The Hamtramck city clerk who reported election fraud in the 2023 City Council election and in whose office unopen ballots for last year’s close mayoral election were found has been fired, city officials confirmed.
Former City Clerk Rana Faraj had been on paid administrative since Nov. 10, according to a lawsuit she filed against the city in early December. Mayor Adam Alharbi said Faraj’s employment had been “on hold for legal reasons because of her lawsuit,” and that insurance attorneys recently told city officials they could proceed with dismissing her.
The move comes about four months after Faraj was placed on leave when uncounted ballots that could have swayed the 2025 mayoral election were found in her office. Faraj and city officials have not explained how uncounted ballots wound up in the Clerk’s Office.
She was fired “due to misconduct, bad behavior, election interference, and…
MANAGEMENT & CULTURE (THE “TONE AT THE TOP”)
Fraud thrives in “sloppy” environments where leadership ignores the rules.
- The Fraud Triangle: For fraud to occur, three elements must be present: Pressure (the need for money), Rationalization (thinking “I deserve this”), and Opportunity (weak controls). You can only control the Opportunity.
- Whistleblower Hotline: Provide an anonymous way for staff to report “odd behavior.” Most internal frauds are caught via tips, not audits.
- Background Checks: Conduct credit and criminal record checks for all employees in financial or data-sensitive roles.
- Annual Ethics Training: Make sure every staff member knows that the company has a Zero Tolerance policy toward “borrowing” from petty cash or fudging overtime.