Michael Hylland (Norton Shores City Council At-large, Michigan, candidate 2025)

Michael Hylland

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Norton Shores City Council At-large

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of Michigan, 1990

Law

Indiana University, 1993

Personal

Birthplace

Muskegon, Mich.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Business owner

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Michael Hylland is running for election to the Norton Shores City Council At-large in Michigan. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Hylland completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Hylland provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 3, 2025:

• Birth date: October 10, 1968
• Birth place: Muskegon, Michigan
• High school: Muskegon Mona Shores
• Bachelor's: University of Michigan, 1990
• J.D.: Indiana University, 1993
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Business Owner
• Prior offices held:
  • City of Norton Shores at Large Council Member (2014-Prsnt)
  • City of Roosevelt Park Council Member (1999-2004)
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Norton Shores City Council At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates are running in the general election for Norton Shores City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Nathan Bair (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Elizabeth Fox (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Christopher P. Halloran (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Michael Hylland (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kiel Reid (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jamie Sowa (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Christine Tabaczka (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Hylland completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hylland's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been on Norton Shores City Council for the past 11 years. Before that I was on the Norton Shores Planning Commission for 7 years and on the Roosevelt Park City Council for 5 years. This varied background in multiple cities and commissions has prepared me to deal with any issue that comes before our council. I view my primary responsibility as your representative on the City Council is to insure your tax dollars are spent wisely. Many people view tax revenue as "government" money, but I know it is as our residents' money so it must be spent to insure our residents benefit

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Using our share of the county senior millage to hire a dedicated officer to investigate senior crime. The county gives each municipality some of the county senior millage to use for their residents. As long as I am on council I will insure we spend our share to fund a dedicated Norton Shores Officer to investigate crimes against senior citizens, including elder abuse and the many telephone fraud scams that target our senior citizens. Since I have voted for this use, our detective has solved hundreds of crimes against our senior citizens.
• Improving our parks and recreation. Norton Shores is widely known for the quality of our public spaces and I will insure that all of our parks remain accessible and beautiful for our residents enjoyment. We have recently build new pickle ball courts and a new pavilion at Ross Park. We purchased roll out mats so people with limited mobility can enjoy the sand and reach the water. We approved a program to save the many hemlock trees affected by a new disease in Lake Harbor park. These are just a few of the many things we have approved to keep out City as one of the top destinations in the state.
• Saving the city from long term bankruptcy. Many cities in Michigan are buried in long term debt due to future pension and retiree health care obligations. Norton Shores used to be on that list. I have worked tirelessly over the last 11 years on City Council to eliminate this burden on our taxpayers. We worked with all of our city employees to come up with a plan that will eliminate this future debt and safeguard all of the benefits promised to our past retirees. We are now on a path to have all of our costs fully funded.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ensuring the taxes we collect are spent wisely for the benefit of the residents of Norton Shores. Keeping Norton Shores a top notch destination for all current and future residents.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Excellent communicator and honesty. Always be able to explain every vote.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The beauty of local government is it is a non-partisan position. Our responsibilities can be boiled down to ensuring the taxes collected from our residents are spent to improve the lives of the people who live and work on our city.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working at our family business, Wood Trucking Company, when I was 14. Other than a few years as an attorney, I'm still here.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Absolutely. The budget process for local government is complex and it takes experience to understand and implement your ideas in a way that doesn't run contrary to governmental accounting.

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.

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