Overview
- The firing comes four months after 37 absentee ballots were found uncounted in the clerk’s office following the Nov. 5 mayoral election decided by 11 votes.
- Mayor Adam Alharbi confirmed interim City Manager Alexander Lagrou and other unauthorized officials entered the clerk’s office after polls closed, breaking the chain of custody.
- Wayne County canvassers excluded the 37 ballots from the certified results and a judge upheld that decision, with an appeal now pending before the Michigan Court of Appeals.
- Former Clerk Rana Faraj had been on paid leave and has sued the city, alleging retaliation for raising election‑integrity concerns; her attorney says litigation will continue.
- Alharbi has said the ballots arrived after Election Day and labeled them fraudulent, a claim disputed by other officials, and the identities and choices of the 37 voters remain unknown.