On the campaign trail … The quirks of language and interviews with two mayoral candidates

Mayoral candidate Adam Alharbi was recently interviewed on “Made in Banglatown” podcast, Naji Chowdhury.

By Charles Sercombe
Election day is just around the corner.
This coming Tuesday, Nov. 4, voters will be heading to the polls to cast their ballots — although, apparently, many voters have already stepped up and submitted absentee ballots.
On Monday, City Clerk Rana Faraj said 3,822 absentee ballots had been mailed out, of which 1,231 have been returned.
For those who prefer voting in person, the polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m., and close at 8 p.m.
In the mayor’s race, there are two candidates on the ballot, Muhith Mahmood, who is finishing up his first term on city council, and newcomer Adam Alharbi, who is being endorsed by out-going Mayor Amer Ghalib.
Ghalib did not seek re-election, in anticipation of being confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be ambassador to Kuwait – a confirmation that now looks doubtful.
There is also a registered write-in candidate running for mayor, and that’s Lynn Blasey, who was unsuccessful to win a seat on council in two other previous elections.
In the city council election, the top three vote-getters will also begin new four-year terms this January.
There are two registered write-in candidates seeking seats on council: Joe Strzalka and Diane Elizabeth Frkan.
Write-in candidate Veronica Smith dropped out of the race this week.
Those on the ballot include: Current Councilmember Abu Musa, former Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury, and newcomers Yousuf Saed, Motahar Fadhel, Abdulmalik Kassim, and Luqman Saleh.
So far, commentators on social media have been opining on the candidates, and sometimes the language used can be, well, amusing.
Which is understandable, considering that many in the community do not speak English as their native language.
One common term we hear from supporters of this or that candidate is that they are described as a “virtuous sanitizer.”
What exactly do they “sanitize”? Who knows, but apparently they do it virtuously.
Another comment was from Hasan Ranaul who advised against supporting one unnamed Bangladesh candidate, describing him as a “Bangladeshi thief.”
Ranaul continued: “Keep your promises as an American citizen.”
The language barrier seemed to be working against Aba Fras Alduais, who has a curious way of endorsing four unnamed candidates running for council, saying:
“We always hear and see that inside the packet of (playing) cards is one to two jokers, but this time, in the city of Hamtramck, I discovered that there are four advanced jokers, and with all the power to gain the confidence of the people of the city in running for the position of a member of the city’s municipal council.”
He went on to say that the four candidates “are all shining stars in the city sky, and they all deserve victory for what they have of competence and credibility, and I wish they all win, but unfortunately, the vacant seats are only three seats, so we wish the three winners good luck, success. …”
Well, sometimes you have to accept an endorsement when you can get one, even if you are dubbed a “joker.”
One person asked, as others have, whether they have to spell the names of a write-in candidate correctly.
According to City Clerk Faraj, as long as the “intent” of the voter is clear, close is good enough.
In fact, you can even play it safe, she said, and just write in the first name of the write-in candidate.
In other election news, it was mayoral candidate Adam Alharbi’s and write-in candidate Lynn Blasey’s turns to be featured in the online podcast “Made in Banglatown,” with host Naji Chowdhury.
And, as with the previous interview with Muhith Mahmood, both had almost hour-long chats that covered a range of topics.
Here are some of the highlights from Alharbi’s interview:
Are you a member of a political party?
“I have never participated in those parties,” Alharbi said. “That just creates division within our city. I’m trying to stay away from parties because our cities, our roads, our potholes don’t know red or blue. They just want somebody who’s going to be committed to the city.”
On Mayor Ghalib endorsing President Trump during last year’s presidential election:
Alharbi said Ghalib was concerned about the ongoing war in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians were killed by Israel’s military.
(The war started after Hamas militants raided a part of Israel and killed over 1,200 Israelis and took 251 others as hostages, some of whom perished. There was frustration about then-President Biden’s ongoing support of Israel in its retaliatory assault on Gaza.)
Alharbi went to say that Mayor Ghalib also felt “he was pushed against the wall by the Democrats because of the pride flag and all that. He wanted to go to the other side.”
Was Ghalib’s decision to side with the Republican Party a good decision?
“I’m not sure,” said Alharbi. “We’ll see if the war in Gaza ends and if we get funding like the Trump administration is saying, something like $150 million. If that happens, then he made the right decision. …”
On attracting new businesses:
“My goal as mayor is to get brand name businesses because we want to attract people to come to Hamtramck and shop,” Alharbi said.
He also wants to “improve” the area that borders Hamtramck and Detroit known as “Banglatown.”
“Now it’s just a name,” Alharbi said. “We want to make it feel like Bangladesh, maybe have green street light poles. … Same thing if we do Yementown. People, instead of going to Dearborn, come to Hamtramck. Also, we maybe want to have Worldtown – from Caniff to Carpenter on Jos. Campau. Hamtramck is the world in two-square miles.”
Why should voters vote for you?
“Because Hamtramck needs a leadership that can move the city forward,” he said. “That’s why my slogan for my campaign is: ‘Hamtramck forward.’
“We want to go past divisions. We want to be united. That’s why I need folks from all backgrounds. … I’m not running as a Yemeni candidate or Muslim. I’m running as a Hamtramckan.”
How would you unite all of the city’s ethnic groups?
“Some of it is really not just a division. It’s a matter of the language barrier,” Alharbi said. “The goal of a mayor is to unite the community. …”
Are you a qualified candidate since you didn’t first serve on city council?
“Having experience means nothing,” he said. “I have the same experience as anybody. I’ve attended the (council) meetings, and that’s all they (councilmembers) are doing.
“Have you seen my opponent present something in the council that’s any new idea, or a resolution that does anything for the city?
“No.”

