Mahmood on becoming mayor: ‘Let’s work together’

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck’s new mayor, Muhith Mahmood, is calling for a healing of the city after a legal wrangling over whether he is truly a resident here.
Last Friday, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen M. McCarthy ruled in favor of Muhith Mahmood, calling evidence produced in court to prove he’s a non-resident “scant, at best.”
The residency challenge was made by Adam Alharbi, who is now no longer mayor of the city.
Mahmood told The Review that he hopes the community can move forward to “make the city livable for all of us. … Justice has been served, and we need to drive in a good direction. Let’s work together.”
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge McCarthy also called for a community healing.
“For the sake of its residents, the fighting needs to stop so that Hamtramck can heal and move forward,” McCarthy said, in her ruling on the residency issue
Mahmood now becomes the first Bangladeshi-American to hold the office of mayor.
News of the court’s ruling on Friday traveled fast in social media. However, the reaction, so far, is mostly one of frustration over the city’s ongoing political turmoil.
“So much money and time wasted on these clowns,” said Carol Raczkowski.
On Wednesday, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers certified Mahmood’s win, and rejected Alharbi’s request for a total ballot recount.
This entire saga — as many by now are familiar with — started with the discovery of 37 uncounted ballots from last year’s November election.
Long story made short: the ballots were finally included in the election tally, and it turns out Mahmood won the election after all, which means that Alharbi is now no longer the mayor.
Mahmood beat Alharbi by 12 votes.
In the meantime, taxpayers are on the hook to cover Alharbi’s legal fees in the dispute with Mahmood, thanks to a bare majority of city councilmembers who agreed for the city to pay those bills.
So far, that amount billed to the taxpayers has exceeded $200,000, according to invoices The Review received through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Mahmood has said he will not ask for the city to pay his legal fees.
Now that the matter has been settled and Alharbi is no longer the mayor, former city councilmember Phillip Kwik wondered, on social media, how much longer the city will be on the hook for Alharbi’s legal bills.
“This should mean that we don’t have to pay for Alharbi’s lawsuit anymore, right? When do I get my rebate check on my taxes?” Kwik wondered.
Posted Nov. 6, 2026