Mayor and her challenger spar in final debate

Mayor Karen Majewski and her challenger Amer Ghalib were part of a debate on a podcast hosted by local journalist Omar Thabet.

By Charles Sercombe
Politically, the talk of the town this election year is who will win the mayoral race.
Voters will be making that decision next Tuesday in the General Election. That’s Nov. 2, for those who want to mark their calendars.
Despite the Covid threat, there have been public debates among the candidates – both for the mayor’s race, and the city council.
Recently, local journalist Omar Thabet hosted the two mayoral candidates — current mayor, Karen Majewski, and challenger Amer Ghalib — on his “Table Talk” podcast that you can see on YouTube.
Thabet was joined by Abeer Thabet and Shayma Ghaleb who pitched questions to the candidates. It was a fast-moving one hour, and worth tracking down.
So, let’s roll the digital tape, so to speak.
The first question was about their passion to become mayor, noting that it is not a paid position – although it sort of is: there is about a $6,000 stipend per year.
Majewski said that being mayor ties into her profession of being a historian. She has a doctorate degree in history.
She also said that being mayor allows her to expand on that training.
“For me, leading the city and telling its story throughout the world has been an adventure. … This position is an expansion of my profession.”
As for money, she said she has “never been motivated” by that.
“My only aspiration has been to serve Hamtramck. It’s an American tradition of serving your city,” she said.
Ghalib countered with a light-hearted jab at Majewski’s four terms in office:
“I’m sure there is something good about it. That’s why the mayor doesn’t want to leave after 16 years.”
On a serious note, though, he said that some residents “feel disconnected and not represented” in city hall.
City government, said Ghalib, who is a Yemeni-American, “does not reflect the demographics of the city.”
He says that he is running to “create more positive change,” and is going to dedicate 20 hours a week to the job.
Ghalib, who was referred to as a medical doctor, is a licensed nurse, according to state records. He graduated from an overseas medical school, he has said.
Both were asked how having that degree, albeit in different fields, will benefit the city.
Majewski said her degree has helped her develop “critical thinking,” but also stressed that she comes from a working-class background.
Ghalib said he can use his skills to communicate with different cultures, and with those of various education levels.
Next up: the city’s new parking meter system. There has been criticism about it, with some folks saying it’s just not working.
Majewski noted that the city’s former “old” parking meters weren’t working either, “for decades.”
Under the new system, she said, the city is expecting to receive $100,000 a year in revenue.
As for the new, high-tech system, she said some bugs are still being worked out. The meters were just recently installed.
Majewski said that, if it were up to her, there would be some changes, including shortening the hours of having to pay, from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m., and also bumping up to allow people to dash in and out of businesses before having to pay from five minutes to 10 minutes.
She would also allow businesses to reimburse customers for their parking fees.
However, she stressed, the mayor alone cannot make these changes.
Ghalib was blunt about the new parking meters: “It’s really bad.”
How bad?
Ghalib said that business owners have told him that the number of customers who normally patronize their store has been reduced 25-30 percent ever since the meters began operating.
Here’s a perennial question that has been posed to candidates in the past: what to do about the city’s trash problem.
Ghalib said this is “an easy problem to solve.”
How’s that?
Educate residents, he said, about how to properly dispose their household garbage. And, he added, increase code enforcement.
Majewski said that educating the public is indeed needed, and is “not rocket science.”
But that takes community “influencers to spread the word,” she said.
Also, residents, she said, “need to set an example.”
She also credited the many community members who have hit the streets during the pandemic and taken it upon themselves to pick up the never-ending amount of daily litter.
Majewski gave a special shoutout to the mysterious “Plague Doctor” who has been seen about town, dressed in a plague era costume, picking up trash. She thanked the anonymous person for “reinvigorating” folks to do the same.
(Editor’s note: We need more “Plague Doctors.”)
The next question was about two issues that have divided the city: LGBTQ rights and marijuana dispensaries.
Majewski, who has supported both issues, put it in simple terms: as mayor, you will never get “100 percent agreement.”
So, she said, she bases her decisions “not on emotions,” but says instead that she looks at the facts.
And that, Majewski said, won’t get “you the most votes.”
Decisions on controversial issues, she said, require considering “multiple sides.”
Ultimately, Majewski said, one has to follow “your own moral compass,” and “lead with my values.”
Ghalib countered, saying: “we have to respect the people. But it’s both ways.”
He said his job “is not to take both sides.”
Pressed further for clarification by Majewski in her allotted time for rebuttal, Ghalib said he would base his decisions on “the opinion of the people who voted for us.”
He added that it would come down to “my constituents.”
Majewski continued asking Ghalib about the mayor’s role in breaking a tie, especially on a controversial issue. Ghalib said he would have to “think about it,” and “not decide” against one group against another.
Instead, he said, he would bring people together.
One more question — and it’s always the usual suspect.
Why should people vote for you?
Ghalib: “It’s time for a change. … Time to give change a chance.”
Majewski replied that she can “appreciate that desire for change.”
She added that there will be three new councilmembers, and she has the knowledge to “ground” that change with her past experience.
And this is where the two began to spar a bit.
Ghalib said that the city still experiences the same problems “year after year.”
“We need to think outside of the box,” he added.
Majewski swung back: “All politicians say that.”
She also added that solving problems is a complicated matter, takes time and that there are “a lot of moving parts” that must be pieced together, one by one.
Oct. 29, 2021