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Aaron Martinez (Novi City Council At-large, Michigan, candidate 2025)
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Aaron Martinez ran for election to the Novi City Council At-large in Michigan. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.
Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Aaron Martinez provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 19, 2025:
- High school: Novi High School
- Associate: Oakland Community College, 2014
- Bachelor's: Michigan State University, 2017
- J.D.: University of Detroit Mercy Law School, 2022
- Gender: Male
- Profession: Attorney
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Instagram
Elections
General election
General election for Novi City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Novi City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Joe Bertera (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Toby D. Brazwell (Nonpartisan) | |
| Jonathan Gold (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Priya Gurumurthy (Nonpartisan) | ||
Aaron Martinez (Nonpartisan)  | ||
| Ed Roney (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Brian Smith (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Martinez in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Aaron Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Born and raised in Novi, I'm a Novi High School graduate, an attorney, and a lifelong public servant. I’ve served as a Special Assistant Attorney General, trial attorney, and advocate for working families across Michigan. I previously served as one of the first members on the City of Novi Cultural Arts Advisory Board. My wife April and I are raising our 2-year-old son, August, in our hometown because we believe in Novi’s promise: safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a connected, inclusive community. I currently serve on the Executive Board for the Michigan Association for Justice. I am also a member of the Oakland County Bar Association's Legislative Committee.
I’m running for City Council to bring data-driven, resident-focused leadership that listens, leads, and delivers. Novi is growing, and with that growth comes opportunity and responsibility. We need responsive leadership to make sure our future stays rooted in the values that built this city: safety, transparency, thoughtful development, and community spirit. I’ve built my career solving hard problems, representing real people, and working across differences to find practical solutions. I’ll bring that same energy and approach to the Council Chambers.
- Resident-Focused Planning: I will prioritize thoughtful, transparent development that serves residents — not just developers. From traffic and safety to water and infrastructure, I will ensure Novi grows with purpose and balance.
- Safe, Sustainable Neighborhoods: I’ll work to protect public safety, preserve green space, and invest in public services that residents rely on. I support smart budgeting and long-term planning that reflects community needs.
- Open, Responsive Government: I’ll bring City Hall to the people — including meeting with every homeowners association in my first year. I’ll lead with transparency, accountability, and a commitment to listen first.
I am a passionate believer in the power of local government to make positive changes in the lives of those we serve. I am always striving to find ways in which we can make government work better for people, especially when it comes to public safety, infrastructure, and community trust. I care deeply about ensuring every resident has access to responsive services, safe streets, and a voice in how their city grows. I bring experience negotiating outcomes, evaluating contracts, and holding institutions accountable. My work as an attorney has taught me the importance of listening to real people and solving real problems skills I’ll bring to City Council every day on behalf of my hometown.
City Council is where policy becomes practice. It’s close to the people, and it has a direct hand in shaping the physical, financial, and social future of our city. Unlike state or federal offices, the work here touches everyday quality of life: sidewalks, traffic flow, storm drains, neighborhood growth. That makes it a powerful and intimate level of government.
Integrity, transparency, energy, and follow-through. Voters deserve public servants who keep their word, communicate clearly, and do the work without self-promotion. Elected officials should be accessible and accountable, not just during campaign season but every day in office. The job is about showing up, listening, and delivering results, especially when nobody’s watching.
City Council Members are trustees of the public’s resources, trust, and long-term vision. The Novi City Council is the legislative and policy making body for the City, and the Council empowers our city staff to administer those policies and visions. The responsibilities are more than just approving budgets and setting policy; the City Council makes decisions that affect residents’ daily lives from roads and development to parks and public safety. The responsibility is not just how we vote on issues, it’s how we engage the community in the process, and how we stay responsive to feedback. Regardless of whether you vote for me, my goal at the end of the day must be to serve our community to the best of my ability and without keeping score.
I had a friend at Novi High School named Chip Switzer, and he was the coolest guy I knew. Played music, held firm to his beliefs, and always tried to make connections with others. We lost Chip far too soon, and while I've thought about the things he hasn't been around for, I also think of that legacy he left behind. When I think of my own, I hope for more time to see it come true. I hope to be remembered as someone who showed up, met people where they were, stood up to bullies, and solved problems. Someone who made my small corner of the world a little better than I found it. If people say, “He heard me, he helped me, and he made things better for me,” that’s a legacy worth leaving.
One of my earliest memories of growing up in Novi was from around the time my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 3. I have memories of our neighbors coming together to help our family and having people look out for us. Like many Milennials, the historical event that defined our childhoods was the attacks on 9/11. I remember being in Ms. Snow's gym class at Deerfield Elementary when the news was breaking.
My first job was working for the Novi School District when I turned 14 in the high school and middle school auditoriums. As the community invested in those programs, I went from running shows to helping with coordinating and managing them, and broadcasting the Board of Education meetings. I was able to keep that job as I worked to put myself through community college, and mentoring the next generation of student technicians.
Easy answer: To Kill a Mockingbird. I first read this book in Mrs. Carmichael's 9th grade English class and remember being instantly drawn into those moments in history when doing what was right was not always doing what was favorable. I often thought about what I would do if I were Atticus Finch, and like many lawyers today, my path to becoming one is firmly rooted in what I learned from that example.
As you could expect: Atticus Finch. Not necessarily even the courtroom idol, but the version who walked his kids through the complex nuance of right and wrong. He reminds us that moral clarity isn’t loud, and courage often looks more like quiet persistence in service of others.
While I think it is beneficial, it is not a requirement at this level. Local government is the most organic level of government because any concerned citizen can become engaged and start organizing their neighbors for positive change. All governments work best when you can have diverse backgrounds and experiences represented.
Strong listening skills, critical thinking, and a commitment to follow-through. City Councilmembers must weigh competing interests, analyze long-term consequences, and remain grounded in the lived experiences of residents. Legal or planning knowledge is helpful, but equally important are the commitment to learning while having humility, empathy, and the discipline to keep showing up, even when there’s no spotlight.
City Council is where policy becomes practice. It’s close to the people, and it has a direct hand in shaping the physical, financial, and social future of our city. Unlike state or federal offices, the work here touches everyday quality of life: sidewalks, traffic flow, storm drains, neighborhood growth. That makes it a powerful and intimate level of government.
State Rep. Kelly Breen
County Commissioner Gwen Markham
Novi Council Member Andrew Mutch
Novi Council Member Brian Smith
Novi Council Member Ericka Thomas
State Senator Rosemary Bayer
State Senator Dayna Polehanki
Novi School Board Trustee Betsy Beaudoin
Novi School Board Trustee Jason Michener
Walled Lake School Board Trustee Susie Crafton
Walled Lake School Board Trustee Ron Lippitt
I was knocking on doors in the Novi Meadows subdivision on Napier Road between Grand River and 10 Mile. I routinely hear from these residents that they feel they don't have true representation anywhere. Leaders don't get what they go through. On this particular day I was approached by a young man who I later found out was a student journalist in the South Lyon schools. He grabbed his notebook and diligently began asking me the hard hitting questions. He was brilliant. I asked him what made him take such an interest in local government, and he told me that it's because he's never had a chance to actually meet someone who wanted to represent him. Before I knew it, several other young students were listening to our conversation. It was a stark reminder of the impact that can be made just by reaching out and showing up.
Up until recently, I would have told you I was most proud of becoming the first lawyer in my family and passing the bar exam on my first try. But ever since August 2023, my proudest accomplishment is being August's dad.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ "Email with Michigan Secretary of State," September 11, 2025
