Disqualified candidates should face perjury charges

Kudos to the city for conducting aggressive background checks on candidates filing to run in the primary election.
The city hired a private investigator to determine if would-be candidates owe money to the city, or other government agencies, as well as whether they actually live in the city.
If a candidate owes money to any government agency, or if they lie about their residency, they are automatically disqualified to run – and could even face felony perjury charges.
The question of residency has dogged elected officials here for years now, and finally, the city is saying “enough.”
For some reason, there are people out there in the suburbs and Detroit who view Hamtramck as a political playground.
While we applaud the city taking this aggressive step to guard against fraud, there’s another step that also needs to be taken. And that is prosecuting those who lie to become a candidate for perjury.
Although the city is cracking down, we doubt the lesson is making an impression on others.
It takes prosecutions and convictions to put a stop to this nonsense, and to allow serious folks who want to actually serve their community to step up.
So far, the city has refused to seek perjury charges.
At this point, we can’t help but think that some folks, who might serve with real integrity, want no part of the clown show some of these candidates and elected officials have made here politically.
The city’s projected revenue stream is not looking good over the next several years, and it’s likely the days of multi-million government grants are over, at least in the short term.
Thanks to the grants received over the last four years, Hamtramck has made tremendous progress in repaving streets, replacing outdated water and sewer lines, and making a number of other improvements.
This is no time for outsiders to attempt to hold public office just to try to log notches on their political resumes.
Posted April 25, 2025