Sylvia Jordan (Mayor of Southfield, Michigan, candidate 2025)
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Sylvia Jordan is running for election to the Mayor of Southfield in Michigan. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. She was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.[source]
Jordan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Sylvia Jordan provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 4, 2025:
- Birth date: July 19, 1956
- Birth place: Detroit, Michigan
- High school: Cass Technical High School
- Bachelor's: Michigan State University, 1977
- Gender: Female
- Religion: Christian: Nondenominational
- Profession: Administrator
- Prior offices held:
- President Southfield City Council (1997-2015)
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: Building Southfield Better!
- Campaign website
- Campaign endorsements
- Campaign Facebook
- Campaign Instagram
Elections
General election
General election for Mayor of Southfield
Sylvia Jordan and Kenson J. Siver are running in the general election for Mayor of Southfield on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Sylvia Jordan (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Kenson J. Siver (Nonpartisan) | ||
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| = 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 Mayor of Southfield
Ryan Foster, Sylvia Jordan, and Kenson J. Siver ran in the primary for Mayor of Southfield on August 5, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Ryan Foster (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Sylvia Jordan (Nonpartisan) | |
| Kenson J. Siver (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
To view Jordan's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sylvia Jordan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jordan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Beyond public office, I am a successful entrepreneur and founder of several ventures that focus on business development, workforce training, and creating opportunities for others. Through my nonprofit work, I have led initiatives that provided clothing, food, financial literacy programs, and small business support to thousands in our region. My deep commitment to service is shaped by my faith, and my dedication to uplifting families and future generations.
I am running for Mayor because I believe Southfield deserves leadership that is experienced, visionary, and deeply connected to the people. I will focus on revitalizing our city, ensuring fairness and opportunity, strengthening partnerships for public safety, and supporting small and minority-owned businesses. Together, we can build a Southfield that reflects the hopes and dreams of all who call it home. I am a wife, mother, and proud grandmother of two.- Revitalizing Southfield for All Families Southfield deserves vibrant neighborhoods, thriving business districts, and modern amenities that serve all residents young and old, lifelong residents and newcomers. My vision as mayor is to build Southfield better by focusing on development that strengthens our tax base, restores pride in our community, and meets the everyday needs of families. I will work to bring family-friendly dining and entertainment options, and pursue public-private partnerships to finally deliver amenities like a city pool and community center. Our city’s future depends on bold, intentional action to enhance quality of life and ensure Southfield remains a destination where people want to live and work.
- Supporting Business Growth and Economic Opportunity Economic development is key to Southfield’s success. As a longtime entrepreneur and former City Council leader, I understand what it takes to create a business-friendly environment that attracts investment, supports small businesses, and generates good-paying jobs. I will champion policies that make it easier to start, grow, and sustain businesses here-especially small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses. My plan includes streamlining licensing processes, offering incentives for redevelopment, and expanding access to city contracts. I believe that when we grow our local economy in a smart, inclusive way, we can reduce the tax burden on residents while providing growth.
- Building a Safer, Stronger, More Connected Community Public safety and community well-being go hand in hand. I will prioritize stronger partnerships between our police and the people they serve to ensure safety while fostering trust, transparency, and fairness. I believe in prevention as well as protection: supporting youth programs, mental health services, and neighborhood beautification efforts that deter crime and promote community pride. I will also advocate for better essential services like reliable garbage pick-up, snow removal, and road maintenance. These basics matter to the daily lives of every Southfield resident. My goal is to build a city where everyone feels safe, heard, and valued.
Fairness is essential because city government must work for everyone. An elected official should strive to ensure that all residents, regardless of race, age, income, or background have a voice and equitable access to services, programs, and opportunities. Fairness means listening, considering diverse viewpoints, and making decisions that uplift the entire community.
Additionally, the mayor has a duty to be accessible to residents, to listen to their concerns, and to foster collaboration across government, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups. A successful mayor brings people together, builds consensus, and works tirelessly to create a city that is inclusive, equitable, and positioned for long-term success.
A few years later, I was in 7th grade when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Because I was double promoted in 2 earlier grades, I was about 12 years old. I will never forget that moment my English teacher, Mrs. Mann, broke down crying in front of our class. She was inconsolable, and it was the first time I fully understood how one man’s death could impact so many. Dr. King stood for justice, peace, and equality, and his loss was a heartbreaking blow for all who believed in those values. Seeing my teacher’s reaction made me realize the weight of that moment in history, and it deepened my own respect for Dr. King’s legacy.
