Chris Glasser (Mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan, candidate 2025)
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Chris Glasser ran for election to the Mayor of Kalamazoo in Michigan. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.
Glasser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Chris Glasser provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 9, 2025:
- Birth date: May 22, 1996
- Birth place: Kalamazoo, Michigan
- High school: Comstock High School
- Bachelor's: Western Michigan University, 2021
- Graduate: Western Michigan University, 2023
- Gender: Male
- Profession: Government
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: Together, We Will Do Better
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Instagram
- Campaign X
- Campaign YouTube
- Campaign YouTube video
Elections
General election
General election for Mayor of Kalamazoo
David Anderson, Chris Glasser, and Robert E. Gray ran in the general election for Mayor of Kalamazoo on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| David Anderson (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Chris Glasser (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Robert E. Gray (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 Glasser in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Glasser completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Glasser's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My name is Chris Glasser, and I am running to be the next mayor of Kalamazoo. I am a public servant who believes that our elected officials need to act more like public servants and less like politicians.
I grew up disappointed in elected officials at all levels of government and I understand those who do not trust the government and do not feel like their voices are being hear. I aim to change that.
- Accessibility, Accountability, and Transparency in Government. Citizens need to be able to access city hall, including being able to call into city commission meetings. FOIA requests should be processed promptly and citizen advisory boards should be an integral part of our government. The actions that the city take should be make clear and information should be made readily available to citizens. The more that the public is informed, and the more that they are involved, the better the city will serve its people.
- Public Safety. Our neighbors should feel safe in their homes and they should have confidence in the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. The key to this is communication, transparency, and community engagement.
- Housing. Homelessness in Kalamazoo is up at least 19% this year despite spending approximately $60 million on housing and homelessness across Kalamazoo County over the past 5 years. The most cost effective way to address homelessness is to provide a shelter that follows a housing-first approach that understands that people need reliable shelter before they can address issues like substance abuse, mental health, and employment.
I am passionate about making the city accessible to everyone regardless of the neighborhood that they live in. I want to increase civic engagement, including increasing the amount of people that vote, increasing participation on citizen advisory boards, and increasing the sense of community in general.
I look up to Senator Bernie Sanders. He has been in public service for over 40 years, and he has managed to be consistent in his policies and principles in a way that I have never seen from another politician. He has always stood for bettering the lives of all Americans as well as fighting political and corporate corruption.
Elected officials must be honest, have integrity, treat everyone with respect, and be open to accountability and criticism.
The mayor serves as the head of the city commission and helps craft the agenda. The mayor's vote is equal to that of the six commissioners. It is the city commission's responsibility to approve spending and enact ordinances. As mayor, I would go above and beyond this role. I would be active outside of city chambers and engaging with people across the city. I will work with our partners at the local, state, and federal levels to help accomplish things that we cannot do alone as a city.
I want to leave a legacy of making life better for everyone and inspiring others to do the same.
While not a specific event, I remember as a elementary schooler seeing a sign on the corner of Gull Road and Nazareth that said "I-R-A-Q" in large letters. At the time, I did not know what it meant. It was a weird word that I had never seen before. As I grew older, I realized that it was a sign opposing the war in Iraq.
Technically my first job was detasseling corn, which I did for two summers in high school. However what I would consider my first "real" job was as a sales associate at 5 Below. I was one of the first employees hired for the new store in Portage. I worked there for two years until I turned 18.
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls is my favorite book because it helped form a cornerstone of my political philosophy, notably the concept of the "veil of ignorance".
There are a lot of good characters out there, but I guess I'll go with Mike Ross from Suits. His photographic memory seems like it would be incredible to have.
My weight has always been a struggle. I was most fit in high school where I was a football player and was working out 5 days a week. With a busy life, trying to maintain a balance of exercise and a healthy diet in order to lose weight and become more fit continues to be a challenge for me.
In the context of a mayor, I believe that leadership means listening to their constituents, representing them, and advocating for them both in and out of city hall.
With the city manager being the one that is responsible for handling the day-to-day operations of the city, the mayor should prioritize ensuring that the city manager is competently doing their job and is acting in the best interests of both city employees and citizens alike.
I love the size of Kalamazoo. It is big enough to have all of the stores and local events that I am looking for while still having a small town appeal.
Over the next decade, the city will face uncertainty in funding. Our economy is disproportionately benefitting the wealthy and the city has a limited amount of ways to raise funds. Increasing property taxes is not feasible, as most of our citizens are already living paycheck to paycheck.
The city government should effectively communicate the needs of the community and advocate for policy changes that will benefit its citizens.
The city government should effectively communicate the needs of the community and advocate for policy changes that will benefit its citizens. In addition, with our current political climate, I believe that the city government should resist any attempt by the federal government to violate the constitution and the rights of its citizens.
Ultimately, it is the city manager who oversees the public safety chief, and it is the city commission that oversees the city manager. There is a layer of separation there. Regardless, the mayor should be communicating the concerns of citizens to the chief and ensure that public safety is being maintained. As someone who has worked closely with law enforcement and with criminal justice reform advocates, I hope to bridge the gap and find solutions since I have the ability to understand both perspectives.
The Progressive Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party
Growing up, I wanted to be a police officer. I remember when I was very young, there was a medical emergency at my home and the fire department showed up to assist EMS. I remember my mom telling one of the firefighters that I wanted to be like them when I grew up. I corrected my mom and said "no, I want to be a police officer!" Ironically, years later I became an on-call firefighter with that exact same fire department after being exposed to fire and EMS as a police explorer with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
I am proud of getting my masters degree in public administration. After taking longer than usual to complete my bachelor's degree, I was proud to be able to continue my education in a graduate program.
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
