It was another eventful Hamtramck City Council meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting started late as council members waited until more arrived to make a quorum. Mayor Amer Ghalib is in Washington, D.C., as councilmen say he's trying to secure more money for the city.

Another seat that remained bare was that of Khalil Refai, a former councilmember and mayor pro tem. Refai stepped down in late August. 

In a statement given to CBS, Refai shared in part, "I was elected by the citizens of Hamtramck; they put their confidence in me to make the right decisions within Council, decisions that protected our city and its residents, not ones that would put it at financial risk." 

On Tuesday, the council unanimously voted for Councilman Abu Musa as the new pro tem. Musa has been the center of controversy recently.

Musa and another councilmember, Muhith Mahmood, were under a microscope this year after it was reported that they did not live within city limits. In an April 25 council meeting, Mahmood and Musa argued that they do have second homes in other communities, but they live in Hamtramck. That night, the city council voted against removing either member, saying there wasn't enough evidence to take action.

The city is also under a microscope for potential election fraud in the Aug 2025 primary election. Video obtained by CBS News Detroit last month showed multiple individuals dropping off a handful of ballots at a ballot box outside City Hall days before the election. Michigan law restricts people from dropping off multiple ballots, unless it was for immediate family members.

City officials confirmed that it handed the footage over to Michigan State Police, which is now investigating the potential fraud.   

"The vote fraud thing has become a joke. Anyone who tries to speak, anybody that tries to vote for the people they want, somebody comes with the vote fraud," said one resident at the council meeting.

Council members shared with residents that the truth will soon come out. 

"Please be patient," said Councilman Mohammed Hassan. "Pay attention and speak what you know. Don't listen to the people and make a comment that is not true."

In a statement made previously by Refai, he said, "Some of my colleagues have ignored clear warnings from the city attorney that moving forward too quickly could present the city to significant financial risk. Someone even stated, 'I don't care if the city goes bankrupt.'"