Hamtramck City Councilman Muhith Mahmood, 52, is running for mayor in Hamtramck. 

If elected, Mahmood would become the first Bangladeshi American Muslim mayor in the city.

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is not running for re-election. President Trump has nominated him for ambassador to Kuwait. He awaits a U.S. Senate vote.

Mahmood’s platform

Mahmood says voters are concerned about property taxes, high water bills, and deteriorating infrastructure.

“Everything is high in Hamtramck due to the fact of one of the oldest city in Michigan is over 100 years old, and last few years, the city was being neglected,” he says.

Mahmood says he will work hard to bring the city back to good shape, “Where people can come and invest their money. We get different sources to earn the money so we don’t have to raise the taxes every year.”

Mahmood has previously served as the sergeant-at-arms for the Unite Here! Local 24 union, representing hospitality workers; the Democratic Party’s 13th district Vice Chair, and president of the Michigan Bangladeshi-American Democratic Caucus (MI-BADC). He’s the founder and president of Golapganj Helping Hand USA, a charity organization that serves people in Bangladesh and in the U.S.

Investigations for election fraud in Hamtramck

Hamtramck voters have expressed concern about pending investigations of alleged election fraud by several councilmembers. 

Mahmood says people are taking advantage of voters, some whom are newer immigrants, and may not know some of the laws of elections.

“Some of the people are taking advantage out of it, picking up their ballot or picking from mailbox, frauding their signature. Of course I’m against it. That’s not what democracy is,” he says.

He says people have the right to choose their leaders, and community leaders play a role in educating voters.

Mahmood, who is part of a residency fraud investigation by the Michigan State Police, says he has been living in Hamtramck since 2021, when he ran for a seat on the city council.

“And that time they investigated everything. I don’t know why it became an issue after a few years, even though not when I was running… after I get elected, few years later, it became an issue,” he says.

Mahmood says he owns other homes, including one in Troy, where his family lives.

He says he is running for mayor in Hamtramck because he loves the city, and he hopes to bring people together. 

“Everybody needs to have a step forward to a one inclusive city… We all need to respect each other, respect their values, respect their religious freedom,” he says.

Mahmood’s opponent, Adam Alharbi, is an engineer for the Department of Commerce. 

Lynn Blasey, Community Arts Partnerships co-director for the College for Creative Studies, is running as a write-in candidate.