by
Adam Alharbi
Adam Alharbi was sworn in as Hamtramck’s mayor on Sunday at the library amid a pending case before the Michigan Supreme Court challenging the outcome of the election.
Alharbi beat his opponent, Councilman Muhith Mahmood, by 11 votes.
Mahmood is asking the court to count 37 absentee ballots that were left in their envelopes and were not counted on election night due to human error. They were discovered a few days later and taken to Wayne County officials.
The Wayne County Board of Canvassers and a Wayne County Circuit Court judge have refused to overturn the city’s decision not to count the votes. Some questions had been raised about the chain of custody of the ballots and whether someone could have tampered with them.
During his swearing-in, Alharbi told the crowd, according to the Detroit Free Press:
"Hamtramck Is a city unlike any other. Within these two square miles, we represent the entire world. But diversity is only a strength if it is built on a foundation of unity. Today we turn the page. My goal is to lead a city where every person, regardless of the language you speak, the faith you practice, or how long you have lived here, feels not just welcome, but truly respected. We are one Hamtramck and it's time we start acting like one."
There has still been no final decision on whether the outgoing Mayor Amer Ghalib will get confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait. Both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have expressed reservations about his nomination by President Trump.
