news@theham-tramckreview.com or call usat (313) 874-2100.

Friday, October 21, 2011 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 7

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7/8/12

Above and to the right: Some scenes from last Saturday’s city-wide arts festival.

Above: A pre-high fashion queen Muffy Kroha discovers shelikes beer at the former Hamtramck Pub sometime in 1986.Upper left: The Hysteric Narcotics play New Year’s Eve, 1986at the Hamtramck Pub.

The Hamtramck Pub on Caniff was once part of a network ofthree Hamtramck bars that played host to Detroit’s garagerock scene of the mid-1980s. It’s now a burned out shell.

8 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, October 21 , 2011

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25144 Roan - Warren - 3BR brick Ranch, full fin-ished basement, 2 1/2car garage.$59,900

2675 Evaline-Ham-tramck - 3 Bedrooms,Full Basement, All Furni-ture & Appliances.$35,000

2693 Evaline-Ham-tramck - 3 Bedrooms,First-Floor Laundry, NewFurnace & Water Heater,All Appliances, 2 CarBlock Garage. $32,900

2382 Commor-Ham-tramck - 1 bedroom, Liv-ing Room, Dining Room,Expansion Attic, First-Floor

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2274-76 Florian, Ham-tramck - Investment Prop-erty! Clean, well-maintained 4-unit home.One block from St. FlorianChurch. $39,900 PRICEREDUCED!

8091 Helen, Centerline -2 Bedrooms, LivingRoom, Kitchen, First-FloorLaundry, Garage, Short-Sale Subject to Bank Ap-proval. $15,000

11373 Sobieski-Ham-tramck - 4 bedroom 2Family home w/ livingroom & dining room ineach unit. $24,900

31800 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 200Farmington Hills, MI 48334

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Century 21 Town & CountrySingle Family Homes12134 Charest - $14,900 9632 Dequindre - $18,50012080 Lumpkin - $24,900 2424 Pulaski - $29,900 SOLD!

Armada17940 Irwin - $75,000 SOLD!Foreclosure Cash only!

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Rooming House9316 Dubois - $79,900 NEW!Royal Oak:2824 Ardmore - $49,900 NEW!2939 Woodslee Dr. $159,900PENDING!2931 Rochester Rd. $119,900PENDING!Almont 307 Cherry - $39,900 PENDING!553 Johnson - $22,900 PENDING!Highland Park20171 Derby - $14,900 NEW!Hazel Park1001 Woodward Hgts. - $29,900 NEW!Warren11003 Ford Ave. - $29,900 NEW!Short sale

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GERTRUDE ZYCHZYCH Gertrude Isabel (nee Bobryk) age 94of Rio Rancho, NM, formerly of Eastpointe,MI, September 19. Beloved wife of the lateEdward J. Zych. Dearest mother of Ralph(Nan) of Corrales, NM, and Gary (Donna) ofNew York, NY. Cherished grandmother to

Jeffrey, Brian and Lennon. Preceded in death by her brothersClemens, Harold, Norbert, and Frank. Visitation Friday 3 – 7p.m., Rosary 6 p.m. at S.K.Schultz Funeral Home, 21705 Gra-tiot Ave, Eastpointe. Memorial Mass Saturday 11 am at St.Veronica Church, 21440 Universal Ave, Eastpointe.My mother passed away in her sleep on September 19th at

two a.m. in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. She suffered fromAlzheimer's dementia.Until October of last year, she lived independently in a two

bedroom cottage in a retirement community in Rio Rancho.She enjoyed driving herself and her friends in her van wher-ever she needed to go until her eyesight failed her early lastsummer.For the past year Gertrude's battle with Alzheimer's forced

her to move into a private home where she joined three otherelderly women who were receiving assisted living care.