Mayoral write-in candidate Lynn Blasey was also interviewed by the host of “Made in Banglatown.”

Next up was Lynn Blasey, who is a member of the city’s Arts and Culture Commission. Once again, here are some highlights from her interview.
Why did you not run for city council again?
“I knew there was a lot of campaign fraud happening,” Blasey said. “I know it wasn’t a fair system. You could raise a ton of money and run a really awesome campaign …”
But the system is rigged?
“That’s why I chose not to run as a city council candidate,” she said.
So why seek the job as mayor?
“Different residents from different parts of the Hamtramck community started reaching to me in September,” Blasey said. “There was a large demographic of people that were so fed up with the whole thing. They didn’t trust anybody that made it through the primary.
“They were going to sit this election out.”
So why run as a write-in candidate?
“To keep people engaged,” Blasey said.
What can be done about high property taxes?
Blasey said the city has little “leverage” when it comes to setting tax rates, but that anyone purchasing a house needs to know their taxes are likely to increase, by state law.
And, that building additions to your house also increases the taxable value.
“If you’re going to build a ‘big, beautiful’ house, then that does come with a ‘big, beautiful’ tax bill – maybe not so beautiful!” she said.
While people complain about property taxes, Blasey said, “If we’re going to improve city services, if we’re going to have a functioning government, we need to rely on taxes to do those things.”
What is the role of mayor in Hamtramck?
“The role is really limited,” Blasey said. “We have a weak mayor system. That means the city manager runs the day-to-day business of the city. … The mayor has influences on the direction the city moves in more of an indirect way.
“The mayor can create initiatives, or convince city council a certain direction that might be appealing to go to.”
How will you represent all of the city’s ethnicities?
“I have a long history of doing that in Hamtramck,” she said.
Blasey said that, back before the covid pandemic, she was working with others to establish a Yementown. The project, she said, would have been to “unify the Yemeni community, south of Holbrook.”
She said the project was similar to the establishment of Banglatown. But when covid struck, that “dissolved those efforts.”
Blasey also said that she worked with the Arts and Culture Commission to establish a Juneteenth celebration every year in Sarah Garrett Park.
Why do you think Hamtramck needs you now as a leader?
“We have a lot of good things to share about Hamtramck,” Blasey said. “The current and recent administrations have not taken the initiative to tell our story. Fortunately, we’ve been playing catch-up.
“Right now, all people know of Hamtramck are the scandals. There are a lot of missed opportunities for us to celebrate what makes Hamtramck special. So we need a mayor who is forward-thinking.”
You can see the entire interviews on Youtube.
Posted Oct. 31, 2025