'We Exist and Matter Here': Mike McGuinness on Serving Pontiac as Its First Openly Gay Mayor

McGuinness reflects on leadership, visibility and what representation means in a city working to redefine itself

Nick Fulton

Published: January 7, 2026 | Last Updated: January 7, 2026

On Oct. 29, just days before Pontiac's mayoral election, City Council candidate Dawn Hannah grabbed a microphone at a local nightclub and urged the crowd to vote against Mike McGuinness. Her reason? To prevent the election of a "gay white man."

Pontiac voters delivered their verdict on Nov. 5. McGuinness defeated Kermit Williams by roughly 10 points in the highest voter turnout the city had seen in 25 years or more, making Pontiac one of just a handful of cities nationwide led by an openly LGBTQ+ mayor.

"I saw Mike go through all of that and win. And he so deserves it. Mike is opening a lane and paving the way for other LGBTQ+ people. And it creates hope and possibilities. He does that for me," said Shelton Martin, a Pontiac voter.

"The campaign was a marathon. And just as I have done in my elected and professional roles now and in the past, I gave it my all, stayed positive, put in the work and it paid off," McGuinness told Pride Source.

McGuinness' path to the mayor's office includes a long list of professional milestones and public service experiences that continue to shape the new mayor's passion for leadership.

His history of making history stretches back two decades. "Back at Oakland University, I was the first openly gay elected student body president. Twenty years ago. So it's a trend I've kept going," McGuinness said.

After graduating from Oakland University, McGuinness worked in federal politics under then-Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14). He now calls Lawrence a mentor whose guidance and stewardship helped shape his career.

"[Congresswoman Lawrence] mentored me, hired me and really took me under her wing and taught me a ton about public service, including everyone's voices... She has been a mentor and role model for a number of us openly LGBTQ+ local leaders," McGuinness said. He added that Lawrence has also served as a mentor to congressional candidate Jeremy Moss.

McGuinness first made history in 2016, when he was elected to the Pontiac School District Board of Trustees, becoming the city's first out LGBTQ+ elected official. He later served as board president in 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, McGuinness was elected Pontiac City Council president, a role he credits with preparing him for the city's top executive office.

"So I'm not an outsider who's unfamiliar with the different moving parts of the city operations, but I'm also not the current guy. So there was this interesting dynamic of me being both the continuation and stability candidate, but also being the change candidate and how I would bring fresh, energetic leadership to the new role," McGuinness said.

Pontiac is on a positive upward trajectory, and McGuinness spent much of his campaign time strategizing about how to keep the city moving forward while picking up the pace.

He praised current Mayor James Greimel for helping deliver record funding for the city from state, federal, county and foundation sources.

But McGuinness also identified a key area for improvement.

"My compliment, and my constructive criticism, is that the pace of implementing those projects has not been as brisk as it should be or could have been on a number of fronts.” He added that communication has also been lacking from the mayor’s office to residents.

McGuinness' success has drawn national attention from organizations focused on LGBTQ+ representation in elected office.

"Mike McGuinness' election marks a historic milestone for Pontiac and for LGBTQ+ representation. As the city's first out LGBTQ+ elected official, he has already delivered real results by stabilizing finances, driving economic development and expanding affordable housing," Evan Low, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, said in a statement to Pride Source.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund works to elect pro-equality, pro-choice candidates who are openly LGBTQ+ and was among several organizations endorsing McGuinness' campaign, alongside the United Auto Workers — which represents more than 391,000 active members nationally including over 1,200 workers at UAW Local 653 in Pontiac — and the Michigan Building Trades, representing nearly 100,000 construction workers statewide.

Martin said his enthusiasm for McGuinness' campaign came from his authenticity. "I've just never seen somebody so passionate and just so sincere about everything. That's why I was really team Mike from the start," said Martin.

McGuinness' candidacy was also endorsed by a wide slate of local leaders, including state Sen. Rosemary Bayer, Oakland County commissioner Gwen Markham and the Rev. Yolanda Whiten.

For McGuinness, representation is crucial on multiple levels.

"Pontiac is sometimes not seen as a hospitable place or a place where many LGBTQ+ community members may be, but for generations, there's been a sizable population and queer-owned businesses here. Hopefully, my continued leadership roles in Pontiac communicates to our region and state that it is safe here, we are welcomed, and we exist and matter here," he said.

He also emphasized the intersectionality within Pontiac's LGBTQ+ community.

"We have an incredibly diverse population of African-American, Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian and Arabic Pontiac residents. There are queer community members in Pontiac from all of those diverse backgrounds. That's part of the myth to be dispelled, that being LGBTQ+ comes in one shape, size, color or creed. That's just not reality, and that has never been the reality in Pontiac. We have an extremely diverse LGBTQ+ population here, and it's part of our city's strength."

