"I Go By Arefin."

Source: City of Richardson.

Mayor Amir Omar held a town hall meeting at the Coram Deo Academy on Thursday, October 23, 2025, where he and council member Arefin fielded questions from about 20 members of the public. Let's start our report of what happened with some housekeeping that occurred at the beginning of the meeting.

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I'll let the transcript explain:

Mayor Omar: "I'm going to hand it off to council member Shamsul to give his greetings."

Council member: "Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and good evening. And by the way, he was kind enough to say to me, Councilman Shamsul, but I go by Arefin only. Arefin, nothing after, nothing before."

So, there you have it. He's usually too polite to correct anyone. This is the first I've heard him do it in public. Now that he has, I feel it's okay for me to say, honor his wishes, everyone. It's Arefin. Not Shamsul. Arefin. Nothing after. Nothing before. Although here I'll beg his indulgence and say, in this blog, it'll be Council member Arefin on first reference for readers who might not know who he is, and just plain Arefin on subsequent references.

Tomorrow, I'll have something to say about the news that emerged from the meeting.

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"Thank you," Mr. Mayor,
he begins with calm and grace.
Truths said with a smile."
—h/t ChatGPT