By Kathleen WojcinskiOrnamental grasses come

in a rainbow of colors with awonder of plumes and seed-heads.Fountain grass is a favorite

with masses of nodding“bunny ears.” Blue oat andfescues contrast againstgolden feather edges. Someshine in the fall, literally, witha glowing candlelit qualitywhen the sun shines throughthem. Pampas grasses growto nine feet tall. Japaneseblood grass and lemon grass

color up a dull corner. You canplant them in the fall, ifthey’re not “warm seasononly” types.Plant according to their

needs, such as well drainedor moist soils. Carefree,graceful plants, ornamentalgrasses are a delight. Don’teven bother cutting back ifyou want to enjoy theirsparkling beauty when theseedheads get an icy coat.This also provides food forwintering birds.

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By David PiestrzynskiThe Hamtramck High School

Football team snapped a three-game losing streak last Fridaywith a 48-0 thrashing of Sagi-naw Buena Vista.The Cosmos were dominant

on both sides of the ball.They charged out to a 42-0

lead late in the second quarter,and held Buena Vista to justone first down the entire game.“This was the most complete

game we’ve played this sea-son,” said Leo Wells, Ham-tramck’s head football coach.“(Buena Vista) had some goodathletes. But we were able toout there and handled our busi-ness.”The Cosmos did it on the

ground, and in the air, offen-sively.Junior running back Kevin

Bell had 94 rushing yards andtwo touchdowns, and juniorWontay Jackson added 83rushing yards. Jackson alsofound the end zone twice forthe Cosmos.Senior running back

Jonathan Blanding, mostlyknown for his contribution tothe Hamtramck running game,

had 84 receiving yards andcaught two touchdowns.The Cosmos also provided

some fireworks on defense.Kevin Bell, who also played

defensive back, took an inter-ception 72 yards for a touch-down.Despite the Buena Vista’s of-

fensive line averaging nearly260 pounds, Hamtramck’s de-fense held them to six yardsoverall.With the win, Hamtramck im-

proved its record to 3-5 overall.The Cosmos look to finish

strong in the season finaleagainst Southfield BradfordAcademy on Friday, Oct. 21.While Hamtramck’s season

didn’t go as well as expected,Wells said the team is lookingto end on a high note.“We’re treating this as the

first game of next season,” hesaid. “It’s also a chance for usto end the season undefeatedon the road.”With several players return-

ing for next season, and Ham-tramck’s middle school footballteam currently undefeated,Wells said the football programhas a bright future.

Cosmos ending season on a high note, and lookforward to next year

Lower flat, 2 Br., clean. Sen-ior citizen or couple pre-ferred. $550/mo & $750security deposit. 313-580-3771, 313-871-0189. 10/28

Hamtramck upper, goodarea. 2 Br., new windows &carpet, new cabinets, stain-less steel appliances, 313641-0334. 10/21

Hamtramck 2 Br. lower,stove, refrigerator, water in-cluded. Ask for John, 586-943-8814. 10/28

Hamtramck, 9735 Jos.Campau, corner of Evaline.Looking for a really nice fur-nished apt. in a well-main-tained, quiet and cleanbuilding that has all thebells and whistles? Rent in-cludes all appliances and allutilities. Check out Apt. 5, a2 Br. at $795, or Apt. 10, a1 Br. at $695. Sorry nopets. Call 248-931-9731 forappt. , ask for Jack 11/11

Nice apt. in Hamtramck, 2Br, second floor, $550/month + deposit, 313-268-7420 10/28

Clean, upper and lower flats,$475-$550/month + secu-rity, 313 682-2928. 10/28

Cozy 1 Br. flat, furnished, re-sponsible person only, idealfor professional, 313-874-0184. 11/4

Hamtramck, 2758 Evaline,corner of Jos. Campau.Looking for a really nice 1Br., furnished apt.? With allthe bells and whistles?Check out Apt. 10,$695/month, includes allutilities – elec., gas, water,heat, and air cond. Call248-931-9731 for appt.Ask for Jack. 10/21

Hamtramck studio apart-ments, good location, immedi-ate occupancy, 248-229-4295or 248-229-4297. 10/28

1 Br. Hamtramck, all utilitiesincluded, no pets, 313-632-5566. 10/28

2 Br. lower flat, $575/month+ $575 deposit, heat in-cluded, adults only pre-ferred, no pets, non-smokers, proof of income,references, leave message,313-874-1442. 10/28

Studio, 2 - 3 br. For rent, centralair, dryer-washer, dishwasher,Hamtramck + Warren, callMario, 313-420-7451.

