Theresa Rich (Mayor of Farmington Hills, Michigan, candidate 2025)

Theresa Rich

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

---

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Mayor of Farmington Hills

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Graduate

Grand Valley State University

Law

Wayne State University Law School

Personal

Profession

Mayor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Theresa Rich is running for election to the Mayor of Farmington Hills in Michigan. Rich is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.

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

Biography

Theresa Rich provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 29, 2025:

• Associate: Lake Michigan Community College
• Graduate: Grand Valley State University
• J.D.: Wayne State University Law School
• Profession: Mayor
• Prior offices held:
  • Mayor (2023)
  • Oakland Schools Board of Education
  • City Council
• Incumbent officeholder: Yes
• Campaign slogan: Promoting joy, optimism, and resilience.
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Mayor of Farmington Hills

Randy Bruce, Jimmy Lossia, and Theresa Rich are running in the general election for Mayor of Farmington Hills on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Randy Bruce (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jimmy Lossia (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Theresa Rich (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Rich'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

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Theresa Rich and am running for re-election for a second term as Mayor. I like school, having an MBA, JD, PhD, and recently completing an Executive Education Certificate in Public Policy & Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. After retiring from GM nearly a decade ago, I’ve devoted my career to public service on the City Council, the Oakland Schools Board of Education, and various boards and commissions at the local, state, and national levels. I own my law firm and am an adjunct faculty at Wayne State. My leadership is rooted in transparency, collaborative problem solving, and ensuring all are respectfully heard. As Mayor, I prioritize inclusivity by diversifying boards and commission appointments to make sure we hear all voices. I partner with and am supported by elected leaders across the region and country to bring the best ideas, as well as navigate complex challenges and build bridges. I work with anyone who can help make Farmington Hills an even better place for all.

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?

• Farmington Hills must strenghten public safety, expand economic opportunity, and prepare our city facilities for our next half century. I expanded fire department services because minutes matter in an emergency. I make sure first responders have the best training, technology, and resources to keep our community safe.
• I’ve expanded and brought new business to our city, growing our local economy and increasing access to jobs - including in the long neglected Grand River corridor.
• As a Probate attorney and former chair/current member of the Oakland County SAVE taskforce to prevent elder exploitation, I’ve worked for a decade on senior advocacy, ensuring our seniors are able to age in place with dignity. Through these actions, we can build a stronger, more resilient, and equitable future for everyone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Expanding economic opportunity is extremely important, especially in these tumultuous times. As Mayor, I’ve supported small businesses with new grant programs and multilingual outreach, so our business owners reflect the diversity of our city. We invested $1.2 million in technology, helping businesses grow their digital operations. We welcomed Comerica’s HQ, along with 2000 employees. Our Grand River Corridor, a long neglected food desert, is now reimagined and is set up to thrive. I secured more than $33 million invested in road improvements, so both locals and visitors can get to and from our businesses with ease. And I finalized the city’s Master Plan to aid development, so we can continue our progress for years to come.

What do you love most about your city?

I love our strength, resilience, and diversity. We are one of the most diverse cities of our size and one of the best places to live in the US. We have fantastic, international food from locally owned businesses and unique perspectives which help our city develop solutions to complex problems. Our city is growing - new residents are attracted to our quality schools, our green spaces, our evolving business corridors, and our services for the young and old alike. Farmington Hills is where I met my husband, raised my family, and devoted my passion for service. I love our city, and work every day to do right by our amazing people by being present, transparent, and welcoming.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I’m proud of the work I’ve done on behalf of our seniors, ensuring that all can age in place here in our city. I led the award-winning Oakland County SAVE task force to address elder abuse and exploitation. I’ve grown our senior services, providing over 114,000 meals, 106,000 bus rides, 600 holiday packages, dozens of special events, and varied daily programs for the community’s ever-expanding 50 and better population. Up next is a new activities center principally for seniors.

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

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Mayor of Farmington Hills

Website

Facebook