HAMTRAMCK – In this year’s municipal elections, Hamtramck is set to elect a Muslim mayor for the second time in its history, following the decision of incumbent Mayor Amer Ghalib not to seek re-election as he awaits confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait.

The race to succeed Ghalib, who is pending U.S. Senate confirmation, features four Muslim candidates, including Adam Alharbi, a Yemeni American and Ghalib’s endorsed candidate. He will compete in the August 5 primary against three candidates of Bangladeshi origin: Khandaker Showkat Hossain, Mister Bangladesh (who legally changed his first name) and City Councilman Muhith Mahmood, whose candidacy remains under review due to residency eligibility.

Only the top two candidates in the August primary will advance to the November 4 general election.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Alharbi — who served as campaign manager for Ghalib’s 2021 mayoral run — emerged as the sole Yemeni candidate after internal consultations within the Yemeni community, led by Ghalib himself. Ghalib made history in 2021 as the first Arab and Muslim elected mayor of Hamtramck, ending a century of Polish American political dominance in the city of 28,000 residents, most of whom are Muslim Yemenis and Bangladeshis.

Councilman Khalil Refai was expected to enter the mayoral race, but announced his withdrawal before the filing deadline.

“This decision came after thoughtful consideration, placing the city’s best interests above all else,” Refai said in a Facebook post. “The next phase requires unity and mutual support for a better future.”

Refai implicitly endorsed Alharbi.

“I wholeheartedly wish my esteemed colleague, Adam Alharbi, success in serving our city and community with integrity and strength.”

Crowded City Council race

In addition to the mayoral race, 12 candidates are competing for three open seats on the Hamtramck City Council in the August primary election. Among them is incumbent Abu Musa, who is seeking re-election, unlike Refai and Mahmood, who both opted out — Refai by withdrawing and Mahmood by running for mayor.

According to the city charter, Hamtramck’s City Council consists of six members, each elected for four years, alongside the mayor, who also serves a four-year term and chairs the Council.

Unlike cities such as Detroit or Dearborn, Hamtramck does not elect all its Council members at once.

Along with Musa—whose candidacy is also under review due to residency concerns — the list of candidates includes:

• Joseph Alan Strzalka

• Diane Elizabeth Frkan

• Rezaul Karim Chowdhury

• Nayeem Leon Chowdhury

• Motahar Abdo Fadhel

• Yousuf Saed

• Abdulmalik Yahya Kasem

• Luqman Mohamed Saleh

• Russ Gordon

• Mahfuzur Rahman

• Khalid Al-Qasimi

The top six vote-getters in the August primary will advance to the general election in November, when three of them will be elected to join incumbent Councilmen Mohammed Alsomiri, Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman, along with the city’s new mayor.

Residency challenges and legal uncertainty

Mahmood and Musa may be removed from the August ballot if found ineligible under Hamtramck’s residency requirement, which mandates that candidates must reside in the city for at least one full year.

A special investigator hired by the city claimed that Mahmood resides in Troy, while Musa lives in Warren. A tense special Council meeting was held on Friday, April 25 to address the issue, but no formal action was taken due to lack of quorum, and the session became a “study meeting” where residents and officials discussed the case without binding votes.

City Clerk Rana Faraj clarified that the investigation targeted all candidates running for public office, not just Mahmood and Musa.

The City Council is expected to vote on the matter in its next regular meeting on May 13. Both City Manager Max Garbarino and Mayor Ghalib have suggested that the Council may vote to allow Mahmood and Musa to remain on the ballot. However, any citizen or third party may still challenge that decision in Wayne County Court.