Here’s to looking to a new year ahead

For those who have read our Year in Review during the past two weeks, you might have noticed something.
Hamtramck packs in a lot of news and events for such a small town.
And that is a large part of the city’s charm: we may be small geographically, but our people are constantly on the move and making things happen.
Yes, Hamtramck has its challenges, as any small town does, but we largely meet the challenges head-on.
It’s this resilience of its residents and city officials that makes Hamtramck such an energetic and exciting place to live.
There will be plenty of challenges ahead for the city in the coming year – particularly, financially. The loss of $1.4 million a year in payouts from the closure of the county jail will test the resolve of city officials in the coming months.
Hamtramck can’t say it wasn’t warned about the impending end to this revenue stream. Overcoming this loss, however, will be a huge hurdle for city officials.
On the plus side, the decades-long housing discrimination lawsuit is now once and for all behind us. That shameful part of the city’s history came to its official close this past year.
Also on the plus side, the city’s economic development efforts continue to fuel growth in the city. It’s particularly encouraging to see the city continue to sell off its stock of empty lots to housing developers.
New housing means more people coming here to live. Hamtramck has been on a rebound for several years, thanks to the hard work of many current and former city officials.
We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous new year.
Posted Jan. 10, 2025