Who will be Mayor of Hamtramck?

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The city of Hamtramck Mayor voting will take place on Tuesday, August 8th. Citizens can go out and vote from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in select Hamtramck locations.

The candidates who will be running for mayor in Hamtramck will be incumbent Mayor Karen Majewski, as well as Asm Rahman, Mohammed Hassan and Cathie Gordon.

There will be four candidates running for one mayor seat. Two out of the four candidates will be selected after the August 8th primary to move on to the final election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 7th.

Below is a short profile on the candidates who will be running for mayor, with each challenger listed in alphabetical order.

We had each challenger answer three questions: 1. What is your relationship to Hamtramck? 2. As a challenger or incumbent, what changes do you plan on making for the city? 3. What is your plan on working with fellow councilmembers to make sure everyone is working together and on the same page? .. Here’s what they said:

By Omar Thabet – The Yemeni American News

Karen Majewski, Incumbent

Current Job Title: Mayor of Hamtramck; Owner of Tekla Vintage

1. I have lived in Hamtramck since 1998. Before that, from 1989-1998, I lived just over the border in Detroit, so Hamtramck was my neighborhood although I voted in Detroit. I served as an appointed member of the Hamtramck Historical Commission, and then was elected to the Hamtramck City Council in 2003, where I served as the City Council President (under the old charter), then as Mayor Pro Tem. I was elected Hamtramck’s first woman mayor in 2005, and have served 3 terms.
2. We are always working on improving city services, business climate, appearance, and quality of life, though it’s often a challenge because of financial constraints. That’s why strategic planning is so important, as well as looking for every possible source of outside funding, which means building strong city departments and strong working relationships with other government agencies. My plans for the city are concentrated on improving and updating our infrastructure, creating an attractive environment for economic development, and strengthening our civic culture. These issues are intertwined and interdependent. We cannot cut our way to financial stability, though we always need to be rethinking our expenses and looking for ways to control them, whether by rebidding contracts, aggressively pursuing grants and other funding opportunities, and carefully considering what services should be done in house to save money, create local jobs, and provide better services. But our real path forward has to be one of growth. Our diversity, our history as a welcoming place for immigrants and migrants, should become one of our selling points for future investment, along with our population density, traditional urban downtown, and strong sense of identity that engages with people all over the state and beyond. These are the qualities that will enable us to grow our local economy. However, without quality streets, sewers, and alleyways, as well as an attractive downtown and residential neighborhoods, we won’t be able to attract the investment—commercial, residential, and human—that will grow us out of financial instability. So our strategy needs to braid these factors together, realizing that this is a long-term process that we are committed to as a city, and not dependent on shifting political tides. As an important part of that strategy, a couple of years ago we began work on updating and improving our sewer system—it’s not a very romantic sounding project and while it’s going on it can be disruptive to our residents and businesses, but it has to be done. The problem of basement flooding has existed in Hamtramck since at least the 1950s, and we’ve finally begun the long process to alleviate the issue. It will take years and will have to be done in stages as we find the funding, but it’s a commitment the city has to make. We also surveyed our streets and alleys in order to create a long-range plan for repair and repaving, which is now being instituted. It’s important that we work on issues like these strategically, steadfastly, and realistically—I have tried never to make promises that the city can’t keep—so that we can then build on this steady progress to create future projects and programs that our residents deserve.
3. I’ve worked with many different council members over the years, and I realize that every elected official is an individual with his or her own priorities, opinions, and areas of expertise We will not always agree on everything, nor should we. And I think it’s quite normal that alliances will form between people who tend to agree on one issue or another, and that those alliances will ebb and flow as different issues come up. But we should still act respectfully toward each other, follow the city charter mandates, and appreciate the unique perspectives that each of us brings to the table. Obviously, that can be hard because people feel passionately about issues. Passion about the city in which one lives is a good thing, and democracy is always a work in progress, sometimes a noisy one.  But one thing I’ve learned through experience is that no matter how strongly and even angrily you may argue with a colleague on one issue, there will come a time when you’ll want to work together on a goal that you have in common. So once the council meeting is over and you walk out the door, you need to be able to shake hands, put that day’s arguments aside, and come to the next meeting ready to start all over again as colleagues. I try to set an example by not taking anything personally, and never burning our bridges. We’re seven people with a difficult job to do, and a city that deserves our thoughtful service.

Asm Kamal Rahman, Challenger

Current job title: Application Analyst, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

1. Spent last 31+ years here in the Hamtramck area.  I was part of the first batch of Bangladeshi students attending Hamtramck High School. I have always tried to address the affairs of our residents at local, state and national level. I am involved with the NAACP, Michigan Coalition of Human Rights (MCHR) and President of the Frontier International Academy board for the last 12 years.  I am committed to this community and would like to use my experience to help our community.
2. I have noticed the politicians stopped paying attention to the actual need of the residents.  People are frustrated with the inadequate service they receive from the city hall and often times return with bad experiences.  Most of them could be attributed to the culture language barriers.  I want people to have the best and respectful experience at the city hall.  I will involve bilingual qualified volunteers who will spend some time at fixed hours at the city hall so people can communicate better.. Also, the water bill basement flooding is a big problem and some cases they are sent an estimated bill, which is not accurate.  Water is shut off for minimal amount of past due balance and it cost more to shut off an account than the money is owed.  This needs to stop and make it easy for residents to pay the bill, not by threatening them with a shut off.. I have implemented several assistance programs to help with the water bill. Qualified residents will see their water bill lowered by $25 per month and also up to $750 towards their past due balance.  In addition to this, the program will also pay up to $1000 towards fixing their leaky sink, toilet etc.  This is the real deal for the residents and, if elected, I will work with the city to implement it in early 2018. I will also like to see more police officers on the streets, getting to know the neighborhoods, ensuring safety and preventing crimes.
3. Good communication, transparency, mutual respect and realistic plans are the key to work with the council members.  We have smart council members who are well connected to the community.  They understand the need of the people and I am sure we can work together to achieve what’s best for the community.

Candidates Cathie Gordon and Mohammed Hassan decided to not take part in this Q & A.

Good Luck to all of the candidates who are running!