Berri congratulates Lebanese-American mayor of Dearborn Heights

BEIRUT — A video clip of a phone call between Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Mo Baydoun, the newly elected mayor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, went viral on social media Sunday.

During the call, Berri congratulated Baydoun on his Nov. 4 victory, saying, "May God protect you, congratulations to you ... and to New York," in a reference to Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor elected in New York City.

Baydoun, who is from Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, appeared visibly moved by Berri's call. He thanked the Parliament speaker and expressed hope to meet him "soon in Lebanon."

Berri, whose own relatives live in Dearborn, maintains close ties to the local Lebanese-American community.

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Dearborn Heights, a suburb of Detroit, is home to one of the largest Arab-Muslim populations in the United States. Baydoun won the mayoral race with 68 percent of the vote, defeating his rival Denise Malinowski-Maxwell, who received 32 percent, according to official results.

A former city council president, Baydoun had served as interim mayor earlier this year after Bill (Bilal) Bazzi resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Tunisia. Baydoun succeeds Bazzi, the first Muslim mayor of Dearborn Heights, who had also defeated Malinowski-Maxwell in 2021.

On his campaign website, Baydoun pledged to deliver more accessible and accountable governance. He promised to streamline administrative procedures online, develop digital tools for residents, create a public tracking dashboard to increase transparency and modernize water management to lower household bills.