Which Flag Do You Fly and Why?
Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski ended a 100-year streak of Polish mayors by voting to fly a flag the Muslim population didn’t want to see
Which flags do you fly and why? For Karen Majewski, a tie-breaking vote to fly a new flag helped end her years as mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan.
On Election Day, a massive 68 percent of voters rejected Majewski, the Ph.D. Polish American scholar and author, after 18 years of consistent wins.
Instead, more than two-thirds voted to replace the 66-year-old Majewski with a young immigrant challenger who once worked in a factory, Hamtramck’s first Muslim mayor.
“I will do my best to represent and serve all corners of our community: No matter your faith, your background, who you love, or your political views,” Hamtramck Mayor-Elect Amer Ghalib declared.
Ghalib led a sweep making the mayor and entire City Council all Muslim, an apparent first for a U.S. city. However, many point to her decisive vote to fly the rainbow pride flag (and her support of legalized marijuana) as the main reason for her loss.
