Hamtramck special session hears private-investigator findings that two council members may not live in city; clerk must decide by deadline

A special meeting of the Hamtramck City Council on Oct. 25, called to review a private investigator—s residency probe of municipal candidates, became a study session when the body lacked a quorum. The private investigator told the meeting that "2 of the applicants we found were not living in the city of Hamtramck," identifying councilman Abu Ahmed Musa and councilman Mohit Mahmood as the subjects of the report. City Clerk Rana (Clark) must decide whether to remove the two from the upcoming ballot by the county—s 4 p.m. deadline; the council will revisit any vacancy or candidacy questions at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

The issue matters because council members and mayoral candidates in Hamtramck sign a sworn affidavit saying they have been continuous residents for at least one year; the city—s packet cites the charter—s procedures for handling alleged ineligible candidates. The special session brought the investigator—s preliminary findings to the public and gave the two council members an opportunity to address the allegations despite the lack of a formal vote.

At the meeting the investigator, identified as Jeff, described methods he used and specific findings. He said…