Circuit court judge will once again consider election challenge
By Charles Sercombe Hamtramck might come one step closer to finding out who will serve as its mayor, starting on Jan. 1. Or maybe not. City Councilmember Muhith Mahmood, who…
State withdraws funding for new fire truck
By Charles Sercombe State Republican legislators have a Scrooge-like Christmas message for Hamtramck and other communities. The Republican-majority members in the state Appropriation Committee discontinued more than $600 million in…
Feds are threatening to withhold food benefits
Here we go again. Those who rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are facing another threat of having the program end. Why? President Trump’s administration is demanding the…
City clerk files a lawsuit over election suspension; seeks job back
By Charles Sercombe In an expected move, City Clerk Rana Faraj is hitting back at the city after being placed on paid suspension. She recently filed a 45-page lawsuit against…
Mayoral election still in question
By Charles Sercombe Call this the election with no ending. The final outcome on who won the mayor’s race is not quite over. The dispute over whether to count…
Does anyone outside the city care about our elections?
We wouldn’t blame folks for having Hamtramck election fatigue. It seems like this mayoral election is never going to end, and the more that’s revealed about how the election was…
It’s not over until it’s over
Charles Sercombe Hamtramck’s mayoral election took yet another twist and turn. Although the recount of the election is now over and Adam Alharbi remains the mayor-elect, his opponent, Muhith Mahmood,…
Alharbi gains a handful of votes in mayoral ballot recount
By Charles Sercombe Mayoral candidate Muhith Mahmood’s call for a recount of ballots turned out to cost him votes. Instead of losing by six-votes, he has now lost by 11…
City Hall Insider … 10/28/25
By Charles Sercombe The city council met on Oct. 28, and all councilmembers, except for Khalil Refai, were in attendance. Congressman Shri Thanedar, whose 13th District includes Hamtramck, spoke. But…
Oversight for police department is overdue
As the cliché goes: Better late than never. What we’re talking about is the establishment of an oversight commission for the city’s police department. It’s an idea that’s been kicked…
