Hamtramck council puts city manager on paid leave, orders independent probe into police chief; interim manager named

Hamtramck City Council on May 27, 2025 voted to place City Manager Max Garberino on paid administrative leave and to proceed with an independent investigation into allegations tied to the Hamtramck Police Department, while naming Finance Director Amir (Saeed) Hassan as acting city manager.

The action came after more than three hours of public comment and debate. Speakers at the meeting urged both a transparent probe by outside law enforcement and protection of the chief’s privacy after an intimate recording was publicly circulated. Mayor (name not specified) said the council wanted a “fair and transparent” process and moved to place the manager on paid leave while the city attorney completes the investigation.

Why it matters: the votes change who runs day-to-day operations in Hamtramck and steer the response to competing demands from residents — some who have called for immediate suspension of the city manager and others who have demanded the police chief be reinstated or shielded from leaked private material. Several residents asked the council to refer allegations to the Michigan State Police or the FBI.

The council’s measures The council approved Resolution 2025-68, placing City Manager Max Garberino on paid administrative leave, and immediately approved Resolution 2025-69 appointing Amir Hassan (the city’s chief financial officer) as acting city manager. The roll-call votes recorded on the meeting transcript show unanimous approval of those measures by the council members present.

City Manager’s statement and council response During a lengthy on-the-record statement at the meeting, Garberino defended his earlier actions and said he could not discuss specifics of ongoing personnel matters. He told the council, “I cannot speak on the specifics of the investigation,” and said the city manager’s office had acted after what he called “several verified complaints.” He also said decisions to place employees on leave are within the manager’s authority under the city charter.

Council members and the mayor said they were not resolving allegations about the police chief during the meeting but were taking steps to remove potential conflicts from the investigation. The mayor said the process should be carried out “as fast as possible” and that if the manager is cleared he would be reinstated and owed an apology; if wrongdoing is found, the council will act on the findings.

Status of the police chief and others The meeting record shows that the police chief, Chief Jamil Altahiri, had already been placed on administrative leave before the council’s final vote; the council did not vote to reinstate or fire the chief. The transcript records multiple public commenters who said the chief had strong ties to the community and asked for his reinstatement, while other speakers demanded an independent review by state or federal authorities. The council said the city attorney is handling the inquiry and that anyone with relevant information should provide it to investigators.

Other business addressed The council also approved a set of routine and programmatic measures during the same meeting, including contracts and grant acceptances: a graffiti-removal services contract, the Grow Hamtramck tree-planting contract (totaling roughly $679,000 across the program period), a Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network summer-youth employment grant (about $60,000), and a $20,000 National League of Cities grant for an economic mobility pilot. Those approvals were taken on separate motions and are listed below in “Votes at a glance.”

What comes next The council placed the manager on paid leave and named an acting manager to preserve city operations while the city attorney and any outside investigators pursue the complaints. Council members repeatedly asked that the investigation be impartial and urged that confidential personal material not be further circulated. The council directed staff to coordinate with the city attorney about next steps and to accept evidence from residents and employees who wish to submit it.

Quotes (selected) “I cannot speak on the specifics of the investigation,” City Manager Max Garberino said in a public statement, adding that his office acted after “several verified complaints.”

“To make this investigation fair and transparent, our beloved city manager should be on a paid administrative leave as well,” the mayor said during the meeting.

Ending Council members said they expected the inquiry to move quickly but did not set a public deadline. They emphasized that placing the city manager on leave was an interim step to remove potential conflicts; the council said formal personnel outcomes would depend on the investigation’s findings.