Meet Eddie

Eddie Sabatini is a manager of production, creative professional, and former teacher, now a stay-at-home dad, who turns neighborhood concern into meaningful action–most recently with his effort to restore and reimagine our Community Center. He is answering a call from his neighbors to step up and serve. He’s running for Ferndale City Council not out of political ambition, but because he’s already doing the work, and wants to keep doing it.

Many Ferndale residents first got to know Eddie through his grassroots efforts to protect and reimagine the Kulick Community Center. What began as a local concern quickly became a full-fledged community coalition, uniting neighbors, sparking citywide dialogue, and drawing attention to the importance of public spaces and public input. Eddie didn’t wait for permission. He knocked doors, listened deeply, built relationships, and even partnered with the Detroit Bird Alliance to help protect the chimney swifts nesting in Kulick’s chimneys. He also volunteers with Ferndale Youth Assistance, American Red Cross, CARE House, and served on the communications committee for the 2025 Ferndale School Bond. Because when something matters, Eddie shows up.

Born and raised in Michigan, Eddie comes from a big, proud family of Mexican and Italian immigrants who taught him the value of humor, hard work, and looking out for others. His mother, an Italian immigrant and longtime schoolteacher, modeled empathy, curiosity, and moral clarity. Growing up in his father’s party store, Eddie learned early that community thrives on conversation and trust. Those roots, along with his background in education, creative direction, and mentorship, make him a natural communicator and an unusually skilled listener. He knows how to make complicated issues make sense, and how to make people feel heard, even if they’ve felt sidelined by politics in the past.

Eddie holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. He has also studied filmmaking at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, literature at the University of Michigan, and has worked in production and leadership roles across industries. But it wasn’t until he began local advocacy that he felt truly at home. As he puts it, “This is where I want to be, working alongside people to organize and focus our collective power for real change for our community.”

Today, Eddie lives in Ferndale with his wife, Sarah, a licensed therapist and small business owner, and their two daughters, who can often be found playing softball, goofing around in the Kulick greenspace with Eddie, or helping in the family’s garden. Eddie believes in planting deep roots, and he’s in this for the long haul. Whether it’s supporting kids and seniors, protecting greenspace, or making government more responsive, he’s committed to building a Ferndale that works for everyone.

With Eddie on City Council, Ferndale will have a representative who knows how to build coalitions, distill complexity, and bring people into the process—not just after decisions are made, but from the very beginning. His campaign isn’t about ego or the status quo. It’s about community, clarity, and care.

Because to Eddie, public service isn’t about politics. It’s about people.