Heated election races in Wayne County cities focus on taxes, culture, police, transparency

Voters in communities across Wayne County will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in primary elections for council and mayoral races that will whittle down candidates for the general election in November.

The elections come as Wayne County struggles with population and economic growth. The county's population decreased by more than 16,000 residents last year, from 2021 to 2022, according to census data. About half of the decrease was outside of Detroit. The county also lost population the year before that.

Some of the candidates challenging incumbents said they're trying to improve transparency in how municipalities are run and make decisions. Others say they want to improve public safety and reduce taxes and regulations they say is making it difficult for small businesses. Cultural issues have also come up in some cities, such as Hamtramck, where one of the council candidates is speaking out against a ban on LGBTQ+ flags on public property.

Several cities, such as Livonia, don't have a primary because not enough candidates are running. Here's a look at some of the Wayne County cities that do have competitive races. In addition to the races discussed below, there are competitive primary races for Inkster council, Grosse Pointe Park council, Melvindale mayor, and Riverview mayor and city council.

Westland

With about 84,000 residents, Westland is one of the larger suburbs in Wayne County. It faced some political uncertainty after former longtime Mayor Bill Wild unexpectedly announced his resignation last year despite being reelected in 2021 for a four-year term. In April, Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik resigned after videos surfaced from decades ago that appeared to show him verbally harassing and humiliating citizens, Hometown Life reported.

In January, the city council voted to make Michael Londeau, a former city council president, the mayor. Londeau is among six candidates on the ballot for the Tuesday primary; the top two will advance to the November election.

"I know firsthand what it takes to run one of Michigan's largest cities," Londeau told the Free Press. "I am the only candidate with this valuable experience. It takes a talented team, a hard worker, motivation, and an innovator to manage a city of our size. Westland residents want a mayor that can deliver results, and I have been able to do that in my short time in office, and will continue to do so."

Londeau said he will focus on public safety and crime prevention; improving roads, parks, public spaces; create affordable housing, and promote cultural events, recreational programs and volunteer efforts to promote a better sense of community in Westland.

"I have also developed a deep familiarity with local issues and constituent needs, enabling me to address community concerns effectively," he said. "I believe I have strong collaborative and consensus-building abilities that have allowed me to work with diverse stakeholders. ... I also believe my experience in budgetary matters and financial acumen will continue to provide a solid foundation for making sound fiscal decisions."

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One of his challengers is State Rep. Kevin Coleman, D-Westland, who previously served on the city council.

"I believe Westland needs a mayor who knows government and how to deliver results for all of us that live here," Coleman told the Free Press. "My experience at the state and local levels will allow me to take Westland to the next level of great services, new businesses and amenities while keeping Westland a safe, secure community."

Coleman added that he will make public safety his top priority, nothing that he recently helped secure $7 million in state funding for the fire department. He also wants to improve city's streets and parks that he said will help attract new businesses.

"My experience at the state and local levels has given me the resources and relationships that will give Westland an advantage," he says in a campaign flyer.

Another challenger, Ali Awadi, is a political newcomer who moved to Westland a few years ago after living in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. He was previously director of public safety at Allegheny College in western Pennsylvania and also once was the assistant director for campus safety and Title IX administrator at Henry Ford College in Dearborn. Born in Iraq, he came to the U.S. in 1974, according to his biography

Awadi, who earned a doctorate in public administration from Walden University and taught business classes at Henry Ford, said Westland needs a mayor with more educational qualifications. He said that decisions by Westland's government are often made with little transparency and for special interests instead of the public good.

"The problem you have is there's no transparency," Awadi told the Free Press. "When you lack transparency, you're introducing corruption. ... things like contracts, who's getting the contracts? ... (Taxpayers) want to know where their tax money is being spent."

He said the resignation of the police chief illustrates problems in a department that is struggling to recruit officers despite offering higher pay than other departments in the region.

Awadi said he's an independent who's not part of a political machine or beholden to a party.

"Power needs to go back to the people," he said. "We've lost our founding fathers' goal."

The other three mayoral candidates are Councilman Jim Godbout, Anthony Jones, and Ronald Sassak, all of whom did not return messages seeking comment.

Hamtramck

Hamtramck has drawn national attention this year for its city council votes on cultural issues, such as approving animal sacrifices for religious reasons; criticizing Israel's treatment of Palestinians; banning political, religious and sexual orientation flags, and firing two commissioners who raised an LGBTQ+ flag on a city pole.

