Will Warren residents elect their first Bangladeshi city council member?
Hello Saa Nasta readers,
August 8 is the City of Warren’s primary election. There are 36 candidates running for city council, including five people of Bangladeshi origin. Will city residents elect their first Bangladeshi council member? We’ll have to see if the candidates make it to the general election ballot in November.
Stay tuned…
Sincerely,
Saa Nasta Newsletter
Warren voters prepare for August primaries
The City of Warren has a crowded race for city council. Among the 36 candidates are five Bangladeshis. Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Michigan (APIAVote-MI)’s Executive Director Rebecca Islam says people are looking for representation in a city that is growing in its Asian American population - along with the rest of the state. An APIA report shows that, from “2010 to 2020, the number of eligible AAPI voters in Michigan grew by 59%.”
The Macomb Daily sent out a questionnaire to the candidates to ask them how they will allocate city funds if elected.
Among the candidates are these five Bangladeshi candidates:
Khaja Shahab Ahmad - Warren City Council At Large:
Ahmed has been a resident of Warren for 23 years. He’s an entrepreneur and business consultant. He serves as a Fitzgerald School Board trustee.
Khaja Afzal Hussain - Warren City Council District 1
Hussain is a Warren resident. According to his Facebook page, he’s a lead electrical engineer at General Motors.
Mo Islam - Warren City Council District 1
Islam is a businessman. He’s running on issues such as senior care, enhanced public safety, investment in parks and rec, and creating a Veterans Advisory Council.
Shabbir Khan - Warren City Council District 1
Khan is an IT solutions consultant for Nelnet International. He’s running on fostering unity, increasing community involvement, public safety, and improving education.
Kabir Ahmed - Warren City Council District 2
Ahmed is running on ensuring public safety, improving parks and recreation, and developing small businesses.
The top four contenders of the at-large category and the top two contenders per district will move forward to the November ballot.
Also in Warren, Mayor Jim Fouts filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging he has the right to run for a fifth term but his name was wrongfully taken off the ballot. He says the charted amendment from 2020 where voters said they’d like to limit the number of years a mayor can hold office, from 5 terms to 3, or up to 12 years, does not count the years he previously ran. Now he’s asking for a special election and monetary damages.
Asian American community members mourn the loss of a Detroit Chinatown building
This week members of the Asian American community held a press conference to condemn the demolition of the former Chinatown building on 3143 Cass Ave. in Detroit. The building housed the former Chinese Merchants Association, along with family businesses significant to the Asian American community. The property was demolished by Ilitch’s Olympia Development after getting a notice from the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED).
The Detroit City Council attempted to halt the demolition to designate the space as a historical site, to no avail.
Now the Asian American community is asking for the developers to come together with the community and find a way forward to preserve Detroit’s legacy.
Community News:
The Detroit Friendship House and Eastern Michigan University’s Center for Health Disparities Innovation and Studies are hosting a free Diabetes Education Workshop for people who want to learn more about prediabetes, prevention, or treating diabetes. The course will be held on Saturday, August 26th at 11 AM at J&E community center located at 11816 Joseph Campau Ave, Hamtramck, MI 48212. Register here.