Hamtramck has plenty to be thankful for in this holiday season

          Hamtramck may be in a financial crisis, but it’s not beaten.

          The city has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. We all can be thankful that the state still has a belief and trust in the city and will allow local control to return once our financial house is in order.

          Fixing that problem is really no big deal. Everyone knows the solution is tweaking our labor contracts, something only an emergency manager has the ability to do.

          Hamtramck’s financial situation has been a sideshow, though. The best thing that Hamtramck has going for it are its people, of course. We are a city surrounded by Detroit, but there is no mistaking when you cross the border into Hamtramck that you are in a far different city.

          We have taken pride in that difference for decades, and it’s well deserved.

          It’s true that Hamtramck was more prosperous years ago, but the thing is, we can still return to the good old days with the right people in charge.

          That’s why we have to make economic development a main priority in the months and years to come.

          We need to make Jos. Campau the pearl it once was. That will take vision and leadership. It’s inspiring to see Mayor Karen Majewski lead the charge in this and put her money where her mouth is by purchasing and renovating a building on Campau, in the heart of the business district.

          We need more people to make an investment in this community. With Midtown in Detroit coming back, it would be nice to create a bridge, so to speak, for that economic vitality to come to Hamtramck.

          At the least, it’s something to ponder this Thanksgiving holiday.