State rejects candidate for judge

Hamtramck 31st District Court Judge Alexis Krot

By Charles Sercombe
For a moment, the election for the Hamtramck 31st District Court judgeship looked like it might become interesting.
Hamtramck Judge Alexis Krot appeared to have a challenger in the upcoming election – a challenge she has never before faced. She has been in office for 10 years, having been first appointed to the bench by former Gov. Rick Snyder to fill a vacancy.
Recently, Warren attorney Michael Koroi filed to run for her seat.
But former city councilmember Andrea Karpinski submitted a list of a number of alleged deficiencies in Koroi’s nominating petitions, and state election officials agreed.
The state determined that Koroi’s application to run for office in Hamtramck showed he was one-day short of meeting the residency qualifications.
And, a close inspection of those nominating petitions showed a number of irregularities that ended with him far short of the minimum of 100 valid signatures of Hamtramck voters.
Koroi has a long history of regularly attending city council meetings and being involved in lawsuits filed against the city.
Reached by phone, Koroi said he is appealing the state’s decision. He insisted that he complied with election laws. As to why he decided to challenge Krot, he said she has a “problem record.”
Karpinski told The Review that she has a message to non-residents who move here just to run for office: “If you don’t live here, why do you think you have a say in anything?”
Those involved in Koroi’s campaign included Councilmember Mohammed Hassan, who circulated nominating petitions. Hassan is facing election fraud charges from 2023.
Koroi says he moved into Hamtramck in early April at 3369 Comstock, unit 2.
The Review went to the house in question on a Sunday afternoon and knocked on both the front and rear doors, but no one answered.
Those who signed Koroi’s nominating petition included Hamtramck elected officials, such as Mayor Adam Alharbi and Councilmembers Hassan, Muhtasin Sadman, and Abu Musa.
Mayor Alharbi said his signing of Koroi’s nominating petition does not mean he is necessarily endorsing him.
“I signed the petition as a simple courtesy while leaving city hall,” Alharbi said. “As of right now, I am remaining neutral in this judicial race, and my signature shouldn’t be interpreted as anything beyond a routine interaction.”
This election could have been a test for Krot, who back in 2022 was heavily criticized over her berating of a 72-year-old man with cancer for a code violation for not removing weeds around his garage.
At the time, a number of people called for her to resign, or be removed, from her position. About 30,000 people signed an online petition to have Krot removed from her position.
Krot issued an apology for her treatment of the elderly man, who she had threatened to put in jail. She also reported herself to the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission.
The Commission acknowledged that Krot violated judicial rules, but issued only a cautionary warning.
If Koroi remains off the ballot, Krot is assured another six-year term. However, there is still time for a write-in candidate to be included in the election, but their name won’t appear on ballots.
The deadline for write-in candidates is Oct. 23.
Posted May 22, 2026