Commissioner blasts fellow housing member

Hamtramck Housing Commission member Bill Meyer. Photo by Hamtramck Public TV

By Charles Sercombe
Mayor Adam Alharbi recently replaced two experienced housing commission members with two new faces, Tobin Sterritt and Salim Lodhi.
And now, ousted commission member Frances Sims is speaking out, and is urging the mayor to instead fire a fellow commission member, Bill Meyer.
“At this point, I have no choice but to request that you remove him as a Board member before his actions embarrass the community again, as he did on another commission and the mayor had to replace him,” Sims said, in a letter to Mayor Alharbi.
The Review could not reach Commission member Karen Shulhan, who had been the longest serving commissioner, for comment about her removal.
Sims presented numerous reasons in her request to boot Meyer, which covered a wide-range of actions Meyer has taken, with one apparent overriding goal: To remove current Executive Director Chris Cornwell, who had succeeded former long-time director Kevin Kondrat.
Sims recently shared her letter to the mayor with The Review, and her list of reasons included, in her own words:
• Commissioner Meyer suggested that the HHC (Hamtramck Housing Commission) provide federal money and support to a private store owner across the street from the Colonel Hamtramck Homes to help the owner increase his business. He even suggested that the HHC approve an expenditure for the store’s exterior lighting.
• Commissioner Meyer has repeatedly questioned why the HHC would need a dedicated attorney and suggested that we should not have one on retainer, even though an attorney is a must for handling legal matters such as evictions, civil prosecutions, etc. and is highly advised by HUD.
• Commissioner Meyer agreed to an informal, backdoor arrangement with former Commissioner Kamal Rahman to clear the way for Mr. Rahman to assume the HHC Executive Director position. Commissioner Meyer made no secret of his intention to find a reason to fire the current highly credentialed Executive Director, Christopher Cornwell, and replace him with Mr. Rahman, even though the latter lacks the appropriate experience and whose appointment would certainly not hold up to HUD scrutiny. It would have placed the entire HHC and its Board members under legal threat from the federal government, not to mention the fact that this reeks of cronyism.
• Commissioner Meyer shows no desire to educate himself on HUD practices, rules, laws, and regulations. He repeatedly asks the same questions in each meeting, even though the issue had been previously addressed, and in some instances, voted on by him. He also has expressed zero interest in attending HUD training, unless it’s located somewhere that he wants to visit on the HHC’s dime, another violation of federal law. Commissioner Meyer also, even one year into his commission, does not grasp the fact that the HHC is not governed by the City of Hamtramck, but instead solely by the HHC Board and HUD.
• Commissioner Meyer has stated on several occasions that he would like to see the HHC absorbed by the Detroit Housing Commission, which is counterintuitive to the work that we do. If we have a commissioner that actively supports downgrading the living conditions of our residents, then it is clear that he does not have the residents’ best interests at heart.

Bill Meyer, the former executive director of the now defunct non-profit group called OneHamtramck, has routinely called for the removal of Hamtramck’s “white power structure” at city council meetings.
He told The Review that Sims’ accusations are “groundless.”
Meyer provided The Review with a lengthy response, and insisted his response be printed in full.
Here is his response:
“The Hamtramck Housing Commission (HHC) is the least known of all city commissions. It is run by the Federal HUD Agency independent from the city and with little oversight except for the five commissioners appointed by the mayor. It’s always been in the hands of Hamtramck’s century-long ‘white power structure’ even as the city’s demographics have changed to a majority Muslim presence.
“Suspected corruption, cronyism, and lack of diversity in the HHC motivated the previous mayor in 2022 to appoint new commissioners that might help address these failings of the Commission. Replacing commissioners is a common practice when new mayors are elected.
“It was soon discovered that the former HHC Executive Director Kevin Kondrat, probably fearing changes might come with the new administration, called a special meeting to extend his contract with the support of his old rubber-stamp commission, before the new commissioners were able to attend their first meeting.
“New commissioner Kamal Rahman took charge and exposed major corruption and cronyism in the Housing Commission.”

(Editor’s note: No charges or accusations of wrongdoing were ever made by the federal agency overseeing all local housing commissions, the Department of Housing and Urban Development.)

Meyer continued:
“Director Kondrat’s ‘Succession Plan,’ reeking of cronyism that would have promoted hand selected officers without new Commissioners input, was also canceled.
“As for the charges my former colleague has raised against me specifically, they are statements taken out of context, based on misunderstandings and untruths, and none of them hold any legal consequence.
“I am willing to discuss any of these groundless charges, and explain any positions I took in regards to the HHC, with anyone who might be interested. I have no intention of causing controversy by attacking anyone or drawing any attention away from the good work of the HHC.
“My goal has always been to bring people together in the city to work for the benefit of everyone. Our new Commission is now working to make our work transparent and available for anyone to watch as we begin filming our meetings on the Hamtramck Library TV Channel.
“We are encouraging the public and especially residents of the Housing Project to attend our public meetings (the third Wednesdays of the month at 6p.m.) and express their concerns about how we can improve our critical work of providing housing for those who are in need.”
Sims, in her letter to Mayor Alharbi, said that “Meyer will not change his behavior, and if anything, will become more combative in retaliation for my speaking up.”
As for the reason Alharbi replaced Sims and Shulhan, he told The Review:
“My goal for Hamtramck’s boards and commissions is to ensure a consistent rotation of new voices and ideas. I believe that periodic change is healthy for any governing body, as it brings fresh eyes to long-standing challenges, and ensures that every decision is the result of independent, diverse perspectives.
“This transition is simply about opening the door for more residents to participate in our city’s future, and maintaining a dynamic, independent approach to our housing policy.”
Posted June 5, 2026