Some of those issues have become part of the race for three city council seats, but the candidates are also talking about several other issues, including: tax rates; concerns about bike lanes on commercial streets; selective enforcement of city laws; keeping streets clean, and policing.

There are nine candidates running for three city council seats; the top six candidates will advance to the November election.

Three of the candidates are incumbents: Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan, Nayeem Choudhury and Mohammed Alsomiri. Challengers include Lynn Blasey, the only candidate who supports allowing the raising of LGBGQ+ pride flags on city property.

Nasr Hussain, another candidate running for council who is outspoken on city issues, has made several promises he explained on his Facebook campaign page.

"I will present a resolution to abolish any unnecessary ordinances and laws that are selectively enforced," he wrote in one of his promises. "Giving preferential treatment to well-connected people will no longer be the tradition in Hamtramck."

Hussain also said that he would help put on the ballot a proposal to keep or get rid of the city's income tax and work to remove the bike lanes and posts placed on Joseph Campau Avenue that residents have criticized for disrupting traffic.

Regarding cultural issues, he told the Free Press: "I am for city neutrality regarding all controversial issues. City should remain neutral and concentrate on providing services to its residents."

More: Hamtramck city council ousts commissioners who raised LGBTQ+ flag

In contrast, Blasey said she is "absolutely against city council's decisions to prohibit and remove the Pride, Cherokee Nation and Pan African flags from public property."

She said: "Our diversity is our strength. No matter your race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, language, culture, or country of origin, you belong here."

Blasey said she will also work to improve community safety, reduce speeding, add crosswalks, prevent flooding and sinkholes by upgrading infrastructure, attract new businesses, set up guidelines for tax abatements, and create "better public transit, bike lanes, and a less predatory parking meter system."The other challengers are Sari Ahmed, who said on a Facebook page he wants to lower property taxes and fix streets and alleys; Ruhel Amin; Muhtasin Rahman Sadman, a real estate broker who said he wants to lower property taxes, grow small businesses and make the city safer, and Yousuf Osman Saed.

The nine candidates represent the changing demographics of Hamtramck, which census data indicates is probably at least half Muslim and has the highest percentage of immigrants among cities in Michigan. Except for Blasey, all of the council candidates are Muslim. The six-member city council and mayor are also all Muslim.

Voters can choose English, Arabic or Bengali-language ballots to cast their vote.

Dearborn Heights

In Dearborn Heights, Mayor Bill Bazzi has tried to bring about what he said are necessary reforms for city government and the police department, hiring last year a new police chief, Jerrod Hart.

His changes have brought some criticism that sparked a recall effort.

There are nine candidates running for three city council seats. The Tuesday primary will pare the nine down to six candidates for the general election. Two of the candidates are incumbents Mo Baydoun and Ray Muscat, both of whom did not return emails seeking comment on their candidacies.

One of the challengers is Zouher Abdel-Hak, an outspoken resident of the city for 32 years who is a former city councilman and city treasurer.

Last month, Abdel-Hak filed a petition to recall Bazzi, alleging the mayor violated city laws when making changes to the police and fire departments, reported the Dearborn Press and Guide. Bazzi said the attacks are politically motivated, and that he has been trying to root out waste and corruption. The recall petition language effort was rejected by the Wayne County Board of Canvassers.

"I want to focus on every dollar spent by the city to give the maximum benefit to the residents," Abdel-Hak said.

Another candidate running is former interim mayor and former city council chair Denise Malinowski Maxwell, In a statement to Patch, she said she wants to help with flooding problems in the city and also improve public safety.

"We have lost a lot of good officers," she said to Patch. "We need to give them the pay and respect they deserve. We need to make more changes to attract new officers."

The council candidates reflect the growing political activity of the city's Arab American population, who make up about one-third of the residents. Of nine candidates running, seven are Arab American.

Other council candidates on the ballot are Ahmad AlKaabi, president of the Iraqi American Foundation; Wissam Fadlallah, a real estate agent; Hussein Mazloum, a banking center manager at Comerica; Hassan Saab, who serves on the city's planning commission and downtown district authority, and Mohammed Janny. Janny told the Free Press that while he is still on the ballot, he has essentially dropped out and is not campaigning.

A full list of Wayne County candidates and ballot proposals is available at waynecounty.com/elected/clerk under "Election Information."

Hometown Life reporter Shelby Tankersley contributed to this report

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, Facebook.com/nwarikoo, Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne County elections in Westland, Hamtramck, Dearborn Heights