Hamtramck Mayoral Election Flips a Year Later: Wayne County Judge Orders Certification as Former Councilman Mahmood Leads by 12 Votes
Wayne County, Michigan — Circuit Judge Kathleen McCarthy ruled on October 30 ordering the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to certify the results of Hamtramck's mayoral election from a year ago, finding no evidence that former councilman Muhith Mahmood fails to meet the city's residency requirements for elected officials.
Mayor Adam Alharbi won the November 2025 election by 11 votes. Mahmood challenged the result over 37 absentee ballots found after Election Day that were never counted. On October 16, the four-member county canvassing board counted the 37 ballots, 29 of them for Mahmood, giving him 2,089 votes to Alharbi's 2,077 — a 12-vote lead.
McCarthy dismissed the evidence and reports alleging Mahmood does not live in Hamtramck; Mahmood maintains that while he has a home in Troy, his primary residence is in Hamtramck. Alharbi's attorney, Nabih Ayad, blasted the decision, said he plans to appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals, and again called on the state attorney general to act on alleged ballot issues.
The county clerk's office has not confirmed when certification will take place. If Mahmood is ultimately declared the winner, he would become the first Bangladeshi American mayor in Michigan history. He currently works at a restaurant inside a Detroit casino.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Detroit December 2019 02 (Wayne County Building)。来源：Wikimedia Commons（Michael Barera，CC BY-SA 4.0）
