Daniel S. Paletko (December 21, 1950December 29, 2020) was an American politician who served as mayor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, from 2004 to 2020.

Early life and education

Paletko was born on December 21, 1950. Paletko graduated from Crestwood High School. Paletko earned a BA from the

University of Michigan-Dearborn A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, an MBA from the University of Detroit, and an MST from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Career

Paletko formerly worked as a

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

and a financial manager at

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

. Paletko first got involved with politics by attending

Dearborn Heights Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 63,292 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census., Dearborn Heights is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is consid ...

city council meetings. Paletko served on the city council from 1974 to 2002. On November 5, 2002, Paletko was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

where he represented the 17th district from January 8, 2003, to 2004. In January 2004, Paletko was appointed as the mayor of Dearborn Heights after the retiring of former mayor Ruth Canfield, and Paletko resigned from the state house to take this position. At the time of his death, Paletko was the city's longest serving mayor.

Personal life

Paletko had two daughters. Paletko was a member of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

. Paletko attended and ushered at St. Linus

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Church in Dearborn Heights.

Death and legacy

Paletko died in office from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on December 29, 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan The first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. state of Michigan were discovered on March 10, 2020, one day before the outbreak of the disease was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. As of December 20, 2022 ...

. He was 70 years old. The Dearborn Heights City Council President Denise Malinowski-Maxwell became interim mayor after Paletko's death. Paletko was succeeded by Bill Bazzi, Dearborn Heights' first

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

mayor. Paletko was interred at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Dearborn Heights on January 4, 2021. On April 29, 2021, Dearborn Heights Mayor Bazzi, along with other city officials, in celebration of Arbor Day, planted an American Linden tree in memorial of Paletko. A plaque erected at the base of the tree is dedicated to Paletko and his tenure as mayor. Police Corporal Carrie Hatten, Fire Marshal Max Mitts and Firefighter Jammal Faraj organized a memorial golf outing for Paletko on June 18, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paletko, Daniel S. 1950 births 2020 deaths American accountants Burials in Michigan Catholics from Michigan Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan Mayors of places in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan city council members People from Dearborn Heights, Michigan University of Michigan–Dearborn alumni Wayne State University alumni 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century Michigan politicians 21st-century Michigan politicians