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Hamtramck council votes to terminate city manager amid heated meeting and procedural fights
Summary
After hours of contentious debate and multiple procedural challenges, Hamtramck’s council voted to terminate the city manager, rejected an amendment to convert the removal to paid leave, and appointed an acting city manager; the meeting included public complaints about misconduct and disputes over a city property sale.
Hamtramck’s City Council voted to terminate the city manager after a night of rancorous debate, an unsuccessful amendment to convert the action into a paid leave period and repeated procedural clashes.
The termination was introduced as a late resolution that a councilmember moved to place at the top of the new-business list. During more than an hour of discussion, members traded sharply different accounts: some described the manager as a professional who had delivered municipal services and constrained costs, while others said persistent internal conflict, mounting legal bills and recent conduct justified removal. An amendment to change the motion to a paid one-month leave failed. Council then adopted the termination motion by roll call; the council also voted to temporarily transfer the city-manager duties to an interim acting manager, who accepted the appointment.
The debate included repeated references to legal costs the city has incurred in recent years. One councillor said staff recommended a range of outside investigations and that the city has paid several outside firms to resolve complicated personnel and legal matters. Another member disputed those totals and argued that last year’s legal expenditures were within budget because the city faced unusually complex litigation.
Mayor (closing remarks) addressed the public at the end of the meeting: “I’m sorry that you had to witness what had occurred today in our meeting,” the mayor said, asking the council to “refocus on what matters most, serving the people of Hamtramck with professionalism, respect, and commitment to the future of our city.”
The termination produced immediate operational questions. Council discussed restricting the former manager’s building and key access pending orderly transition; the city attorney advised staff on standard offboarding and security steps. Council then voted to appoint an interim acting manager to maintain continuity.
What happens next: the city will finalize administrative steps for the management transition and follow routine personnel procedures for severance or other employment details; any legal claims tied to the removal were referenced repeatedly by multiple speakers and may become the subject of future filings. The council did not set a formal timetable in the meeting for a permanent replacement.
Speakers quoted or referenced: Councilmember Chry (criticizing the conduct of fellow officials during debate), the mayor (closing apology), and multiple councilmembers who debated budgetary and legal justifications. Public commenters raised concerns about transparency and asked the council to prioritize neighborhoods, water bills and infrastructure.
Provenance: This article is based on council debate and roll-call recorded in the meeting transcript beginning with discussion of the new-business resolution (topicintro SEG 1036) and concluding after the termination vote and appointment of an acting manager (topfinish SEG 3788).
