By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published October 10, 2025
ROSEVILLE — A Roseville artist who has found himself at the center of several controversies — including attempts to save the former Sacred Heart church from becoming a gas station — has entered the city’s mayoral race.
Edward Stross announced on his Facebook page Sept. 19 that he had entered the race as a write-in candidate.
“Our City Council has no fear of the voters, because there’s no one else to vote for,” he said. “They seem to be doing things against the citizens’ will.”
Stross said he was encouraged to run because he feels someone with an opposing view needs to be on the council.
“I’m not going to sit in a corner of the council and be a yes-man, and I think that is extremely important right now,” he said. “We need someone with an opposing view that has a strong voice, on the council, as mayor.”
Since filing, Stross has taken to posting on Facebook and hosting nightly Facebook Live videos to build his campaign and talk about issues facing the city. He also talks openly to anyone who approaches him while working at his Gratiot Avenue studio.
Stross, whose only experience in local government was serving on the city’s Downtown Development Authority when it was first established, is challenging Robert Taylor, Roseville’s current mayor.
Taylor has served as the city’s mayor since 2015. Before that, he was appointed to the City Council in 2005. He also serves as the chairman of the city’s retirement and zoning boards, and is the chair of the Southeast Macomb Sanitary District and the Southeast Disposal Authority.
Taylor also has a history of working in law enforcement.
Stross — in addition to promises of creating no new taxes, fighting blight and reforming the DDA, among other things — said even though he supports the Police Department, he wants to make Roseville “less of a police state.”
“We’ve been a police state way too long,” he said, mentioning the police backgrounds of city leaders past and present. “I’m all for the police,” he said. “I love them doing their job. They should be doing that kind of job with other aspects of our city. We need a more friendly approach to people that come into our city.”
Stross also believes the city’s code enforcement should be more willing to help residents, instead of handing out citations.
Taylor, however, said the city’s Fire and Police departments, as well as code enforcement, are some of the things he’s the most proud of.
“I think our Police Department is probably one of the best police departments in the country,” Taylor said. “Our officers do a great job. Some people complain about them, and that’s because they’re doing their job.”
Taylor also said it would be impossible for the city’s code enforcement officers — of which he said there are only about four — to assist every resident in the city.
“I think we have four code enforcement officers, and that would be totally impossible,” he said. “There are organizations in the city that do that. … All you have to do is ask them, and that’s the problem with a lot of people in the community.”
Taylor said in addition to county organizations, many church groups in Roseville are willing to help residents who need it.
While the two candidates disagree on the city’s Police Department, they both agree on addressing blight in the city.
“I would like to start a Blight Busters volunteer group that goes around the city cleaning up the blight,” Stross said. “To me, it’s quicker just to fix it instead of taking the person to court, doing all this, without even knowing the story.”
In addition to having the city’s code and blight enforcement making sure residents are keeping things like hedges and grass trimmed, Taylor said the city’s Building Department has been working hard to bring new businesses into the city, helping to fill vacancies when businesses have closed.
“We’re trying to bring businesses in here the best we can,” Taylor said. “We’re a couple years past COVID, and things are starting to move more in a positive direction.”
In the end, both candidates say they have the city’s best interests at heart.
“I am not going to stop until I see the changes that need to be done,” Stross said. “I will fight just as hard for the city as I did for Sacred Heart Church, and at the moment, it’s still standing.”
Taylor said he plans to continue building on the work he’s already done in the city.
“We’ve got a great community here. We really do,” Taylor said.
The winner of the Nov. 4 election will serve a four-year term. In addition to the mayoral race, residents will also be asked to vote on City Council members.