Mayoral candidates clash on priorities in Southfield and Pontiac races

Voters in two of Oakland County's most prominent and populous communities will head to the polls Nov. 4 to decide which mayoral candidate will lead their cities.

In Pontiac, the county's seat, voters face a choice between City Council President Mike McGuinness and former City Councilman Kermit Williams to succeed Mayor Tim Greimel, who is running as a Democrat for Michigan's 10th Congressional District. McGuinness and Williams have contrasting visions about how to make the city attract more residents. The plurality of the city's residents are Black.

By contrast, Southfield's mayoral race pits longtime Mayor Ken Siver, who has held his post for roughly 10 years, against former City Council member Sylvia Jordan, who has challenged Siver before. The race in the majority Black city is focusing on development questions, with Jordan claiming Siver has failed to deliver on his promises, while Siver has defended himself by saying that achieving initiatives can be complex.

The cities are two of the most populated in Oakland County, which is largely comprised of mid-sized municipalities that make up nearly 1.3 million in Metro Detroit. Both cities have spent more than a decade trying to bounce back from disinvestment following the Great Recession.



https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2025/10/11/mayoral-candidates-clash-priorities-southfield-pontiac-races-mcguinness-williams-siver-jordan/86620971007/