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Nicole Hefty (Livonia City Council At-large, Michigan, candidate 2025)
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Nicole Hefty ran for election to the Livonia City Council At-large in Michigan. She was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.[source]
Hefty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Nicole Hefty provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 4, 2025:
- Birth place: Royal Oak, Michigan
- High school: Warren Mott High School
- Bachelor's: Western Michigan University, 2008
- Graduate: Western Michigan University, 2016
- Other: Harvard University, 2024
- Gender: Female
- Profession: Nonprofit Professional
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: A Hefty Win for Livonia
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
General election
General election for Livonia City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates are running in the general election for Livonia City Council At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Patrick Brockway (Nonpartisan) | ||
| James D. Hooper (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Steve King (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Eileen McDonnell (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Kathleen E. McIntyre (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Jenny O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Robin Persiconi (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Kayleigh Kavanagh Reid (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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Livonia City Council At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Livonia City Council At-large on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Steve Alexander (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Patrick Brockway (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Jaclyn Graham (Nonpartisan) | |
| Nicole Hefty (Nonpartisan) | ||
| James D. Hooper (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Frances G. Janis (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Marlene L. Katafias (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Alex King (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Steve King (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Rola Makki (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Eileen McDonnell (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Kathleen E. McIntyre (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Brian P. Meagher (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Jenny O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Robin Persiconi (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Nicholas Pickard (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Kayleigh Kavanagh Reid (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Adam A. Stathakis (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Yvette Warren (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
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Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nicole Hefty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hefty's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Nicole Hefty is a tenacious public servant with a track record of delivering results. Her fundraising acumen is nearly unmatched, having secured over $40 Million in funding for municipal infrastructure and parks, and more than $5 Million for nonprofit organizations and small businesses.
- Livonia deserves accountable leadership. I bring a proven record of financial stewardship and data-driven decision-making with years of public service. If elected, I will create the Livonia Performance Transparency Dashboard, tracking all major projects and initiatives that come through council as well as linking to other city sites.
- People over Policy -- everyone matters, and when we prioritize those who are most vulnerable, it tends to lift everyone up. I support policies which allow our seniors to age in place (as desired/able), remain active, and get where they need to go. I will champion any policy that prioritizes respite for caretakers, mental health services for kids, and sliding-scale childcare arrangements for working families.
- Thriving neighborhoods. Every neighborhood should have walking access to local park within 10 minutes. City services should be responsive regardless of zipcode. I will advocate for green spaces, improvement of infrastructure, and mitigation of flooding. I will also advocate for polices which shift heavy truck traffic away from our neighborhoods and school streets.
Ethics in governance, campaign finance reform, budget management, fiscal responsibility, performance measurement and accountability, Infrastructure investments, green infrastructure, Urban tree canopy expansion, climate resilience planning, crisis management, Air and water quality improvement, Equitable park access, affordable housing for seniors. affordable housing for veterans, afforable housing for all, Code enforcement overhaul, Reinvestment and revitilization in underinvested areas, Data-driven policing, community policing, cyber crime, domestic violence advocacy, emergency preparedness, expanded mental health services for all, Fire/Rescue resource allocation improvements, ordinance modernization, IT modernization, training
I once had the opportunity to see Pete Buttigieg speak and he said "real change happens on the local level," and I completely agree. Every American is interested in the office of the President of the United States, but too few care about the President of the City Council. It is that president which can determine what developments move in across the street from your home, or the proportion of taxes for your small business. This panel of people decides what time to allow noise, whether to permit fireworks, and confirms mayoral appointees -- who will then run each city department.
I recommend the TV show "Parks and Recreation" to understand my passion and unrelenting energy to fight for what is right-- and my sense of humor. The West Wing is the TV show that best showcases my political views and often, inner turmoil about policy. My financial acumen may not exactly mirror but comes close to Elizabeth Warren's book "Persist."
Public officials should be representative of those they serve and be open to the opinions and will of the people. They should never take a middle-of-the-road stance on important issues, and always be prepared with a "Plan B," even if it is just a suggestion. They should always be willing to "show the reciepts" and not be offended when asked. At minimum, they should know details of the policies they pass.
