‘Story of the Year’ is about the spirit of Hamtramck and its residents

The Hamtramck Guerilla Road Repair group took matters into their own hands last summer and began repairing potholes.

By Charles Sercombe
Please excuse our tardiness.
Normally when we announce our Story of the Year, it’s done before the new year starts.
So, without the usual fanfare let us unveil the Story of the Year (the year being 2015, of course):
Potholes.
This was no easy choice because there were some heavy-hitters this topic competed against.
There was major renovation of three city-owned parks – a multi-million event that did not cost the city anything, thanks to various grants and donations. The city’s three parks (Pulaski is owned by the school district) have not had this much attention in several decades.
And there was this year’s city council election that drew national and international media attention, some of it good, much of it bad.
For the first time, as far as anyone knows, an American city elected a Muslim majority city council.
Out of the six seats on council there are now four councilmembers of the Muslim faith. All of them have insisted that their faith has no bearing on their decision-making process.
As the top vote-getter, Saad Almasmari said: “We are going to represent everybody. We are going to serve everybody, Christians, Jewish, Muslims, everybody.”
There were dozens of stories on the election and the city’s diverse ethnic and religious make-up. It appears the media frenzy is over with, but it does raise the question of whether they will return to report on just what happens with a Muslim majority city council.
Stay tuned to this one.
There were plenty of other stories worthy of being the most important of the year, including the city transitioning out of the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, and the appointment of the police department’s first-ever female police chief (although her swearing-into office took place in January).
But when you sift through all the major events of the year, the issue of pothole repair hung in there the longest, and there was also plenty of media attention that made Hamtramck ground zero for the larger issue of road repairs in the state.

Last winter’s bitter cold temperatures and ice and snow created a large number of potholes throughout the city.

Or to be more clear, the state’s lawmakers and voters’ inability to come up with a solution to fund it.
What really caught the eye of the media was how a band of Hamtramck residents got fed up waiting for repairs and took matters into their own hands. And it is that can-do spirit that speaks to the core of what it means to be a Hamtramckan.
Can you imagine residents in any other city in the metro area getting this involved? That is what makes living in Hamtramck so special, and underscores why this was the most important story of the year.
This past spring we saw the birth of an outfit called Hamtramck Guerilla Road Repair.
Over a dozen volunteers bought their own cold patch and began filling in potholes whereever it was needed. Initially, city officials weren’t too happy about residents working on city-owned streets, but a deal was worked out and the volunteers continued on.
We talked to one organizer, Jonathan Weier, who said the idea to begin this DIY project came up the usual Hamtramck way: a bunch of buddies at a bar drinking beer and conjuring up a solution to a problem.
“I guess the tipping point was when on Facebook I got feedback,” Weier told us back in July.
The feedback that got things going came from Mayor Karen Majewski, who gave her blessing. “It was enough to proceed to do this,” Weier said.
Armed with $150, Weier and crew bought some pothole filler and took care of several potholes on Lumpkin.
They then set up an online fundraiser, with a goal to raise $5,000. They reached that goal and then some, and chances are this band of merry workers will be at it again this spring.
They may not have that big of a chore ahead of them if this winter continues to be gentle. So far, this has been the warmest winter on record. And that means there has been less wear and tear on our roads from freezing temperatures and ice and snow.
The city is also in a better position this year to tackle pothole repairs with the hiring of several part-time workers over the last few months.
So, it looks like 2016 won’t be quite the bumpy ride we experienced last year.
But Hamtramck’s DIY spirit will surely live on.