Investment deal not for Hamtramck, mayor says

Mayor Amer Ghalib and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick have been working on a multi-billion dollar foreign investment deal for the U.S. Photo: Facebook

By Charles Sercombe
Recently, Mayor Amer Ghalib posted on social media about his meeting with White House officials to arrange big-money foreign investments he helped orchestrate.
There was speculation that such foreign infusion of money and investments might include some dollars coming to Hamtramck.
No such luck.
Mayor Ghalib said he worked with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and others in arranging the investments, but he said Hamtramck is not part of the deal.
“There are no investments in Hamtramck included in the project I discussed with Secretary Lutnick,” Ghalib told The Review.
“It’s a big multi-billion dollar project in the petrochemical industry in different states, and I’m proud that it came through my connections and relationships.
“I informed the president about this project and he spoke to Secretary Lutnick to take care of this and to address any possible barriers, and he did. He provided all the support needed to move forward with this investment.”
That doesn’t mean Hamtramck is totally out of luck.
At the Aug. 26 city council meeting, Ghalib said there is the possibility of a financial package heading our way which would include money he asked for “a lot of resources” for the city.
“If it gets approved, we see some positive signs it’s going to solve some chronic issues for the city that we have been suffering the last decade.”
He said this would include funding for shoring up city finances, public safety and infrastructure.
If his request is OK’d, Ghalib said “I’ll consider this visit the most productive visit in the history of Hamtramck, and I would be happy to accomplish something for the community before I leave.”
Ghalib did not seek re-election this year, and instead, is hoping to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become ambassador to Kuwait.
President Trump nominated Ghalib to the ambassadorship for his support in the 2024 presidential election, and for Ghalib’s influence in bringing other Arab-Americans on board the Trump bandwagon.
Previously a backer of Democratic candidates, Ghalib threw his support behind Trump in the 2024 presidential election because Trump promised to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in one day.
That campaign boast was widely discredited, and the wars have only gotten worse since Trump has been president.
Ghalib is still unwavering in his support of Trump, despite the latter encouraging Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza, and his backing a plan to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza to neighboring countries.
Posted Sept. 26, 2025