John B. O’Reilly, Jr. sworn in Wednesday for his first full term as Mayor of Dearborn, pointed to family, community and citizens of Dearborn as keys to the success of our city.

“As we look at how we will go forward, we will have to work hard and to endure,” said O’Reilly, Jr. at inaugural ceremonies Wednesday evening in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. ”We are not going back to something that was but something that can be.”

O’Reilly, who had previously been City Council president for 17 years, has been mayor since February 2007. He was elected to finish out the remaining term of the late Mayor Michael Guido.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Charlene M. Elder handled the swearing in of each elected official, while  Wayne County Commissioner Gary Woronchak was the master of ceremonies.

In addition to the mayor, City Clerk Kathleen Buda, who ran unopposed this election, and council incumbents, Thomas P. Tafelski, Suzanne Sareini, George T. Darany, who is serving a second but first full term, Mark Shooshanian and Robert A. Abraham were all sworn in. Brian C. O’Donnell, the newest member of the council, also took the oath of office. All were elected to serve from 2010 to 2013.

Tafelski will continue to serve as council president because he was the top vote getter in the November election. As president he will earn $17,267 a year, plus $85 per meeting or about $7,661 extra for up to 90 meetings. The other council members will earn $14,409 annually and the same per-meeting rate.

Tafelski said his primary focus in his next term will be to promote Dearborn in a positive way.

“I will pledge to do one thing: I will put Dearborn first,” Tafelski said.

Sareini will serve as council pro-tem, running council meetings when Tafelski is absent. She finished with the second highest number of votes, her best finish ever in this her sixth term in office. The pro-tem spot was previously held by Hubbard, who barely made it into the seventh seat on council finishing just 548 votes ahead of eight-place finisher, David Bazzy.

Of the seven council members, Abraham and Darany delivered the most statesmanlike speeches after being sworn in, outlining their vision for the city in their next term. Abraham spoke of his commitment to stabilize our neighborhoods, getting a handle on the city’s growing number of rental properties and working with police to prevent neighborhood crimes.

“If it takes a village . . . it will take this entire city, county and state to keep our neighborhoods safe, clean and quiet,” Abraham said.

About 300 people attended the event, including many family members of elected officials and City Hall employees, which was held in the Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. After the inauguration, a reception was held in the theater lobby.

We’ve driven down Military over the Rouge River bridge many times in recent weeks, cruising past the combined sewer overflow basin construction and wondered what the heck is that foul smell?

Well, it turns out that the horrible odor is nothing to be concerned about, according to Dearborn city officials.

The Dearborn Press & Guide reports that the smell comes from gases trapped inside rocks believed to be a by-product of limestone deposits that exist underground. It is the drilling into the limestone by work crews that is releasing the colorless, toxic and flammable gas with an odor similar to rotten eggs.

For the homeowners whose yards back up to the massive construction project, the only thing they can be thankful for is that the smell is coming at winter time and not in the summer when windows are generally wide open.

Unfortunately, the smell isn’t the only thing residents near this CSO project have had to endure in recent months. Residents along Alexandrine, whose homes are adjacent to the site, have had to endure loud thumping noises from rock excavating crews. Residents are worried the vibration coming from the worksite is weakening the foundation of their homes.

One city official tells us that the city of Dearborn already has had to purchase one home at a premium price because of severe foundation damage from the rock excavating. Many other homes will need repairs for cracked plaster inside the homes.

The noise has gotten so bad that the city has had to find office space for a resident who works out of his home. Earlier this month, city council approved spending $1,100 to lease office space for two months at the West Village Plaza. The resident said he simply could not conduct work in his home with the noise.

The good news is that this CSO project, unlike many others around the city, is proceeding on schedule.