Leadership at this level means bringing people together to solve problems, whether it’s improving public safety, supporting our schools, strengthening our neighborhoods, or creating jobs. It means managing the city’s resources wisely and transparently, so that every tax dollar is spent with care. Unfortunately, we have seen what happens when leadership fails. The current administration allowed hundreds of homes to be taken from Southfield families through tax foreclosures, and sold those homes to for-profit corporations. That is not leadership — that is betrayal. Leadership means fighting to protect families, not profiting from their hardship.
The mayor’s power to make appointments is also a vital tool for ensuring that city boards and commissions reflect the diversity and talent of our community. These appointments directly shape decisions on housing, development, public safety, and more and they must always be made with transparency, fairness, and the best interests of the community at heart.
I also love Southfield’s location. We are truly at the heart of metro Detroit.Acity that offers the perfect balance of suburban comfort and urban access. Our proximity to major highways, business centers, cultural institutions, and entertainment makes Southfield a great place to live, work, and raise a family. We are uniquely positioned to attract new businesses, support entrepreneurs, and offer residents opportunities that few other communities can match.
And of course, I love the homes, community, and neighborhoods of Southfield. From established subdivisions with beautiful, well-built houses to vibrant apartment communities and townhomes, Southfield offers something for everyone. Our tree-lined streets, parks, and green spaces make this a city where families can thrive. But we must protect this. That’s why it was so heartbreaking to see homes taken from families through tax foreclosures and sold to for-profit corporations displacing residents and weakening neighborhoods. As mayor, I will work to preserve homeownership, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensure that Southfield remains a city where people can build their dreams.
Another major challenge is the redevelopment of Northland. This project could transform our city, our tax bas but only if it’s done right. We need a redevelopment plan that brings good jobs, attracts quality businesses, and provides affordable, inclusive housing. If we don’t get this right, we risk losing a vital opportunity to strengthen our city’s economy and restore community pride.
We also must address the realities of our aging housing stock and infrastructure. Many of our homes, streets, sewers, and public buildings are decades old and in need of repair or renewal. At the same time, Southfield residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the region, and they deserve to see real value for those dollars. That means better-maintained roads, cleaner parks, stronger code enforcement, and city services that truly meet the needs of families and businesses. Too often, residents feel that their high taxes don’t match the level of services and amenities they receive.
It’s important that this relationship is one of open communication. The state should listen to local leaders who understand the unique challenges and opportunities in their communities. Likewise, city officials must actively engage with the state to ensure that Southfield’s voice is heard on critical issues, whether it’s securing funding for road repairs, advocating for fair housing policies, or seeking support for public safety initiatives.
This partnership becomes even more critical as we address major projects like the Northland redevelopment and work to modernize our infrastructure. We also need the state’s partnership in helping cities like Southfield recover from mistakes of the past such as the mishandling of tax foreclosures that harmed families and weakened neighborhoods. Together, we can create policies that protect homeowners, promote economic growth, and strengthen our community.
Whether it’s securing funding for infrastructure improvements, public safety initiatives, housing programs, or economic development, a strong relationship with the federal government allows us to bring valuable resources home to Southfield. This requires open communication, regular advocacy, and a commitment to making sure federal policies work for our city and not against it. It also means ensuring that federal funds are used wisely, transparently, and in ways that truly serve our residents.
At the same time, Southfield should be seen as a reliable and innovative local partner that can help pilot solutions to national challenges at the local level. Whether it’s climate resilience, affordable housing, or workforce development. A positive relationship with the federal government gives us a seat at the table when important decisions are made that affect cities nationwide.
The mayor must provide leadership that sets the tone for ethical, fair, and community-focused policing. That means making sure our officers have the resources, training, and tools they need to do their jobs effectively, while also holding ourselves and our departments accountable to the highest standards of integrity. A strong relationship means working together not only to respond to crime, but also to proactively address its root causes through partnerships with schools, community groups, faith leaders, and residents.
Unfortunately, we have seen what happens when transparency and accountability are lacking. The current administration, under Mayor Ken Siver, took homes from Southfield families through tax foreclosures — many of them Black families — and sold those homes to for-profit corporations. Instead of protecting vulnerable residents, the city profited at their expense, violating the principle that government should serve, not exploit, its people. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that what was done was wrong, but the damage was already done. Oakland County had to bail out the city with $38 million just to keep Southfield from going bankrupt. And today, we feel the impact — with no money for essential services like fixing our city pool, expanding police and fire services, or improving trash collection.
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
