Candidate deadline nears to file for mayor, council

By Charles Sercombe
The city is not kidding about cracking down on the qualifications to become a candidate in Hamtramck.
Two mayoral candidates and one city council candidate were disqualified from running.
Candidates sign an application form saying that they do not owe the city or any other government agency money as well being a resident of the city.
It could be worse for them.
The city could pursue criminal perjury charges for filing a false application, but City Clerk Rana Faraj said she won’t be seeking charges.
One mayoral candidate, Adam Alharbi, skirted being disqualified by paying off numerous housing code violations that amounted to thousands of dollars before submitting his candidate application.
The Review submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for details on the fines and number of properties Alharbi owns. Alharbi, who is closely aligned with Mayor Amer Ghalib and worked on his past campaign, told The Review:
“When you have several houses, you can get more violations.”
Alharbi also said he supports the city for enforcing its housing codes.
“I’m all for that,” he said. “Whoever is in violation, they should be fined. … We have to get our city to look good.”
Mayor Ghalib said he is not seeking re-election as mayor, in anticipation of being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to Kuwait. There has been no word, as yet, on when that confirmation hearing will be held.
However, since the deadline to file for office is fast approaching, word is that Ghalib will file for re-election, and if he does get confirmed, bow out of the campaign and throw his support behind another candidate.
The city’s focus on candidate qualifications is a result of long-standing rumors that a number of current and past elected officials do not actually reside in the city.
To underscore this, the city has hired a private investigator to confirm whether candidates truly live in Hamtramck.
It’s not clear whether this crackdown has put the brakes on some people seeking office. As of Thursday when The Review went to press, there were only four candidates signed up for the city council election.
That number could change if background checks reveal disqualifications.
Although there appears to be a shortage of interest now, it is a Hamtramck custom for candidates to wait until the last day, or even final minutes, of the filing deadline to submit their applications.
The deadline to apply is next Tuesday, April 22, at 4 p.m. For those who have second thoughts about running after the deadline passes, they have until Friday, April 25, to withdraw from the election.
There are three council seats up for re-election, with two of them wide open.
Councilmember Khalil Refai is not seeking another term on council, and has instead opted to run for the mayor’s seat. And, Councilmember Muhith Mahmood is also running for mayor.
When Refai was first running for office, he was connected to a Detroit residence, where he had a Homestead tax exemption. Claiming a Homestead tax exemption means you live at the property.
Refai said he failed to clear up that matter when he moved to a house in Hamtramck – located just a few blocks away from his Detroit residence.
Councilmember Abu Musa is also expected to run for re-election. In the past, he has also been connected to a house in Warren where his wife children live.
Musa stressed that while he is not separated from his wife, he is living in Hamtramck.
The following people have filed to run for office. Three candidates have been disqualified for not meeting the requirements to hold office.
Mayor:
Adam Alharbi
Khandaker Showkat Hossain
Abdulmalik Yahya Kassim – (DISQUALIFIED)
Mahabub Karim – (DISQUALIFIED)
Muhith Mahmood
Khalil Refai

City Council:
Abu A. Musa
Nayeem Leon Choudhury
Khalid Al Qsaimi – (DISQUALIFIED)
Motahar Abdo Fadhel
Yousuf Saed
Posted April 18, 2025