{"id":2248,"date":"2019-07-13T01:14:55","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T22:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=2248"},"modified":"2019-07-13T01:14:55","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T22:14:55","slug":"hamtramck-city-manager-sees-big-changes-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/hamtramck-city-manager-sees-big-changes-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamtramck city manager sees big changes ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

YAN – Hamtramck<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"With the Poletown plant closure on the horizon and other challenges ahead, Hamtramck is set to face headwinds. Kathy Angerer, who was appointed city manager for the city of Hamtramck on September 7th, sees the situation in Hamtramck as being a \u201cglass half full\u201d scenario.<\/p>\n

Public Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n

Angerer said that public safety is one of the top reasons people choose where to live and raise their kids, and that the public can help address public safety issues in Hamtramck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at things positively. The things we\u2019re doing: training our police officers, educating our community, working with our community, are important,\u201d said Angerer.\u00a0 \u201cI would like to see the crime rate level off. What we need are residents to open their eyes and report things and call the police, so we can come and help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angerer also claimed that most of the crime was coming from residents, but from outsiders who come into the city of Hamtramck.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s outsiders that come in and pray on people, and sometimes we contribute to that by doing things like leaving our things out, not locking our doors or locking our car, and those things will perpetuate crime,\u201d said Angerer. \u201cIf something is happening that\u2019s suspicious, call the police and tell us that something us going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lead Poisoning<\/strong><\/p>\n

A recent lead survey with homes in Hamtramck came back with some homes testing positive for lead. Angerer said that the situation is very different from Flint, and residents shouldn\u2019t be alarmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur water problem is different than in Flint. They changed their source of water and didn\u2019t treat the pipes, and that\u2019s what caused the issues. Here in Hamtramck, our service lines, which the water goes through, we tested them and they\u2019re fine. On individual homes, within the piping, we did tests and found 5 homes where lead was tested at unsafe levels,\u201d said Angerer.<\/p>\n

Angerer says that she intends to do more lead testing in homes in the near future, and that when the city detects lead in a pipe, they immediately help by providing water filters and assistance in replacing the pipes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Diversity & Inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Angerer says that diversity is one of Hamtramck\u2019s biggest strengths. She said that people who voice concerns about \u201cSharia Law\u201d or who complain about a \u201cMuslim majority\u201d city council aren\u2019t looking at the facts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to lead a city that has a council that people refer to as \u201cMuslim majority.\u201d It mirrors the make up of the community and unfortunately there\u2019s always a vocal minority that will complain about things like that,\u201d said Angerer.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen is our city council take strong action to improve our parks, to improve our safety, to make sure that our children are safe when they are pedestrians, or when our young drivers are in place. They\u2019ve done good things for our community, and nothing about being a \u201cMuslim majority\u201d is a negative, in my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Financial Troubles & Poletown Redevelopment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recent reports showed that, while the city is currently in good financial shape, in five years the city may go bankrupt. Angerer acknowledged that the situation has been made difficult by the closing of the \u2018Poletown\u2019 General Motors plant, which generates more than $800,000 in revenue for the city each year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to look at the whole general fund. What can we do differently?\u201d said Angerer. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of room to cut – we don\u2019t have any meat, we\u2019re down to the bone. At this point we need to look at the services we deliver, and what the residents want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angerer said she is optimistic overall, and it\u2019s in part because the city has unique traits that can attract new small businesses and investment that other cities don\u2019t have. In particular, she talked about the thriving small business culture and the diversity that makes Hamtramck so special.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur diversity is the reason people come here. When people come here, it\u2019s the world in 2 square miles,\u201d said Angerer. \u201cWhen you walk the streets and smell food from all over the world, or you talk to someone and they\u2019re from Yemen or Bangladesh or the Ukraine, where else do you get that in the state of Michigan, this kind of diversity?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angerer also said that small businesses, not big box stores, would lead the way in Hamtramck\u2019s restoration.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, the big box stores have everything you need, but you can\u2019t tell me you can\u2019t walk down the street in Hamtramck and shop here,\u201d said Angerer. \u201cThe food here is good. The restaurants here are good. I don\u2019t think people here are going to miss a big box store…The malls are drying up. People are going back to small business.\u201d<\/p>\n

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