City Hall Insider7/8/2025

By Charles Sercombe
The city council met on July 8, and all councilmembers were in attendance.
City Clerk Rana Faraj gave an update on the Aug. 5 Primary Election. Polls will open at 7 a.m. that day, and close at 8 p.m.
Anyone who has not registered to vote can still do so in person at the city clerk’s office in city hall. You must be a resident here and be at least 18 years old to vote.

During public comment, Mike Petrack, who owns Dos Locos Tacos on Jos. Campau, said in an email that he supports the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival.
The festival, he said, “brings in substantial economic benefits by bringing a large influx of peaceful people from surrounding areas.”
Charles Blackwell commented on Mayor Amer Ghalib demanding City Manager Max Garbarino leave a city council meeting recently. Garbarino was on paid suspension, and Ghalib said his presence at the meeting was “intimidating.”
“It’s funny that Mayor Ghalib calls himself an alpha male but he’s scared and uncomfortable with Max Garbarino attending city council meetings,” Blackwell said.
Abraham Aljahim suggested charging businesses $250 a month to make up for lost parking meter revenue.
As for City Manager Garbarino, he said “Max should not come to the city.”

Moving on, the city accepted a grant worth $965,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Green Alleyways Reconstruction.
The grant will be used to reconstruct the following alleys:
• The alley north of Caniff, between Sobieski and Klinger
• The alley north of Caniff, between Gallagher and Sobieski
• The alley east of Jos. Campau, between Jacob and Hanley
• The alley east of Jos. Campau, between Berres and Dan
• The alley west of Conant, between Casmere and Caniff
• The alley north of Bernard, between Lumpkin and Dubois
In a note to council, it was said: “Reconstructing these alleys will support the ongoing efforts to reduce flooding. By addressing something as fundamental as alleys, Hamtramck will reduce costs associated with flooding and accidents, create more paths to where people need to go, and benefit residents and businesses alike.”

In new business, the council OK’d the purchase of a portable truck weight scale for $21,395.
John DeAngelis, Director of Department of Public Services, said that, with the scale, the city can issue tickets to truck drivers who have illegal overweight loads. Such trucks, he said, are causing damage to city streets.
DeAngelis said ticket revenue will be about $100,000 a year, which will help the city make up for lost parking meter revenue. Average truck overweight tickets have a fine of $2,000 to $3,000, he said.

In a discussion about parking meters, Mayor Ghalib said there is a need to regulate how long people can park on Jos. Campau.
Deputy Police Chief Andy Mileski said that, since the council decided not to renew its contract with a parking meter company, his department has been unable to issue parking tickets because the city’s ticket system was tied into the meter computer network.
Mileski said a new system will be installed to allow tickets to be issued.
In another matter, Mayor Ghalib said that business owners need to clean up litter that accumulates in front of their stores.
“There are some stores or restaurants or places that they should be embarrassed about how their stores look,” Ghalib said.
Councilmember Muhith Mahmood said the city is just as guilty, because it is no longer sweeping streets on a regular schedule.
“We purchased all those big equipment, spend all this money but nothing’s been happening,” Mahmood said.
Mayor Ghalib agreed, but said, “We can’t just punish our people. We have to do our part.”

After some discussion, the council agreed to allow the closing off of Jos. Campau, from Caniff to Commor, for the annual Hamtramck Labor Day Festival.
Councilmember Mohammed Hassan said that the mosque located at the corner of Caniff and Jos. Campau has requested the main music stage at that corner be moved up a block so that music does not drown out daily prayers.
Councilmember Khalil Refai commented but before he did, Refai referenced City Manager Garbarino as the “former” city manager. City Clerk Rana Faraj corrected him, saying that Garbarino is still the city manager despite being put on paid suspension.
Refai said he’s asked for a third stage to be installed to highlight local Yemeni and Bengali musicians.
He said he’s been bringing this up for three years without success.
“Every time we talked, it’s always excuses,” he said.
The latest figure, he was told, is that it would cost $65,000 to set up a third stage, which Refai said is “ridiculous.”
He said that, in the future, “things need to change what needs to be added.”
Isabel Allaway, the Director of Community Economic Development, said that festival organizers are all unpaid volunteers who have sometimes covered expenses out of their own pockets in the hopes of getting reimbursed later.
“That’s a ridiculously wonderful thing that they do,” Allaway said.
She said the city needs to trust and support the organizers.
Mayor Ghalib conceded that it is likely too late to start booking performers for the third stage. He suggested adding Yemeni and Bengali performers to the two existing stages.
He also said that more volunteers are needed to help festival organizers.

In another festival request, at the behest of Councilmember Mahmood, the council allowed for Jos. Campau to be closed from Caniff to Carpenter on Aug. 8-10.
This festival will feature Bengali performers. Deputy Police Chief Mileski questioned whether the police department will be compensated for overtime to patrol the festival.
Mahmood said that, since the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival covers police overtime, this festival will have to do the same.
City Clerk Faraj asked if there will be games, tents and rides featured in the festival.
“That’s something they will figure out. It’s not our business,” Mahmood said about organizers of this festival.

In his report, Mayor Ghalib encouraged voters not to be intimidated by anyone.
“This is your right to go out and vote,” Ghalib said.
He also joked that there will be a new mayor “unless I decide to stay.”
Ghalib is not seeking re-election as he waits to be confirmed by the U. S. Senate as the next ambassador to Kuwait. President Trump nominated Ghalib after Ghalib endorsed him in the 2024 presidential election.
In public comment, Nasr Hussain said the city should not rely on an outside company to operate any new parking meter system.
“Parking is a goldmine,” Hussain said. “Don’t give it to any private company. … This is where the money is – keep it in the city.”
Posted Aug. 1, 2025