Hamtramck City Council November 2 Election Candidate Guide
Get to know the candidates running for Hamtramck City Council on November 2.
Voters head to the polls on November 2 to cast their votes for local leaders, ballot proposals and more.
Get to know the candidates running for local office in your community with 101.9 FM WDET’s Candidate Guides. Surveys were distributed to candidates to complete and you can see the responses for candidates for Hamtramck City Council below.
See a full list of races covered here.
Related Race: Hamtramck Mayor
Jump to a candidate:
Adam Albarmaki
Lynn Blasey
Amanda Jaczkowski
Muhith Mahmood
Abu Musa
Khalil Refai
Adam Albarmaki
Candidate did not respond to survey request. Visit campaign website.
Lynn Blasey
Age: 38
Current job: Coordinator, Community Arts Partnerships Dept at the College for Creative Studies
Education: BA in History from Michigan State University with a focus on the Middle East (2005), studied abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt (2004)
About Lynn Blasey: Upon graduation, I joined AmeriCorps as an Arab Resource Corps volunteer in the Education Department at the Arab American National Museum. In that role, I contributed to the development of several of their programs including a youth photography program that won a national award in 2008. At the College for Creative Studies, I manage the day-to-day operations of our department to provide free after-school art & design classes to 3-4,000 Detroit area kids each year, taught as a professor for 3 semesters, and created a new work study program that gives college students paid opportunities to engage in community work with us. In my free time, I am very active volunteering for local nonprofits/events pursuing opportunities that allow me to connect in meaningful ways with others or support causes I care about: ACCESS, Concert of Colors, Burners Without Borders, Yemen Town Project, Hamtramck Arts & Culture Commission, Hamtramck Planter Boxes, Community Healing Gardeners, Hamtramck cleanups, other local events, etc… These volunteer activities and my work/education backgroIund prepare me for office by building a solid foundation of community work and cross-cultural collaboration and understanding, while giving me leadership opportunities to help make important decisions that benefit those around me.
Why are you running for Hamtramck City Council? I moved to Hamtramck in 2012 and immediately knew it was where I wanted to settle down. I felt at home with the call to prayer echoing through the streets alongside the church bells, the vibrant arts community, ample live music, delicious restaurants, walkability, and community atmosphere. I am running for elected office as an extension of my existing community involvement/investment in Hamtramck. I am running now because I believe that I can effectively impact the community through public service at the elected level differently than I’m able to as a resident/volunteer. I am passionate about community work and am excited about the opportunity to serve Hamtramck in new and meaningful ways as a city council member.
What is the most important issue facing Hamtramck? Communication between the city and the community.
How would you address that issue? It is important to carefully examine our current charter and ordinances and find clearer ways to share their content with the public. We need to examine our systems of enforcement and find ways to be more efficient, transparent, and accountable. In addressing these challenges, we can make it easier for businesses to open and operate in Hamtramck, for homeowners and renters to understand and follow the rules, and make our city government more accessible to all Hamtramckans.
What actions/decisions by the current mayoral administration or city council have you disagreed with? As a resident, I get frustrated when council doesn’t seem to pay attention to the details for things like contracts and grants, and once they’re voted on, there is rarely any follow up or accountability back to the public. For example, October of 2020, council approved the receipt of a grant for the police to work overtime to address jaywalking over the next year. Notices went out that month and some additional enforcement happened right away. Then the grant wasn’t enforced again until August 2021, without warning, which became a big issue with the city and residents. I think, had the city council checked back in on the grant periodically, it would have been implemented regularly over the course of the year and actually fulfilled the goal of educating the public and changing human behavior – effectively avoiding the issue it became.
Amanda Jaczkowski
Age: 29
Current job: Agency Relations Specialist at United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Education: Masters in Public Administration, Wayne State University (2021), Bachelor of Science in Political Science (2014)
About Amanda Jackzkowski: I’m an experienced leader with many years of non-profit employment and committee leadership, I’m hoping to be able to implement the many skills I’ve learned while on City Council. With my Master’s degree from Wayne State, I have learned how to apply many tools and best practices for transparent, effective governance. I look forward to implementing practical solutions to issues the residents of Hamtramck face, and bridge any of the divides in the community.
Why are you running for Hamtramck? I moved to Hamtramck because I love the diversity of the city. The history of the city includes my family history – as well as my future. Shopping, eating and playing in the city is a beautiful experience, with neighbors from many backgrounds sharing life in many ways. The walkability of Hamtramck is a huge attraction, and I know there are many improvements that are being made and can be made in the future to highlight this feature. These are just a couple things I love about Hamtramck and why I want to be on council – to continue the good, and facilitate even more improvements. Hamtramck is a great place to live, and I believe in doing my part to make it even better.
What is the most important issue facing Hamtramck? Trust between the residents and City Hall.
How would you address that issue? This is an answer that requires strong communication and respect between all individuals involved, and an agreement of the goal: What is best for the city. Clear and transparent communication between elected officials and the community is an obvious must – which not only includes coming to council meetings prepared with resident input, prepared to listen to resident input, and providing rationale as to how decisions are made. I plan to continue to have semi-regular “coffee hours” at cafes around town so that people have an open opportunity to speak with me face to face, and am committed to responding to the many emails that concerned residents send before council meetings to understand their positions on upcoming issues. Furthermore, continuing to participate in community events like clean-ups, tree plantings, and other community service programs to demonstrate my passion for the future of the community.
What actions/decisions by the current mayoral administration or city council have you disagreed with? This is more of an ongoing and somewhat intermittent issue that I hear from many residents – it often seems as if council members come to the meetings unprepared, or even bring resolutions forward without providing research or context to the issue it is meant to address. This is something that I am absolutely committed to improving the perception of council on – understanding the issues on the agenda, and bringing forth resolutions that have preliminary research available to residents for context as needed, and as appropriate. I have utmost respect for those who commit to serve on council in the city, as it can be time-consuming in addition to careers, family, and friends, but it is a commitment that we have a responsibility to provide the same respect that it earns us.
Muhith Mahmood
Candidate did not respond to survey request. Visit campaign website.
Abu Musa
Candidate did not respond to survey request.
Khalil Refai
Candidate did not respond to survey request. Visit campaign website.
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