Lower 3 Br., no pets, security de-posit. Call 313-739-5721. 10/21

Hamtramck, two 2 Br. flats,both newly remodeled andcozy. $350/mo & $400 de-posit. Water included, ten-ant pays light & gas. Stoveand fridge inc., lawnmowersand snow shovels available.248-543-4884. 10/21

Ideal for elderly gentleman,$225/month includes utili-ties, 2942 Evaline, Ham-tramck. Call 313-872-9016after 4pm. 10/28

9454 Charest, Hamtramck,5 Br., 2 ½ bath, new heatingsystem + central air. Call313-740-0832. 10/28

Single family home, 12619Charest. Single family home,3328 Meade. 313-399-1579,or 313-891-7970. 10/21

Commercial office space,3022 Caniff, $675/mo + 1-1/2 month security deposit.Call 248-866-1110.2 Br. single home with attic,very clean, no pets. On Can-iff in Detroit. References re-quired, 248-548-5548. 10/21

Must sell immediately.12038 Nagel, Hamtramck,price reduced $7500. Cashbuyers only, no rent to own.3 Br. bungalow with largedining room. Could use up-dates, no bugs, immediateoccupancy, move-in condi-tion. 586-322-9688 10/28

Hamtramck, $5000 cash,large 2 family flat or possi-ble 5 Br. single family home.Needs work, contactHomeVantage 248-701-3898. 11/4

Cash for homes, Hamtramckor Detroit, call Art Klasky at586-754-6272. 11/11

Friday, October 21, 2011 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 9

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Advertisers should check their ad followingfirst publication. The newspaper shall not beliable for failure to publish an ad, for a typo-graphic error or errors in publication exceptto the extent of the cost of the ad for the firstday’s insertion. Adjustments for errors is lim-ited to the cost of that portion of the adwherein the error occurred. We reserve theright to classify, revise or reject any clas-sified advertisement.

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Deadline for classifieds for next week is Thursday at Noon

(313) 874-2100

American Black Journal andan editor for the Detroit FreePress. Joining him were apanel of state and local publicofficials including State Rep.Jim Townsend, HamtramckMayor Karen Majewski, Fern-dale City CouncilwomanMelanie Piana, communityleader Rev. John Hice, and Dr.John Powell, executive directorof the Kirwan Institute for theStudy of Race and Ethnicity atOhio State University. This event was part of The

New Metropolis civic engage-ment dialogue series takingplace across the country onrevitalizing America's oldercommunities.

About the filmThe New Metropolis docu-

mentary is currently airing onpublic television stationsacross the country and is thefirst public examination of is-sues facing America's older,"first ring" suburbs. Consid-ered the birthplace of theAmerican Dream, these townswere built during a period ofnational prosperity and fi-nanced with government sup-port after World War II. Nowmany of these once highly de-sirable communities face thesame challenges urban areasdo: growing poverty, whiteflight, a crumbling infrastruc-ture, abandonment, and thecontinual lure of newer com-munities further from thecities. The New Metropolisconsists of two half-hourepisodes: Episode 1: A Crack in the

Pavement, narrated by actorPeter Coyote, explores the na-tional infrastructure crisesthrough the stories of twosuburban Ohio public officialsas they struggle to fix theirbroken infrastructure andsave their aging communi-ties. Episode 2: The New Neigh-

bors, narrated by AcademyAward nominated actressRuby Dee, tells the inspiring

story of two ordinary people,one black and one white, whomade racial integration thecenterpiece of revitalizingPennsauken, New Jersey, asuburb of Philadelphia.

