LEFT: Michael Webb. RIGHT: Kristy Cales.
By: Andy Kozlowski | Madison-Park News | Published August 14, 2025
HAZEL PARK — The race for mayor of Hazel Park will be a contested one this fall.
Michael Webb, the mayor of Hazel Park, is seeking reelection Nov. 4, while Kristy Cales, a former member of the Hazel Park Public Schools Board of Education, is running as his opponent.
Council members Luke Londo and Alissa Sullivan are also running for reelection, but they are unopposed.
The role of mayor is a four-year term. Webb has held the position since 2017, but his time on the City Council dates back even further, to 2001.
As for Cales, she served on the school board from 2017 to 2022. She then resigned to accept a role as the district’s director of human resources, a position she still holds today.
Webb has been a resident of Hazel Park for around 40 years. He has owned and operated Taylor Auto Maintenance for around 20 years. He and his wife also have two adult daughters, themselves Hazel Park homeowners. One of them is raising Webb’s grandson.
“I think as a city, we’re moving forward in a positive direction,” Webb said. “We have many entrepreneurs moving into our community, opening new businesses. We’ve been working on housing, too, creating more opportunity, with up-to-date homes that are more affordable for those who may have a little less income. We’re trying to make our main streets more walkable and more bikeable; we’re keeping the streets clean and safe with strong police and fire.”
Cales said she has lived in the city since 2003. She is raising two sons: the oldest recently graduated and the youngest starts at Hazel Park High School this fall. Prior to serving as the HR director for the school district, she had more than 20 years of experience managing operations for an automotive supplier.
She was also deeply involved in the community as a volunteer, serving on the PTA at United Oaks Elementary, coaching various sports at the Hazel Park Recreation Center, and leading a Cub Scouts group.
Cales said she appreciates the current administration and City Council, but she said she would like to be involved so she can keep a close eye on the city’s finances, keeping residents apprised of how their tax dollars are being spent. This would include a push for more communications outside of social media, since not all residents are online.
“I think sometimes a change in leadership is necessary, if only for a fresh set of eyes and new ideas,” Cales said. “It’s nothing to fear, and it certainly can’t hurt.”
She said she appreciates the city’s public safety services and public works, but she feels more can be done, adding events and amenities that are attractive to young families like her own.
She also feels that her work experience has prepared her for the role. She has managed contract negotiations with personnel, both in her past career in the automotive industry and in her current career as HR director for the schools.
As a school board member from 2017 to 2022, she also helped steer the district out of deficit and off a state watchlist.
“We had a nice fund balance for a while, and we reinvested that balance back into staff so that their salaries were more competitive,” Cales said. “We were able to catch up some of the lost wages for those groups, and this helped retain talent.”
Webb has his own share of experience navigating tough times. As a member of the council since the turn of the century, he saw Hazel Park through thick and thin, including the housing crisis and recession, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
He and the rest of City Council had to make difficult decisions, but Webb feels it paid off, citing developments on the north and south ends of John R Road, as well as along Nine Mile Road. Hazel Park remains financially stable, even as state revenue sharing dwindles, and the cost of everything rises due to inflation.
“We don’t sit back — we work hard on the City Council,” Webb said. “We’re trying to make the best of every situation we can. And we all listen to the residents.
“We’ve budgeted reserves in place to prepare for any catastrophic needs, so our residents can feel safe about that,” he added. “We’re trying to avoid any situation where we’re dead broke. We want to keep our home values, our viability here. If you don’t have a good base fund, you can’t do that. So, as mayor I’ve worked hard to work out these funds. With the help of staff, I feel we’ve done just that.”
Come Nov. 4, voters will decide whether to stay the course or try something new.