Mayor had green light to open business

As it turned there was nothing stopping Mayor Adam Alharbi from opening his business on Jos. Campau and Jacob despite a false accusation that he did not have proper permits to operate.

By Charles Sercombe
It turns out the outcry over Mayor Adam Alharbi opening his business, Bab Alyemen Shopping Center, at Jos. Campau and Jacob, was all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
(Our apologies to William Shakespeare.)
When the store held a soft opening two weeks ago, critics slammed the mayor for operating a business without a certificate of occupancy.
The problem, it was revealed, was over miscommunication between the city’s building department and Alharbi.
So, in other words, the mayor’s business was and is legal.
Mayor Alharbi downplayed any controversy caused by the opening of his business.
“We are really proud to have the Bab Alyemen Shopping Center open and serving the community,” Alharbi told The Review.
“The city has been helpful throughout the process, and we’ve worked closely with all the departments to ensure everything was handled the right way for our grand opening.
“Our focus now is strictly on providing a great experience for our customers, and bringing more people to visit Hamtramck. We’re glad to be part of the city’s growth, and look forward to a successful future here.”
Alharbi’s business offers a variety of goods, such as clothing, shoes and toys, among several other items.
Although this business is legal, over the years Alharbi has received multiple code violations for various properties, some of which resulted in tickets, and others in warnings.
According to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Review, the violations ranged from grass being too high, issues with dumpsters, alley weeds, issues with trash, litter, not clearing snow and ice, not registering vacant property and so on.
Alharbi ran a campaign promising transparency. He has also urged city officials to cut the red tape in allowing businesses to operate, and generally be more business-friendly.
While it turned out that Alharbi had the green light to open his business, the issue has apparently opened a rift with the fire department, and particularly with Fire Marshal Michael Young.
According to a Freedom of Information Act request obtained by The Review, Young took issue with the mayor’s handling of the matter, and filed a complaint with the city’s Human Resources Department.
In a letter to the department, Young said Alharbi’s conduct “raises serious concerns about interference with my official duties, the integrity of fire code enforcement and the potential for retaliation.”
Young said that Alharbi threatened him with removal and, even, with being fired.
The fire marshal also took issue with City Manager Adel Al-Adlani’s handling of the matter, saying the city manager told him “We need to be flexible on the process to a reasonable level.”
That included, Young said, Al-Adlani telling him that “some required steps may be avoided.”
“Although that wasn’t presented as a direct order,” Young said in his letter to the Human Resources Director, Mashana Burton, “it raised concerns that I may be expected to deviate from established fire code requirements.”
Young said that the matter also raises the issue of creating a “hostile work environment.”
City Manager Al-Adlani denied he made any threats about Young’s employment, saying his conversation with him “was a brief, informal hallway exchange and marked the first time the fire marshal and I had ever met.”
Al-Adlani continued:
“I never directed the fire marshal, or anyone else, to ignore fire code requirements. Instead, I noted that reducing downtown vacancy is one of my priorities and emphasized that the city should serve as a constructive partner to businesses working to come into compliance with our codes.
“Helping a business understand and meet code is not the same as relaxing code, and I would never ask a department head to do the latter.”
Posted May 15, 2026