Crestwood Election: Arab American Candidates Take Six Seats
Newly elected board members in Dearborn Heights will join three incumbents to form a majority of Arab Americans on the seven-member board.
By Grace Sullivan ·
Voters in the Crestwood School District of Dearborn Heights elected three new board members on Tuesday. The results will leave six of the seven seats on the board held by Arab Americans.
Two candidates won full six-year terms in the first race. Incumbent Billy Amen led the field with 4,430 votes. Ali Fawaz secured the second seat with 3,764 votes, beating Kathi Kobeissi Martin by 190 votes. Zouher Abdel-Hak finished last with 2,077 votes.
In a separate race for a partial term ending December 31, 2028, Zainab Mroueh won with 5,617 votes. She defeated Hass Beydoun, who received 2,770 votes. Mroueh replaces Mona Hijazi, who chose not to seek reelection.
The board now includes Amen, Fawaz, and Mroueh alongside three incumbents: Najah Jannoun, Salwa Fawaz, and Danielle Elzayat. David Williamson remains the sole non-Arab American member. The district was established in 1962 and serves about 3,600 students, most of whom are Arab American.
The district covers Dearborn Heights neighborhoods between Joy Road and Cherry Hill Road. Areas east of Telegraph Road fall under Dearborn Public Schools.
