5 days ago
Hamtramck, Dearborn Heights voters select new faces to run for mayor in November election
With the mayors of Hamtramck and Dearborn Heights stepping down, new names have been announced in Tuesday's August primary election.
According to unofficial results, Adam Alharbi and City Councilman Muhith Mahmood are the winners in Hamtramck's mayoral primary race, with all five precincts reporting. Meanwhile, City Council Chairman Mo Baydoun and Denise Malinowski Maxwell were the projected winners in Dearborn Heights, with all 15 precincts reporting.
The winners of the November general election will succeed Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, who were picked by President Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait and Tunisia, respectively.
Ghalib, who was born in Yemen, was elected in 2021, becoming the first Arab American and Muslim mayor of Hamtramck. At the same time, the city swore in its first all-Muslim city council since its incorporation. Bazzi has been in office since 2021.
Mahmood and Councilmember Abu Musa were recently at the center of controversy after their residences were called into question at a city council meeting earlier this year. A private investigator revealed at the April 25 meeting that Muhith Mahmood lives in Troy, and Abu Musa lives in Warren, using public records, surveillance, and GPS tracking as evidence.
Both Mahmood and Musa argued that while they do have second homes in those communities, they live in Hamtramck. Despite the claims, the council voted against removing either member from the board.
In June, Mahmood was named in a lawsuit filed by City Manager Max Garbarino and Hamtramck Special Investigator David Adamczyk. The lawsuit alleged corruption and violation of the Michigan Whistleblower Protection Act and Open Meetings Act. Other council members, as well as Ghalib and Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri, were named in the lawsuit.
