Let’s not repeat the past mistakes … Opinion

Mayor Amer Ghalib has raised the question of whether the city charter should undergo a fundamental change.
That change is to revert back to a strong mayoral government with no city manager.
Why he has raised this issue is mysterious to us, and it has led some to believe his motive is to become a mayor in full control of the city.
That change in the city charter – no matter who is mayor – would be a disaster. The city was strapped with this form of government for decades after it became incorporated in 1922.
Hamtramck’s financial picture during those decades was ever-increasingly on the edge of disaster, due to political brinkmanship.
Finally, in the 1990s, the city’s functioning came to a complete halt when the then-mayor and the city council hit a stalemate on passing a yearly budget.
That forced the state to step in and appoint an emergency financial manager to take over. The emergency manager wasted no time in suspending the duties of both the mayor and the council.
Out of that era, a new and modern city charter was adopted by voters, and, since 2005, the city’s divisive politics and dysfunction have largely disappeared, although there have been those special moments.
People are still going to behave like people do in political situations.
Yes, we still had financial difficulties – largely due to financial obligations such as the pensions that were legally locked in for city employee unions and retirees.
And yes, even with the charter revision, the city once again came under state control for a period.
We’re still struggling to overcome those locked-in financial burdens. But, thanks to an infusion of federal grant monies under the Biden administration, the city was able to invest in rebuilding its infrastructure, and also to support salaries.
Those days are over. The federal financial pipeline has been closed off, and we are once again facing deficit spending. This is no time for an untrained elected official to take charge of the city.
The last thing Hamtramck needs is to go backwards to a system that once led to political gridlock.
Hamtramck’s current form of government is far from perfect, but its main issues are due to old legacy costs that have long strangled the city, financially-speaking.
Posted March 7, 2025