Hamtramck City Hall Erupts As Council Ousts Manager In Late-Night Shock Vote

In a late-night shake-up that stunned even regulars at Hamtramck City Hall, the City Council voted 4-2 yesterday to fire City Manager Adel Al-Adlani, cutting short a tenure that lasted only a few months. Controller Aamir Ahsan was tapped to step in as interim city manager while officials scramble to sort out what comes next after a tense and very public showdown.

A city spokesperson confirmed to Local 4 that Al-Adlani had been terminated and offered no reason for the move, according to ClickOnDetroit. Video of the meeting shows Mayor Pro Tem Mohamed Hassan pushing to add a last-minute resolution to remove the manager and clashing with Mayor Adam Alharbi over whether that would violate the city charter. At one point, Alharbi threatened to have the police escort Hassan out of the chambers. About two hours later, the council took the vote that ended Al-Adlani’s employment.

Interim named and charter rules

The council appointed Aamir Ahsan, who serves as Hamtramck’s controller and chief financial officer, to act as interim city manager. The city lists Ahsan as controller, and its charter explains how an acting manager can be designated when there is a vacancy, according to the City of Hamtramck staff directory and the City of Hamtramck city manager page.

What led up to the vote

Al-Adlani was hired in late February after a contentious search process that included a public meet-and-greet, local reporting shows. His firing lands in the middle of ongoing leadership turmoil at City Hall, following last year’s removals of a previous city manager, the police chief, and an officer after an independent investigation, as covered locally by the Hamtramck Review.

What's next

The council did not immediately release information about severance, cause for termination, or the timeline for hiring a permanent replacement. For now, with Ahsan in the interim role, day-to-day operations are expected to run through the finance office while councilmembers decide whether to launch a new search or ride things out with an interim setup a little longer.

Residents and local stakeholders say they are looking for clear answers on governance and costs, and they may be in for more late-night meetings before that happens. This latest abrupt change at the top underscores ongoing divisions on the council. City officials have not given a timetable for naming a permanent manager, and both reporters and residents are watching closely for the next announcement out of Hamtramck City Hall.