State rejects candidate for judge
By Charles Sercombe
For a moment, the election for the Hamtramck 31st District Court judgeship looked like it might become interesting.
Hamtramck Judge Alexis Krot appeared to have a challenger in the upcoming election – a challenge she has never before faced. She has been in office for 10 years, having been first appointed to the bench by former Gov. Rick Snyder to fill a vacancy.
Recently, Warren attorney Michael Koroi filed to run for her seat.
But former city councilmember Andrea Karpinski submitted a list of a number of alleged deficiencies in Koroi’s nominating petitions, and state election officials agreed.
The state determined that Koroi’s application to run for office in Hamtramck showed he was one-day short of meeting the residency qualifications.
And, a close inspection of those nominating petitions showed a number of irregularities that ended with him far short of the minimum of 100 valid signatures of Hamtramck voters.
Koroi has a long history of regularly attending city council meetings and being involved in lawsuits filed against the city.
Reached by phone, Koroi said he is appealing the state’s decision. He insisted that he complied with election laws. As to why he decided to challenge Krot, he said she has a “problem record.”
Karpinski told The Review that she has a message to non-residents who move here just to run for office: “If you don’t live here, why do you think you have a say in anything?”
Those involved in Koroi’s campaign included Councilmember Mohammed Hassan, who circulated nominating petitions. Hassan is facing election fraud charges from 2023.
Koroi says he moved into Hamtramck in early April at 3369 Comstock, unit 2.
The Review went to the house in question on a Sunday afternoon and knocked on both the front and rear doors, but no one answered.
Those who signed Koroi’s nominating petition included Hamtramck elected officials, such as Mayor Adam Alharbi and Councilmembers Hassan, Muhtasin Sadman, and Abu Musa.
Mayor Alharbi said his signing of Koroi’s nominating petition does not mean he is necessarily endorsing him.
“I signed the petition as a simple courtesy while leaving city hall,” Alharbi said. “As of right now, I am remaining neutral in this judicial race, and my signature shouldn’t be interpreted as anything beyond a routine interaction.”
This election could have been a test for Krot, who back in 2022 was heavily criticized over her berating of a 72-year-old man with cancer for a code violation for not removing weeds around his garage.
At the time, a number of people called for her to resign, or be removed, from her position. About 30,000 people signed an online petition to have Krot removed from her position.
Krot issued an apology for her treatment of the elderly man, who she had threatened to put in jail. She also reported herself to the state’s Judicial Tenure Commission.
The Commission acknowledged that Krot violated judicial rules, but issued only a cautionary warning.
If Koroi remains off the ballot, Krot is assured another six-year term. However, there is still time for a write-in candidate to be included in the election, but their name won’t appear on ballots.
The deadline for write-in candidates is Oct. 23.
Posted May 22, 2026
Comments (5)
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Mr. Koroi –
You and I have something in common: neither of us live in Hamtramck.
The difference is I’m not trying to bamboozle Hamtramck residents into giving me a $186,163/year job.
Keep talking, friend. I’ve got all the receipts.
P.S. Don’t be a stalker. It’s weird.
Michael Murray is the founder of a political consulting firm from Okemos, MI named Murray Communications:
http://www.murraycommunications.com
In the absence of a denial, I am assuming that he – or his political consulting firm – has been compensated by someone to file challenge papers against my candidacy with the Michigan Secretary of State.
Mike Murray:
Did you not also file challenge documents against Oakland County Circuit Court candidate Scott Farida, who was disqualified from the ballot?
Were there any other candidates you filed challenges against in Michigan?
Please explain your motivations for your involvement in the challenge process? Are you a paid political operative?
Mr. Koroi —
Your petitions were a mess. I personally reviewed each one of them. Non-voters. Missing required data. Pages upon pages of disqualifying errors. Potential fraud.
Your petitions and AOI were so bad, the Bureau of Elections didn’t even have to bother with my challenge. Had they, you would have been some 70 petitions short of qualifying — and you only needed 100 valid signatures.
Hamtramck residents should consider themselves fortunate that someone such as yourself, who is so incapable of follow simple instructions (for the second time, as you were similarly disqualified from the ballot for another judicial office elsewhere) was disqualified from potentially making life altering decisions from the bench.
And this whole sordid mess reflects poorly on those city council members who decided involve themselves on your behalf.
The fraud and corruption in Hamtramck appears to be (allegedly) off the charts. Perhaps the Michigan Attorney General and/or the United States Justice Department will take a look into what’s going on.
The people of Hamtramck deserve better.
There are a number of inaccuracies that need to be addressed in the article.
Firstly, Krot DID HAVE a challenger in 2018. The Review was aware of this as they endorsed her when she was challenged by attorney John Gorniak.
Three lawyers from Dykema Gossett law firm filed a 53-page challenge to my candidacy on behalf of Andrea Ellen Karpinski. Who paid for these lawyers is not known.
Two other persons Michael Murray and Robert Davis also filed challenges with the Secretary of State. Davis’ challenges were dismissed by the SOS as untimely, and he filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Claims that was likewise dismissed by Judge Sima Patel.
The Secretary of State validated 106 of 127 signatures presented, but took the position that a printing defect on some forms invalidated a number of sheets. Karpinski lawyer Olivia Flower and myself appeared before the Michigan Board of Canvassers in Lansing last Thursday 5/21/2026 and after hearing arguments voted 2-2 whether or not to approve my petition as sufficient (three were needed for passage). The residency challenge hinged on an interpretation of the State of Michigan Constitution of whether or not the same-day voting amendment of 2018 abolished the 30-day wait period for new resident to be qualified to vote.
The Director of Elections advised the Michigan Board of Canvassers he expected a legal test for these issues in the court system. I expect to be filing those shortly in the Michigan Court of Claims.