Hamtramck mayor set to hold press conference following fiery city council meeting, firing of city manager

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — There's been a big leadership change in Hamtramck after a chaotic city council meeting. A shouting match derailed last week's meeting, and eventually led to a vote to fire the newly-hired city manager.

The city's mayor, Adam Alharbi, posted a message to Facebook, saying a press conference will be held this afternoon regarding the integrity of the city chamber.

Watch Faraz Javed's report below

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The mayor is worried about the city's finances. Last week's shouting match between Mayor Adam Alharbi and Mayor pro tem Mohammad Hassan, eventually led to the surprise firing of the city manager, Adel Al‑Adlani. The crazy part is that no reason was given for Adlani’s firing and it wasn’t also even on the agenda.

A 33‑minute shouting match erupted at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Mayor pro tem Mohammad Hassan pushed to add a last-minute agenda item to fire city manager Adel Al‑Adlani, who was hired in February.

However, Mayor Adam Alharbi tried to block the vote, even calling the police to remove Hassan.

Hamtramck resident Diane Frkan says she was one of many at the Packed City Hall confused as to what was going on.

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"Honestly, it was like a circus," she said. “It's disrespectful, it is embarrassing for the community, we voted for them, we put them in that position, and this is what we get for it."

Meanwhile, the council returned from recess and voted to fire Al-Adlani, with no official reason given, even when we pressed for answers.

Hamtramck has cycled through five city managers in the past 12 months, amid mounting legal troubles — from election fraud charges to lawsuits over past firings.

"We deserve better," Frkan said. "This community deserves better."

Meanwhile, the city’s controller, Syed Aamir Ahsan, now steps in as interim manager.

The fallout moves outside City Hall — at 2:15 PM, Mayor Alharbi will hold a press conference urging residents to defend the city charter and warning the firing could cost the city financially. Expect updates on this later today both on air and online.