Hamtramck Mayor Accused of Interfering in City Manager Search

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Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi interfered in the city's search for a new city manager, pushing for the hiring of Adel Al-Adlani despite objections from the city's Human Resources director and a council subcommittee overseeing the process. The mayor defended his actions, saying he was trying to prevent favoritism, but the rushed process has raised concerns about political influence in the hiring.

Why it matters

The allegations of mayoral interference in the city manager hiring process raise questions about transparency and fairness in Hamtramck's local government. City manager is a key position that sets the tone for city operations, and the hiring process is meant to be impartial to ensure the best candidate is selected. The mayor's actions, if true, could undermine public trust in the city's leadership.

The details

According to emails obtained by The Review, Mayor Alharbi repeatedly pushed the city's Human Resources director, Mashana Burton, to speed up the hiring process and focus on Adel Al-Adlani, a Yemeni-American candidate from Dearborn. Burton objected, saying there were 8 qualified applicants whose resumes had not been reviewed by the council subcommittee. Councilmember Hassan, who chaired the subcommittee, also asked the mayor to let the process play out. However, the council voted to hire Al-Adlani just 6 days later, on February 10th. The mayor defended his actions, saying he was trying to prevent favoritism toward the interim city manager, Alex Lagrou, who was also interviewed. But the rushed process meant other experienced candidates, like the city manager of Royal Oak Township, were not given adequate consideration.

• On February 4th, Councilmember Hassan complained the subcommittee had yet to meet to review candidates.
• On February 6th, Mayor Alharbi told the HR director the search was over and no further interviews would be held.
• On February 10th, the council voted to hire Adel Al-Adlani as city manager, just 6 days after Hassan's objections.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The city council will need to address concerns about the transparency and fairness of the hiring process, potentially reviewing its procedures for selecting key officials like the city manager.