---
title: "Muhith Mahmood Takes Oath as Hamtramck Mayor After Ballot Fight"
url: https://www.heredetroit.com/2026/11/09/muhith-mahmood-sworn-in-hamtramck-mayor/
date: 2026-11-09T05:13:10-05:00
modified: 2026-11-09T05:30:48-05:00
author: "Melody Magana"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Detroit"
attribution: "HERE Detroit"
---

# Muhith Mahmood Takes Oath as Hamtramck Mayor After Ballot Fight

> HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — Muhith Mahmood became mayor of Hamtramck on Sunday, Nov. 8, taking the oath at Hamtramck High School before a crowd of a few hundred people and closing one chapter of an election fight that has dragged on for a full year. Mahmood replaces Adam Alharbi, who was declared the winner after the

*Source: [HERE Detroit](https://www.heredetroit.com/2026/11/09/muhith-mahmood-sworn-in-hamtramck-mayor/) — November 9, 2026 by Melody Magana*

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — Muhith Mahmood became mayor of Hamtramck on Sunday, Nov. 8, taking the oath at Hamtramck High School before a crowd of a few hundred people and closing one chapter of an election fight that has dragged on for a full year.

Mahmood replaces Adam Alharbi, who was declared the winner after the November 2025 election and took office in January. The first count had Alharbi ahead by 11 votes, but 37 ballots that had not been counted turned up in the city clerk office the day after the election.

The Wayne County Board of Canvassers split 2-2 on those ballots, which left them out. The Michigan Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling in March 2026, and the Michigan Supreme Court declined to take the case. After Judge Kathleen McCarthy ordered the ballots counted, the Oct. 15 tally put Mahmood ahead, 2,089 to 2,077. An Oct. 30 order from the judge on a residency challenge cleared his path to office.

In his first remarks as mayor, Mahmood promised transparency and fairness and listed public safety, road repair, city services, local business and opportunities for young people as priorities. He also said he would press state and federal officials for infrastructure and housing money.

The dispute may not be over. Nabih Ayad, the attorney for Alharbi, argues the city already has a certified mayor and says his client is seeking a recount of the 37 ballots and all absentee ballots, with a residency appeal still pending before the Court of Appeals.

Hamtramck sits inside the Detroit metro area in Wayne County. The city grew up around the Dodge brothers auto plant, which opened in 1914.