Election is right around the corner

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck’s primary election is less than two weeks away.
On Aug. 5, voters here will be asked to whittle down the number of mayoral and city council candidates who will square off in the November General Election.
No matter what, Hamtramck is going to have a new mayor, as current Mayor Amer Ghalib is not seeking re-election in the hopes of taking on a new job as ambassador to Kuwait.
Ghalib was nominated by President Trump to the position in an apparent reward for Ghalib endorsing him in the presidential election, and for also galvanizing a number of other Arab and Muslim-Americans to ditch the Democratic Party and get on the Trump bandwagon.
Ghalib is awaiting a date for a confirmation hearing by the U.S. Senate.
The mayoral and council races are the only items on the ballot.
Voters in the Community Center and the Senior Plaza take special note: the number of precincts in each location has been reduced by one – meaning some voters will have brand new precincts to vote in.
The reduction is a cost-saving move, said City Clerk Rana Faraj.
Voters in those locations have been notified by mail by now, but if you are still unaware, there will be someone to help you.
“If you’re not aware, if you forgot your voter ID, somebody will be at the front door to scan your ID to let you know what precinct to enter,” Faraj said.
The following candidates are seeking the city’s top job of mayor:
• Adam Alharbi
• Khandaker Showkat Hossain
• Mister Bangladesh
• Muhith Mahmood
And, for city council, the ballot includes the following candidates:
• Joseph Strzalka
• Diane Frkan
• Rezaul Chowdhury
• Nayeem Choudhury
• Motahar Fadhel
• Yousuf Saed
• Abdumalik Kassim
• Abu Musa
• Luqman Saleh
• Russ Gordon
• Mahfuzur Rahman
• Khalid Al Qsaimi
In the mayoral race, the primary election will whittle down the candidates to the two top-vote getters, who will go on to battle it out in the November General Election.
In the council election in August, the top six finishers will advance to the General Election, where the final three candidates will be selected by voters.
Posted July 25, 2025