Ruth Ann Canfield, the former mayor of Dearborn Heights and a former councilwoman, died Monday, Oct. 13. She was 85.
Canfield was also once a secretary at the former Harper-Grace Hospitals in Detroit and served on the board of Dearborn Heights School District No. 7.
Canfield was born to John Canfield, who served as Dearborn Heights’ first mayor after the city, most of which was formerly Dearborn Township, was incorporated in 1963. John Canfield, previously the supervisor of Dearborn Township, was first elected as in 1965 and served three terms until he died in 1975.
Ruth Ann Canfield was elected to city council in 1979, serving for 14 years until she was elected mayor in 1993. She was the first woman to be mayor of the city, serving for a decade before retiring in December 2003 for health and family reasons, saying she wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren. Dan Paletko succeeded her as mayor the following month, serving until he died in December 2020 of complications from COVID-19.
Canfield was elected mayor in November 1993 after running a platform that criticized Mayor Lyle Van Houten for trying to give himself and other elected officials a substantial pay raise.
“You cannot ask for a raise, especially when a large share of your people are blue-collar workers and many of them were laid off,” Canfield said during the campaign.
Dearborn Heights was facing population decline before Canfield became mayor, a decline that continued during the decade she led the city. But an influx of Arab immigrants helped slow the decrease and from 2010 to 2020, the city saw a spike in population for the first time in more than 50 years. It grew 10% during that decade to 63,292 residents, 39% of them of Middle Eastern descent.
As the city’s demographics began to change, Canfield was seen as a bridge builder who welcomed diversity.
The Islamic House of Wisdom opened their mosque in Dearborn Heights in 1997 when Canfield was mayor.
“She warmly welcomed us and attended several of our events, always demonstrating deep respect and dignity in her interactions with the Islamic House of Wisdom,” Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, an interfaith advocate who is the mosque’s religious leader, told the Free Press. Elahi noted that Paletko continued Canfield’s outreach, saying he “was deeply passionate about interfaith collaboration.”
Canfield had to deal with cuts in state revenue that slashed 5% of the city’s budget during her time as mayor, the Free Press reported in January 2004. In 2002 and 2003, the city lost $1.7 million in state dollars.
One notable accomplishment of Canfield was helping the city establish in 1996 an Internet service that was believed to be one of the first of its kind by a city in the U.S., the Free Press reported at the time. For only $96 a year, residents could get unlimited hours of Internet access at home, a rate that was much lower than other providers. The program was later discontinued.
Canfield’s death came a few days after Council Chair Mo Baydoun became the new mayor of Dearborn Heights. Baydoun became mayor on Oct. 9 after Bill Bazzi resigned the day before because the U.S. Senate confirmed him on Oct. 7 to be ambassador to Tunisia. The city charter says the council chair becomes mayor in cases of resignation, a city news release said. Bazzi, who endorsed Trump last year and appeared with him on stage at rallies, was named by Trump in March to be ambassador to Tunisia. Bazzi became mayor of Dearborn Heights in 2021, the first Arab-American to lead the city.
Baydoun and Councilwoman Denise Malinowski Maxwell are running for mayor for a four-year term in the November election. The winner of that race will start their four-year term on Jan. 1, 2026.
Canfield is survived by her children Christina Canfield and Michael Adamoli, grandchildren Jonathan Canfield Hansen and Sarah Canfield Hansen, and sister Sue Canfield. Visitation is set for 3-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at John N. Santeiu & Son Funeral Home, 1139 N. Inkster Road, Garden City, followed by a funeral the following day at 11:30 am Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the same location.
Previous Free Press stories contributed to this report.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Dearborn Heights Mayor Ruth Canfield, remembered as bridge builder, dies at 85
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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