Dearborn Mayoral candidate Michael J. Prus said Monday evening he still is very anxious to debate or have a forum with Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., to discuss in public his plans to help revitalize Dearborn.

We wrote here on these pages last week that Mr. Prus was a no-show at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Dearborn/Dearborn Heights. At the time, we did not know why Mr. Prus was unable to take part in the forum at Dearborn City Hall.  It turns out the mayoral candidate had a very serious case of bronchitis. The 50-year-old candidate still had a bad cough even when we we finally caught up with him Monday night.

“I was planning to attend all the way up to 2:30 p.m. on the day of the event,” Mr. Prus told us Monday night. “I went to my doctor and he said you have a severe case of bronchitis. When I told my doctor about the forum, he said ‘you aren’t going anywhere. You need to go home and go to sleep. You are contagious.’

“I am not afraid to debate,” Mr. Prus continued. “Why would I want to miss an opportunity like that? That would be political suicide. I was in no condition to do this.”

Mr. Prus said he is sorry he missed the opportunity to tell voters about his plan to revitalize Dearborn but he is hopeful he and Mayor O’Reilly will still have the chance to meet again in person for the benefit of residents. Mayor O’Reilly, in an earlier story in the Dearborn Press & Guide, told the paper he was willing to take part in a debate with Mr. Prus.

“I wish I could debate the mayor,” Mr. Prus said. “I have questions on how our tax dollars are being spent and why we have so many lawsuits against the city.”

Mr. Prus, a Dearborn resident of 40 years and a graduate of Dearborn Divine Child, works for the state of Michigan as a Department Analyst and state fidelity bonding coordinator, helping people who have trouble in their background find a job through bonding. He is married and he and his wife, Libby, have one son.