Hamtramck City Clerk Sues, Alleging She Was Put on Leave As Act of Retaliation For Reporting Election Misconduct

City Clerk Rana Faraj

The city of Hamtramck continues to churn out political drama.

Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj, who has been placed on paid leave, filed a lawsuit over the weekend against the mayor, six City Council members and the interim city manager. She claims she was retaliated against after reporting election misconduct to the state and after 37 absentee ballots were discovered following the November election, Anne Snabes of The Detroit News reports.

Faraj was placed on paid administrative leave on Nov. 10.

The city accused her of meddling in the latest election and failing to count 37 absentee ballots that were found in her office the day after the election in which 11 votes separated the two mayoral candidates.

After the election, she told the Wayne County Board of Canvassers that on election night she received a call from the Absentee Voting Board saying the number of ballots tabulated did not match the number of ballots turned in.   

The board deadlocked on whether to count the votes and the matter is in litigation. 

The News reports:

The lawsuit said the administrative leave came after Faraj filed a formal written complaint with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in March. She reported ballot-harvesting activity, the intimidation of election workers and unlawful interference with election administration, according to a press release from her attorneys.

"This is again, the Hamtramck city government run amok," said attorney Jonathan R. Marko. "I mean, it's more corruption, more misdeeds, more not doing the right thing and following the law from the officials in the city of Hamtramck."