Dearborn mayor demonstrates civic leadership through COVID-19 survival
By Dennis Archambault
It appears that civic leadership around the COVID-19 pandemic response has been found at the state and local levels of government. Most recently, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., wrote an open letter to his constituency about his – and his wife Christina’s – bout with COVID-19. His comments began with empathy, a trait found in good leaders: “I feel compelled to share my recent experience with you, because it may mirror your own challenges or that of your loved ones. It also is a message of both caution and of optimism.”
Dearborn residents have found Mayor O’Reilly to be an active proponent of health. Having changed his personal health behavior following an earlier health challenge, the mayor articulated a vision for transforming Dearborn into a healthier community. That took the form of creating Healthy Dearborn, a community-based collaboration facilitated by Beaumont Health. Authority Health has been an active member of that effort. Mayor O’Reilly could literally be found “walking the walk” with the program’s “Walk and Roll” initiative, and support for the city’s multimodal transit plan and a health in all policies approach to government.
Each survivor of COVID-19 seems to have a unique story to tell, with a universal message of resilience. When it’s a political leader, people naturally take note. After fulfilling his mayoral functions in isolation, Mayor O’Reilly is back at full strength assuring his constituency, “despite the power of this virus, we have optimism to share. My and Christina’s recovery demonstrates that the virus is beatable. Despite the medical difficulties my family went through over the course of several weeks, it is encouraging news.”
From a message of encouragement, the mayor also reminded Dearborn residents to be vigilant. “Under no circumstances should we as a society let down our guard… All of us need to keep practicing social distancing, keep wearing masks while in public enclosed spaces, keep washing our hands, keep disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, keep to our homes except for essential needs or essential work, not gather with other households, and most importantly, keep watching out for one another.” Note, that despite the economic toll the city must be taking due to business shutdowns, the mayor’s message is about empowering his residents to protect their health and well-being. Productivity will follow.
He closed by reinforcing his belief in “the spirit of our community.” Dearborn, he says, “looks out for its neighbors.” His message is certain to renew the spirits of those who have worked hard to create a “Healthy Dearborn.”
Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health and a member of the Healthy Dearborn steering committee.