DEARBORN (WWJ)—Dearborn Mayor, John O'Reilly Jr., announced in statement he is currently "managing a health issue" that has impacted his ability to appear in public as often as he once had.
He said he continues to "completely fulfill all administrative responsibilities required in the Dearborn City Charter" and works in the office every day.
"I am sharing this news now because I want our residents to have confidence that the city is doing everything possible to help them recover from the devastating storms of June 25-26, even if you are not seeing me on news reports. My style over the course of 31 years has been to concentrate on the work at hand and not actively seek the spotlight," he said.
He told residents he is working on a "massive deployment of city resources" in response to the flooding. Also, he emphasized that he declared a State of Emergency immediately afterward on June 26 and flood-damaged belongings were picked up from the curb of some 12,000 homes within 10 days.
O'Reilly, 72, said he is meeting with state and federal officials to hopefully get a presidential disaster declared and further boost funds to the city.
"Throughout my career, I often have designated my department directors and others as spokespeople, asking them to use their expertise to explain issues to the public and the media. This now will be the regular practice moving forward," he said.
O'Reilly did not give any further information regarding his medical situation, but asked for privacy.
He has been Dearborn's mayor since 2007 and served in public office for more 30 years.
