City Hall insider … 6/9/26

By Charles Sercombe
The city council met on June 9, and all councilmembers were in attendance. The meeting ran for five hours. This is part one of the meeting.
Councilmember Mohammed Hassan moved to delete from the council agenda a resolution to remove him as mayor pro tem, a position that means Hassan chairs council meetings in Mayor Adam Alharbi’s absence.
All but Councilmember Nayeem Choudhury voted to remove the item from the agenda.
In another agenda deletion, the council unanimously agreed to remove a proposal for the city to seek bids for its legal services. Mayor Alharbi protested the deletion, saying he was seeking to save the city money on legal services.
He stressed that he is trying to avoid deficit spending in the budget. But he conceded: “It’s not only legal fees. It’s also the police.”
He did not elaborate on that statement.
City Attorney Odey Meroueh said the city is spending money on legal services because of the “extreme legal complications of the actions of a few.”
For example, he said, the council hired a private legal firm, Miller Johnson, to conduct an investigation into a former police chief, city manager and police investigator that cost about $700,000.
As it turned out, the investigators “were wrong for the most part, or things… were not cleared.”
Meroueh also pointed out the city spent money on defending its ban on displaying pride flags on public property, and to finally end a decades-long housing discrimination lawsuit.
For the next 40 minutes, councilmembers argued among themselves, and with Mayor Alharbi, on whether an item could be added late to the council agenda.
Councilmember Mohammed Hassan insisted he has the right to add an item. In this case, it was a resolution to fire City Manager Adel Al-Adlani.
Mayor Alharbi insisted that, by adding an item to the agenda this late “you would be violating the (city) charter.”
Hassan noted that the council has added items to the agenda at the last minute for years, and that he has done so for the past 16 years he has served on council.
City Attorney Meroueh said that adding items to the agenda is not a violation of the city charter as long as adding the item is supported by at least two-thirds of the council. To the mayor, Meroueh said: “I’m sorry, but this is the law.”
Mayor Alharbi insisted that Meroueh is “wrong.” He accused Meroueh of “misguiding” the council, but he did not offer specifics to back up his claim.
Councilmember Hassan repeatedly called for an immediate vote. During this discussion there was a lot of cross-talk between members, sometimes erupting into shouting.
Hassan, at one point, shouted: “I am the council president.”
Alharbi replied: “I am the chair.”
Alharbi then threatened to remove Hassan from the meeting. Hassan then threatened to have the mayor removed from the meeting.
“I am going to have to kick people out if they disturb the agenda,” the mayor said.
Alharbi insisted that only he and the city manager can set what goes on the council agenda, according to the city charter.
“That’s how it is,” Alharbi said.
Alharbi then tried to call for a recess in the meeting to restore order. The council objected, but the live stream of the meeting ended. City Clerk Sami Elhady said he ended the broadcast, and later in the meeting said he could not reconnect to the internet in order to continue broadcasting.
City Attorney Meroueh told Elhady to resume broadcasting “before we’re in violation of the Open Meetings Act.”
Meroueh said the mayor can’t call for a recess because he is “causing a disturbance.”
Police Chief Hussein Farhat attempted to restore order to the meeting by cautioning the council to “be an example for the public.”
Meroueh advised councilmembers to remain seated, and not take a break.
Councilmember Choudhury admonished fellow councilmembers, saying, “We’re the only Muslim government in this nation, and we are representing like this. This is a shame.”
Mayor Alharbi said he has the right to adjourn the meeting because the situation had turned into an “emergency.’’
He apologized to the public for the behavior of some councilmembers.
“This is what we have to deal with here in Hamtramck,” Alharbi said. “Unfortunately, a lot of them (councilmembers) don’t know the charter. They don’t know the rules. They just go by their own ego, by what they feel is good or right.”
After all that discussion, Alharbi allowed the council to add on the resolution to fire the city manager.
Hassan then moved to add another item onto the agenda, and that was to censure Councilmember Choudhury.
Choudhury objected, saying that to his knowledge “I’ve haven’t done any violation. But they can add it to the new business at their discretion. … But it is coming from a personal agenda. It’s not the city’s business.”
The motion to add the item to the agenda was approved, with Choudhury being the sole vote in objection.
During public comment, the owner of Café 1923 on Holbrook complained about the bar, Kelly’s, across the street from his business. He said the kitchen exhaust system of the bar vents cooking odors into his business, and into his house, as well as into those homes of neighbors behind the bar.
He said he has tried to work with the owner, but the owner started to yell profanities at him and told him he would redirect the vent “over my dead body.”
In another matter, a resident said he has looked at the city’s financial statistics and said the city is failing financially.
Another resident said that the source of disruptions on council is Councilmember Hassan, who “has taken the city hostage, and has begun exercising (a) dictatorial style of leadership over those around him. … He has hijacked the city.”
He said the only thing left to do is rename the city as “the Republic of Mohammed Hassan. … There is no place here for domination control or no man rule. No kings.”
Another resident complained about fireworks in his neighborhood, and asked the council to ban the use of fireworks after 10 p.m.
Shaker Sadeak complained that his Conant building, the former Kabob House, is now facing tax foreclosure auction. He said the city unfairly tacked on charges for water service despite the water being turned off at the building.
He also said his family has been blackmailed by Councilmembers Muhtasin Sadman and Abu Musa “so they can get votes.” He did not explain his accusation.
In the matter of firing the city manager, Councilmember Mohammed Alsomiri made a motion to give the city manager one month’s severance pay.
The proposal failed, and all but Councilmember Choudhury and Councilmember Alsomiri voted to fire the city manager.
Choudhury said the firing is “unethical” and a humiliation to Al-Adlani.
Addressing Councilmember Hassan, he said: “You are not being transparent and honest to the people. … You are a disgrace.”
Choudhury accused Hassan of firing the city manager because he would not do “unethical” favors for him. He did not elaborate on his accusation.
Choudhury also said that, if he were in the city manager’s position, he would “walk out of here and given the middle finger. This is humiliation – a defamation.”
(Be sure to come back for part two of this meeting.)
Posted July 31, 2026