I am uniquely qualified for this role because I have been on the other side as a municipal appointee. I know the standards we should hold our municipal directors to because I set the standard for the directors I worked with. Conversely, I started my career working with survivors of DV/SA who were homeless as a result, and I walked with them through their struggles to navigate the systems this role governs (protection orders, records). The perspective I bring is unlike any other candidate. I was adopted, came from a low-resourced family, am neurodivergent, LBGT, and the first person in my family to have a white collar job. I worked [very] odd jobs through high school, college, and graduate school and made all the commensurate mistakes of a person without a safety net. I had to learn through flawed practice how to navigate to this point, and I am still going to make mistakes along the way. The only mistake I will never make is turning my back on people and their needs. People first, always.
A city council member is responsible over the city's budget, ensuring expenditures are within the intention of the city and to the betterment of its residents. It is also within the purview of council to address, examine, and seek out conflicts of interest as well as speak existence of such conflicts. Council is the "checks and balances" of the city, not only by budget but also in performance -- this means that council can call Department Heads to chambers for questions related to city business, holding them accountable to their duties. Council cannot spend money, hire/terminate, or 'supervise' department heads. Council is the "policy body" to the Mayoral "administrative body."
I do not have the ambition to be known for politics. If one day someone is sitting in a park I helped create and they wonder how it all came to be, that is good enough recognition for me.
The legacy I would love to leave is as a Mackenzie Bezos-level philanthropist, but I will never have means to that extent.
The legacy I would love to leave is as a Mackenzie Bezos-level philanthropist, but I will never have means to that extent.
I spent a month working at my uncle's restaurant in Northern Michigan. I was 14 and learned a lot of important life skills in his kitchen. First and foremost: garlic is everything. He and his chefs taught me knife skills, how to shop for produce, and how to work as a team.
I have a pretty great bookshelf and I feel like I'd betray it by just choosing one.
My favorite text book (I teach at WMU): Essentials of Public Service by Mary Guy
YA book series: The Hunger Games
Fiction: House of Leaves by Mark Danielzewski
"Short skirt, long jacket" by Cake. It is oddly applicable!
Taking credit for things I do and celebrating the wins. I did not come from a family that told me "you can be anything you want to be," my family often said "you gotta do what you gotta do." My grandparents were not supportive of my higher education for their own reasons. On the day I left for college, my grandfather encouraged me to consider keeping my full time job at Target instead of leaving for school because "you could work your way up to CEO." His sincerity was as deep as the blue of his eyes, making it hard but important to leave.
Celebrating my "wins" is difficult for me because I move my own goal post further ahead every time I get close. This is why I appreciate working on teams and look forward to being a council member.
Celebrating my "wins" is difficult for me because I move my own goal post further ahead every time I get close. This is why I appreciate working on teams and look forward to being a council member.
City Council approves the appointees of the mayor, much like congress approves department heads for a presidential administration. This is of huge importance because they can ask questions of the appointees prior to approval to ascertain their expertise for the role. If the council is not satisfied, they do not have to approve the candidate.
It is important for me to convey that a lot of folks believe council's responsibilities extend far beyond what they do. Council cannot spend money, direct funds, or start independent initiatives.
It is important for me to convey that a lot of folks believe council's responsibilities extend far beyond what they do. Council cannot spend money, direct funds, or start independent initiatives.
Experience is always a benefit, but not really a requirement. Local government is supposed to be representative of the people in the city, and the vast majority have no experience working or interacting with local government on a regular basis. Anyone who is passionate about the city should run for this office, but they should also take steps to educate themselves as to the responsibilities and expectations of the office. Council is the "politics" part of the politics/administration binary that exists in government, whereas the Mayoral body (appointees, city staff) make up the "administration." It is not in council's purview to "do the things," because that is administration's responsibility.
In this role there are "soft" and "hard" skills needed. Soft skills include working with all kinds of people and being able to handle your own sense of overwhelm at that. You also need to have empathy for people who are sharing their stories and asking for help, this includes paying attention to folks, making eye contact, and taking note. Other important skills: curiosity, analytical nature, ability to see both sides of an argument, open-mindedness, and a certain degree of selflessness.
To me, Council should be a connector with the community, local business, nonprofit organizations, and the administration. Each council member should represent a wide range of resident interests, overlapping with other members. This form of government is important and unique for its ability to advance or decline administrative initiatives. A very informed council has the ability to catch issues in policy as they arise.
Transparency is the foundation of public trust, but it is also an over-used term that is rarely applied correctly. Residents deserve to know how decisions are made, where their money goes, and what outcomes city programs achieve. I’ve built real-time dashboards tracking my own project financial performance and outcomes because I know clear, accessible information empowers residents to hold their leaders accountable. On City Council, I will fight for open data initiatives, regular public reporting, and meaningful community engagement so every resident can see — and shape — the work of their local government.
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
