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'This is my country, this is my city'Baghdad mayor passionate about rebuilding cityFrom Aneesh Raman  Baghdad mayor, Alaa Tamimi, wants to fight the insurgency by investing in the city's infrastructure. SPECIAL REPORT
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBAGHDAD (CNN) -- At 9 a.m. the day begins like any other for Baghdad's mayor. Alaa Tamimi removes his flak jacket, which he wears over his business suit as protection on his way to work, then tackles a pile of paperwork on his desk. Tamimi has served as the city's mayor for the past 16 months, returning to his native country after fleeing in 1995. He vowed to return only for his burial or after the fall of Saddam Hussein -- something he never expected to happen. His wife and son stayed behind in Canada. Tamimi says he hopes to make Baghdad safe one day for his son to return. Tamimi, an engineer by training, is working to reinstate basic services to Baghdad, but with few resources, he is facing an uphill battle. "Anyone, when he has a job, should do something," he said. "He should have means to do his job." As if to underline his point, the lights went out during CNN's interview with the mayor. By "means" Tamimi is referring to money. He requested a $1 billion budget to help repair Baghdad's damaged infrastructure, but said he received only $85 million for the city of nearly 6 million people. By contrast, New York City -- with a population of about 8 million -- has an operating budget of nearly 600 times that of Baghdad. Amid mounting frustration and 18-hour workdays, Tamimi said he was ready to resign several weeks ago, but Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari persuaded him to stay on. Tamimi said he hopes to fight the insurgency in Iraq by investing in Baghdad's infrastructure. "This is our weapon against terrorists," he said, pointing to bags of cement at a Baghdad construction site. "We want to work, we want to construct." In his home, pictures of his son adorn nearly every room -- fueling his passion to help rebuild his city. "I prefer my country more than my family, I prefer Baghdad more than my son. This is my country, this is my city," he said. When asked if he believes he will create the Baghdad that his son will want to move to one day, his answer is mixed. "I hope, I hope. I am optimistic, I am not sure." 
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