Sneak peek Some of the organizers and

participants in the discussionprovided some advance"reimagining" for Review read-ers:Ponsella Hardaway, execu-

tive director of MetropolitanOrganizing Strategy EnablingStrength (MOSES), one of thesponsors of the dialogue,says that older Detroit sub-urbs face some of the samechallenges as does Detroit. "The suburbs have been se-

cure, but over the last 15years they've been experienc-ing the same decline. Somemunicipalities were in denialabout the problems, but nowyou can see abandonment,businesses going further out,disinvestment, and moresprawl," Hardaway says. "Yousee abandoned buildingsaround business strips thatare not as vital as they usedto be."Part of it is that there's

been a lot of competition be-tween the suburbs. They arecompeting rather than workingtogether, rather than tax-based sharing, like in the St.Paul-Minneapolis area. Tax-based sharing would havehelped the seven counties inMetro Detroit. "The question is: How do

we cooperate? So many peo-ple think it's just EMS and po-lice, but it's much more thanthat. Part of it is transporta-tion. Lack of good transporta-tion has been a racial barrier,"she says "Also, the commu-nity leaders do have an optionto take regionalism more seri-ously. The current economy isforcing them to. The biggestthing is that we work togetherto put a regional transporta-

Metro news …Continued from page 6

Continued on page 10

HOUSE FOR SALEBY OWNER

REAL ESTATEWANTED

GRZEGORZEWSKIMark Duane Grzegorzewski, 53, died October 7,

2011.He is survived by his parents, Clarence and

Josephine Grzegorzewski and brothers Bruce Grze-gorzewski and Paul Gregorzewski. A memorial Masswill be held October 22, 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick’sParish, 9086 Hutchins Rd., White Lake, MI. 10/21

tion authority in place."Moderator Stephen Hender-

son of the Detroit Free Presssays "diversity, culture, andsocial issues are right in ourface in Detroit and people arenot prepared to deal withthem. There are racial and cul-tural barriers between innerring suburbs, some of whichare majority African-American,and outer ring suburbs, whichare predominantly white. Butnobody wants to talk about itexplicitly."The greatest opportunity is

with transit. It's actually anissue that we're about to havea real conversation about be-cause we're going to build alight rail line that will end atthe city line, which makes nosense. Oakland County is dis-cussing if it comes to the cityline -- think about carrying thatline deeper into the suburbs,get people in the inner andouter ring suburbs togetherwith people in the city."Mayor Karen Majewski says

that Hamtramck has a uniqueposition because it is one ofthe region's oldest suburbs,though it is just as oftenthought of as one of Detroit'smost vibrant neighborhoods. "Hamtramck has much to

add to this dialogue histori-cally and at the present time.It has been a community ofimmigrants, with diversity ofcultures, languages spokenand racial mix since the1920s. It is geographically sit-uated within the City of De-troit, with access by car or,increasingly, by bicycle toneighborhoods like Midtown,Eastern Market, New Center

and downtown," she says. "Bycar, because Interstates 75and 94 intersect near the bor-der of the city, Hamtramck isonly minutes from Ferndale,Royal Oak, Dearborn and othersuburbs. It is built on a humanscale, and was called themost walkable city in Michiganin a recent survey. "The common perception is

that Hamtramck was a "Pol-ish" city that recently becamemore diverse. We talk about26 different languages spo-ken in the public schools. But90 years ago there were evenmore languages spoken here.

Hamtramck stands out nowbecause it has distinct Ben-gali, Yemeni, Bosnian, Polishand African-American popula-tions. There is a thriving cul-tural community made up ofartists, musicians and othercreative young people who areattracted to this stimulatingplace. If you do unconven-tional or weird kinds of cre-ative work, you can fit right inhere. People have a do-it-your-self, make-it-happen attitude."But she also says: "By no

means have we figured it allout. There are challengesevery day. We can learn a lot

from other communities. Inthe late 1990s, we were com-pared to then-developingneighborhoods like Williams-burg (Brooklyn) and WickerPark (Chicago). Those placesevolved differently than Ham-tramck has. It has some ofthe assets of a hip urbanAmerican neighborhood, an dsome of the same problems,but it also faces challengesfaced by older suburbs. Be-cause technically, we are oneof the oldest in the metro De-troit area."

