HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – A Hamtramck City Council member announced his resignation as mayor pro tem just days after a controversial vote to terminate both the city manager and police chief.
Khalil Refai said he will also step down from his council position in the coming weeks.
My decision to resign from the Mayor Pro Tem position is personal and has other reasons.
One of the reasons is that I will be traveling soon for family obligations, and I don’t see a strong purpose in holding this role under the current circumstances.
As you know, the Mayor may be appointed soon, and with my upcoming travel, it would not work well for the city to have both the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem unavailable to conduct city business or run council meetings.
For that reason, I felt it was the best choice to step down and allow someone else to take over the seat so the city can continue to function smoothly if the Mayor decides to leave.
Khalil Refai
Refai, who abstained from last Tuesday’s vote to terminate the city’s top officials, expressed his concerns in a lengthy Facebook post.
He warned about the city’s financial stability and claimed another council member told him, “I don’t care if the city goes bankrupt.”
Local 4 previously reported that the independent investigation into allegations of misconduct has already cost Hamtramck more than $400,000.
That’s on top of additional costs expected from ongoing legal battles, including a whistleblower lawsuit filed by the now former city manager.
Read more --> Legal battle intensifies as Hamtramck terminates 3 city officials amid corruption investigation
“It clearly shows to me that this council doesn’t care about the residents of the city of Hamtramck. I think they are all looking at their personal agendas,” Amir Makled, the police chief’s attorney, told Local 4 last week.
The announcement comes at a critical time for Hamtramck, with the November election coming up.
Currently, voters are set to elect a new mayor and three council members.
“As of now, I have only stated that I am stepping down from my role as Mayor Pro Tem. I have not announced stepping down from the council.
If I do make that decision, it will be shared publicly on my official Facebook page, Councilman Khalil Refai.
At this point, I haven’t made that announcement, though I did mention it’s a possibility.
If I were to step down from the council, I believe Lynn Blasey would be the one to replace me."
Khalil Refai
Adding to the city’s challenges, four of the six current council members are either under investigation for residency violations or charged with election fraud.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9.
I abstained because, after the information I had prior to the discussion and reflecting on my own judgment, I felt that abstaining was the most appropriate decision at that time.
Khalil Refai