McGuinness recognizes the weight of his historic position.

"I recognize that for some, for a substantial portion of my overall population of our city, I am demonstrating and modeling how an openly gay public servant is representing and serving and leading them and their family, as well as LGBTQ+ residents and businesses," he said.

He drew parallels between his journey and that of his mentor, Lawrence.

"She was the first woman to be mayor of Southfield. She was the first African-American to be mayor of Southfield. She had a lot of people looking to her, judging how she'd do. There will be people looking at me: What will he do? How will he do? I've got to deliver a superb job to do right by me, my name and the community I hail from."

Despite the decisive victory, the campaign was not without hostility toward McGuinness' identity as an openly gay man.

"It was unfortunate. But it also, in a way, was cathartic because those conversations [in regard to sexuality] had been out there with some voters and were talked about in hushed tones. So it put it out there and shed sunlight on it. And voters had to contend with that question for themselves. And the community collectively had to make that judgment call," McGuinness said.

He acknowledged the likely impact on some voters.

"Ultimately, I think it did make my election more challenging... there were likely voters that may have gone for me this time, if not for that aspect of me. They might have thought I was experienced and qualified and would do a great job, but, that's a problem for them," McGuinness said.

Voters ultimately did make that judgment — and not in favor of McGuinness' opponent. Hannah's bid for City Council was unsuccessful, a result McGuinness said he was grateful for. "It would have been a wild dynamic if I had to serve alongside this person who very vocally was rallying opposition to me because of my sexuality," he said.

Mayor-Elect Mike McGuinness with constituent Tamara Orza-Ramos of Pontiac at his Election Night victory party. Courtesy photo — Mayor Mike McGuinness with constituent Tamara Orza-Ramos of Pontiac at his Election Night victory party. Courtesy photo

Looking ahead

As the campaign season winds down, McGuinness' work is just beginning.

"I have a lot to do, but I am very enthusiastic about the meaningful work that's before me. I've assembled a transition team, I'm conducting interviews for potential leadership hires and I'm proactively charting out innovative policy and program strategies that I hope to implement," McGuinness noted.

He said his first priority as mayor will be strengthening capacity at City Hall by improving Pontiac's operational infrastructure.

Among his key priorities outlined on his campaign website is creating a dedicated youth recreation center — "a safe, positive space where our kids can engage in sports, arts, mentorship and community activities."

He also pledged during the campaign to convene a roundtable of workforce development stakeholders to build a citywide action plan for job training and educational opportunities.

On senior services, he promised to expand programming and remodel gathering areas at the Bowens Senior Center and Ruth Peterson Center.

Another key focus will be how the city supports communities that continue to be targeted by lawmakers at both the state and national levels. The ACLU is tracking 21 active anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Michigan and 616 nationwide, most of which target transgender people.

McGuinness said navigating that reality will remain an ongoing responsibility, including for the thousands of immigrant neighbors in Pontiac.

"How can I keep them safe? How can I help navigate the constantly shifting federal policy winds underneath our feet? And how do I engage and hear and uplift their voices in this vulnerable and uncertain time?" are among the questions McGuinness is considering while charting his priorities for 2026.

McGuinness' victory carries particular significance for a city whose identity has long been defined by its working-class roots and union halls. This is a blue-collar Midwestern community where factory shifts shaped generations of families — not the kind of place where political observers might expect to see LGBTQ+ leadership take hold.

Yet Michigan itself has been on a progressive trajectory, expanding Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act protections to LGBTQ+ residents and establishing the state's first LGBTQ+ commission. McGuinness' election exists at the intersection of these two realities: a state moving steadily toward inclusion and a city with deep ties to an industry and culture often coded as traditionally masculine and conservative.

That he won decisively, with the backing of the UAW and building trades unions whose members built this city, suggests something shifting in places like Pontiac — not despite its working-class character, but perhaps because of a working-class politics increasingly focused on solidarity across differences.

"His deep community roots and positive vision for revitalizing neighborhoods and the historic downtown make his leadership invaluable for Pontiac's future," Low said.

McGuinness says his administration will focus on accelerating Pontiac's momentum.

"Pontiac is on a positive upward trajectory. And I spent a lot of my time speaking to and strategizing about how we can keep moving forward, but pick up the pace," McGuinness said.

McGuinness' victory was one of 115 winning campaigns endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund in 2025, including four others in Michigan: Drew Duncan and Jacqueline Slayby in Kalamazoo and Denzel Anton McCampbell and Gabriella Santiago-Romero in Detroit.

Amid a national rise in anti-LBGTQ+ political rhetoric, McGuinness' election stands as a powerful marker of progress and a sign of what is possible in Pontiac, in Michigan and across the country.