10 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, October 21 , 2011

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By Ian PerrottaWho is he?After working with non-profit

community-based social serv-ices for the last severalyears, Tommie Brown is thenew Youth Coach for theHamtramck Weed and Seedprogram. As if Bachelors’ De-grees in philosophy and polit-ical science from CentralMichigan University and aJuris Doctorate from The Thur-good Marshall School of Lawdoesn’t qualify him enoughfor the job, he is currently aearning a Master’s in SocialWork at Wayne State Univer-sity. We caught up with Tom-mie recently to find out moreabout him and just what it ishe is trying to do.

So what exactly is the job de-scription of a Youth Coach?

“The Youth Coach is togather 25 Hamtramck HighSchool youths and to organizethese young people to ad-dress violence amongst youththrough community service

projects. I believe thatone truly effective way to helpyoung people to turn awayfrom delinquent behavior is tohabituate them to think - tothink about the conse-quences of their conduct be-fore they act and to thinkabout their academic and pro-fessional futures.”

That’s a noble task. Do youhave experience doing any-thing similar?

“My experience workingwith teens involves workingwith at-risk youth in Chicagowhere I worked as a Restora-tive Justice coordinator. Ialso worked with Detroit highschoolers during an UpwardBound program where Iserved as a college mentor.”

What types of programs doyou plan to implement here inHamtramck?

“I would like to incorporatesome academic and socialprogramming for youth, in ad-dition to the community serv-ice aspect of the Youth Coachposition. I would like to es-tablish youth driven mentor-ships - where youths mentoreach other. I would also liketo create a Young Profession-als of Hamtramck program,where youths gather to dis-cuss and work on discover-ing or developing their careerplans, college/trade schoolapplications, writing sam-ples, resumes, and othersuch things in preparation forlife after high school.”

You could really help out thecity by doing that. What do youhope to accomplish?

“I hope to encourage theyouth here in Hamtramck tovalue their personal develop-ment through productive andpositive interaction with eachother and with other Ham-tramck community residents.I hope to motivate the youthto think deeply about theirlives beyond high school - tothink about directing their tal-ents and skills toward ca-reers that are fitting for themand to desire to excel atthem. I hope to discourageyouth from engaging in delin-quency by instilling hope inthem and nurturing this posi-tive outlook I want them to

have for their own lives.”

What kind of an impact doesthat have on the community?

“When youths becomedeeply invested in themselvesand begin to recognize thevalue in personal well-being,they are motivated to flourishsocially and academically -and this has a broader posi-tive impact on the communityin which these young peoplelive. I think one reason whyyoung people engage in delin-quency is because many havescant or no regard for their fu-tures or how their behaviorcan impact their future en-deavors. To address this,I encourage young people to

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Dear Community:I am Darla Swint. I greet you as a fellow Hamtramck Community member who is seeking aposition on the Hamtramck Board of Education. The future of our children is the numberone priority on my mind and in my heart!

There is much work for our School Board to accomplish. The task at hand is to REACH AHIGHER EDUCATIONAL GROUND in the coming century. This can only be accomplishedthrough meeting the different educational needs of our diverse community of children as wellas parent and caretakers. We must diversity our school system so ALL children feel their needsare being met by equally receiving exceptional education and attention. Families must feel theyare being heard, respected, and understood. I am a person who believes in equality for all andif I am elected that would be my first priority. I believe the bar of education must be raised toa higher level where not some, but all children will be able to advance.

Reach Higher Educational Ground!

on November 8thCREDENTIALS:n Masters Degree - Counseling Educationn Licensed Professional Counselorn Certified Advanced Addiction Therapistn Bachelor Degree - Community Servicesn Associates Degree - Social Work Techniciann Certified Chaplinn Completing Masters Degree in Divinityn Teacher of Biblical Studies

n Family Therapist/Addiction Therapistn Secretary of the Hamtramck Branch of the

National Association of Colored People (NAACP)n Appointed by Hamtramck Mayor Majewski to

Representn Hamtramck on Child Abuse and Neglect Issues

n 3rd General of African American in theCity of Hamtramck

n A Proud Graduate of Hamtramck PublicSchools

Paid for by The Committee to Elect Darla Swint.

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