The city of Hamtramck has begun the process of searching for a new city clerk after firing former clerk Rana Faraj for what officials described as a “failure to maintain professionalism, integrity and neutrality” in her role overseeing the city’s election process.

The decision came after investigators discovered a boxing bag inside her office bearing the image of one of the candidates in last November’s mayoral election.

Faraj had already been placed on paid administrative leave on November 10, amid suspicions of election interference after 37 absentee ballots were found in her office two days after the polls had closed.

Those ballots — which were never counted — triggered an ongoing legal dispute over the outcome of the mayoral race, which Mayor Adam Alharbi won by just 11 votes over challenger Muhith Mahmood.

Boxing bag discovery prompts termination

The Hamtramck Review reported that Faraj kept a boxing bag in the clerk’s office displaying the image of Mahmood, a discovery city officials deemed inappropriate and a blatant violation of professional workplace conduct.

Officials concluded that the item demonstrated bias incompatible with the clerk’s legal obligation to remain neutral in administering elections.

The discovery occurred during an internal investigation conducted by the Miller Johnson law firm, which the city hired to examine allegations surrounding the November election.

According to a termination letter issued on February 5 by former City Manager Alex LaGrou, investigators concluded that Faraj had not performed her duties “in a professional, impartial and trustworthy manner.”

The letter, obtained by the Hamtramck Review through a Freedom of Information Act request, stated that failure to remove the boxing bag or discipline the employee who affixed the photograph demonstrated a neglect of duties and raised concerns about Faraj’s judgment and management ability.

The investigation — which included interviews with Faraj and others involved in the election process — did not determine how the boxing bag ended up in the office or why it featured Mahmood’s image.

City begins search for new clerk

Following Faraj’s dismissal, the city announced a vacancy for the city clerk position, with an annual salary of $90,000.

Applications for the job are now being accepted through the city’s official website at hamtramckcity.gov.

The clerk serves as the chief election administrator for the city and oversees voter registration, ballot handling and election procedures.

Lawsuit against the city continues

Faraj’s dismissal comes amid a $5 million lawsuit she filed against the city in early December. In the lawsuit, Faraj claims her suspension was retaliatory, arguing she was punished for exposing alleged election irregularities and fraud in previous local elections.

Despite the pending lawsuit, insurance attorneys advised Hamtramck officials that they could proceed with terminating Faraj without waiting for the court case to be resolved.

Faraj’s dismissal follows the discovery of a boxing bag inside the clerk’s office with a mayoral candidate’s image

Mayor Alharbi confirmed to the Detroit News that Faraj’s employment had been in a legally suspended status because of the litigation.

He said the termination was justified after investigators discovered the boxing bags with images of political candidates inside the clerk’s office.

According to Alharbi, the discovery represented a clear violation of the nonpartisan neutrality required by law.

Council member cites misconduct

Hamtramck City Council member Nayeem Choudhury also defended the decision.

Choudhury told the Detroit News Faraj was terminated for misconduct, inappropriate behavior, interference in the election and lack of understanding.

He added that public office is not absolute power and must be respected and exercised with care and integrity.

Faraj’s attorney calls termination retaliation

Faraj’s attorney, John Marko, strongly disputed the city’s actions.

In an email statement, Marko described the firing as another example of retaliation by Hamtramck’s city leadership.

He said the Hamtramck City Council and administration had crossed every line and that he plans to continue pursuing the lawsuit in order to achieve justice for Faraj and the residents of Hamtramck.

Faraj maintains she was targeted after submitting a formal complaint in March 2025 to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reporting alleged election fraud, intimidation of election workers and illegal interference in the administration of local elections.

In her complaint, Faraj said she had submitted numerous reports and evidence of absentee ballot fraud during the 2023 Hamtramck City Council election.

That complaint ultimately led to criminal investigations and charges against two City Council members: Muhtasin Sadman and Mohammed Hassan.

Sadman pleaded guilty in February to a reduced misdemeanor charge of loitering in an unlawful environment after a felony charge of submitting false information on an absentee ballot application was dismissed.

Hassan is still awaiting trial on felony charges that include forging a signature on an absentee ballot application.

Mahmood’s legal challenge continues

Meanwhile, Mahmood hopes the allegations surrounding the clerk’s conduct may strengthen his case in court.

Mahmood seeks to have the 37 disputed absentee ballots counted, arguing they could overturn the result of the mayoral race given the narrow 11-vote margin between him and Alharbi.

His attorney, Mark Brewer, former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said he is awaiting a decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals regarding the fate of the ballots.

Mahmood has filed a lawsuit against Alharbi, the city of Hamtramck and the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, claiming that 37 voters were unlawfully disenfranchised.

He argues that Michigan election law states ballots should not be rejected due to mistakes made by an election official.

However, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers rejected Mahmood’s request to count the ballots, citing concerns that they had been left unsupervised and could have been tampered with.

According to Faraj, five individuals who were not election workers entered the clerk’s office between November 5 and November 6, 2025 — after the election but before the ballots were discovered.

Because the ballots had been left outside proper chain-of-custody procedures, she said they had to be excluded.

Faraj never explained how the ballots appeared in the office, saying only that they were unexpectedly discovered by one of her staff members.

Mahmood challenged the decision in Wayne County Circuit Court, which upheld the canvassing board’s ruling to exclude the ballots.

He then appealed the case to the Michigan Supreme Court, seeking to block Alharbi’s inauguration earlier this year.

The state’s high court quickly returned the case to the Michigan Court of Appeals, ruling that the matter was not urgent since a mayor could still be removed after taking office if the election results were overturned.

The appeals court has not yet issued a ruling.

In the meantime, Alharbi continues serving as mayor of Hamtramck.

Additional lawsuits facing the city

The controversy comes as Hamtramck — a city of about 28,000 residents located in the heart of the Detroit area — is facing several other legal disputes involving former officials.

Among them is a lawsuit filed by former City Manager Max Garbarino, who was removed from his position by the City Council last summer.

The council appointed Dr. Adel AlAdlani as the new city manager in February.