Taxpayers once again tapped

Back in 2023 ,the mayor and then-city council enjoyed a trip to the White House for an iftar dinner at the taxpayers’ expense. Photo: Facebook

By Charles Sercombe
Recently, Mayor Amer Ghalib, along with other national Muslim community leaders, was invited to the White House by President Trump to celebrate Eid with an iftar dinner – which is the dinner that breaks the month-long daytime fast that Muslims observe during Ramadan.
Unlike in 2023, when President Biden hosted an iftar dinner, this time Ghalib said he paid his own way in order that “people don’t panic” at the cost.
And, also unlike 2023, the city council was not invited.
Although Ghalib was concerned about the cost to taxpayers for footing this year’s trip, back in 2023 there was no hesitation on the part of the mayor and city councilmembers to travel to the White House in celebration of Eid all on the taxpayers’ dime.
In 2023, Ghalib was joined by Councilmembers Muhith Mahmood, Abu Musa, Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Alsomiri and then-Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury on the trip to Washington D.C.
Back then, the cost for all of them to go came to nearly $10,000, which included air travel, transportation, lodging and meals, according to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Review for the financial records.
There was no charge too small to charge to the city
Two coffees and two butter croissants? That’ll be $22.
Three chicken sandwiches, and a couple of Cokes, $76.73, with a $13.81 tip, that’ll be $90 and 54 cents.
Eight Uber trips for Councilmember Mahmood, $229.84.
Back then, there was no animosity between the mayor and council and President Biden. That relationship broke down in 2024 because of Israel’s attack on Gaza, and Biden’s support of providing military aid to Israel. The military aid has been at the center of a decades-long agreement between the U.S. and Israel.
The mayor and council are all-male, and all-Muslim. They accused Biden of supporting genocide because of the mounting death toll of Palestinians in Gaza, which is now estimated to be over 60,000 and still counting.
President Trump campaigned as the “peace president,” and promised to end the war in Gaza and in Ukraine on “Day One.”
Both wars are ongoing, but although Trump has stopped financial aid to Ukraine, he continues to financially support Israel and provide military supplies.
Unlike in 2024, when the mayor and council, and many other Arab-Americans in the metro area, protested against Biden for his support of Israel and led protest rallies, there has been no outcry over Trump’s continued support of Israel.
As it turned out, Mayor Ghalib threw his support to Trump in his run for president, and is also credited for galvanizing many Arab-Americans to also vote for Trump.
As an apparent reward for his support of Trump, Ghalib has been nominated to be the ambassador to Kuwait, and is waiting for confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
(U.S. ambassadors receive a yearly salary ranging from $124,000 to $187,000, plus free lodging, meals and other expenses.)
In 2023, there were high hopes that the council could get something out of meeting with Biden and his administration.
“Maybe we can bring money for the City of Hamtramck,” said Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury at the time. “I’ve been in the city for 20 years and things need to be fixed, but it wasn’t due to financial crises or what not.”
What Choudhury may not have realized at the time was that Hamtramck had already received millions of dollars in infrastructure repair grants through Biden’s “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” which earmarked $62 billion for rebuilding roads, bridges and for other projects throughout the nation.
The mayor and council did not get to meet personally with President Biden, but he spoke to those attending, about 200 Muslim-American leaders.
Mayor Ghalib summed up the trip then as “a good experience. We walked around and inside the White House, attended the president’s speech, and ate after that.”
Ghalib added: “He (Biden) just spoke and, on his way out of the room, he shook hands with people standing in the front, and walked out. He had no bilateral meetings with anyone due to too many people in the room.”
It was a rare opportunity for city officials to meet other officials from different states and “network,” Ghalib added.
Councilmember Mahmood said, back then, that “It was a great experience with different leaders from all over the country.”
Councilmember Musa said, “We had an excellent trip. We met a lot of people.”
Musa also got a bonus by being able to pose for a photo with Vice President Kamala Harris.
A year later, the relationship between the Biden administration and city leaders changed drastically. Ghalib, Musa and new councilmembers Khalil Refai and Muhtasin Sadman turned their back on Biden and supported Trump for president.
Ghalib said, in 2024, that even if he had been invited by Biden for another visit, he would not have gone.
“I have expressed before that I won’t be attending any meeting with Biden or any of his administration at this time, so they know not to invite me,” Ghalib told The Review in 2024.
That 2023 trip wasn’t the only time that city officials traveled to Washington D.C. thanks to taxpayers.
While the 2023 trip could be justified as a special invitation for a White House event and not a political event, in January of this year, the mayor and Councilmembers Sadman, Musa and Refai went to an inauguration celebration for Trump in Washington.
That trip cost Hamtramck taxpayers over $7,000, according to city financial records obtained by The Review through a Freedom of Information Act request.
(The Detroit News had reported that the trip’s cost was closer to $9,000.)
In recent weeks, it has come to light that Musa and Mahmood may have not be residents of Hamtramck.
A private investigator, hired by the city to perform background checks on candidates filing for the August Primary Election, has alleged that neither Musa nor Mahmood live in the city.
It’s now up to the council to decide whether they should be disqualified to be on the primary election ballot. Mahmood is running for mayor, and Musa is seeking another term on council.
Both have vehemently denied not being residents, and have threatened legal action if they are kicked off the ballot or the current city council.
The council’s decision is scheduled to be handed down at the city council meeting on May 13.
Posted May 9, 2025