Oakland County Times Publisher Crystal Proxmire Reaches 1,000th Candidate Interview Milestone

(Oakland County Times, Oct. 20, 2026)

Oakland County, MI – Oakland County Times Publisher Crystal Proxmire has reached a significant milestone, completing 1,000 video interviews with candidates running for public office!

What began in 2015 as an effort to help local voters get to know the people seeking to represent them has grown into a countywide resource for voters, with interviews covering races at nearly every level of government.

The very first interview featured William White, who was running for Ferndale City Council. White, who has since passed away, did not win his election, but his interview marked the beginning of what would become a long-running tradition of helping voters make informed decisions.

The second interview featured Raylon Leaks-May, who was also running for Ferndale City Council. Leaks-May won her election and continued her involvement in local government, eventually becoming Mayor of Ferndale.

More than a decade later, the project has grown to include candidates from communities throughout Oakland County and beyond.

With each interview requiring an average of two hours or more for scheduling, filming, editing, posting, sharing, and promoting, the series represents more than 2,000 hours of work. That’s the equivalent of over 83 full days devoted to helping voters get to know their candidates. As of today there are 1045 interviews published.

Leaks-May reflected on the value of the interviews for both candidates and voters, saying “I have found your candidate interviews to be very informative. They provide valuable insight into the candidates, their priorities, and how their backgrounds apply to the roles they are seeking. Having participated as a candidate myself, I also appreciate how these interviews give candidates the opportunity to share their views and allow community members to learn more about the initiatives that matter most to our community.”

Former Oakland County Commissioner Chuck Moss, who represented the Birmingham area and was the candidates interviewed. “Congrats on your 1000 interviews! So I was one of the first; could have fooled me: you were as polished and professional as any veteran,” Moss said. “Glad to see you’re now an established journalistic source. Looking forward to the next couple of thousand.” Moss would later interview Proxmire about her candidate series in his public television show Eye on Oakland.

The annual candidate interview series has included candidates for city and village councils, township boards, library boards, school boards, parks boards, state representative and senate races, congressional races, governor, and even President.

Candidates from any political party, or no party at all, are invited to participate. Candidates who are on the ballot, as well as registered write-ins, are welcome. Every candidate is treated with respect and given a chance to talk about the issues that are important to them.

The interviews are designed to give voters a chance to hear directly from candidates, in their own words, without the interruptions, arguments, or sound bites that can sometimes dominate political conversations.

Oak Park Mayor Marian McClellan, who participated in the interviews during their first year and has participated since, shared that “As a candidate you can talk to a few people on the doors, and to a few people who answer phone calls. You can mail brief information in candidate literature. But in 2015 I was in the first group of candidates to participate in video interviews that asked probing questions.”

“Interested voters can watch their candidates for local public office and listen to their answers. They can compare candidates running for the same office and make an informed decision about which one to support,” McClellan said. “This is such a valuable service to promote informed voting, especially in local municipal elections and school board elections that don’t get media coverage. This is an important public service that only local press covers.”

For candidates, the experience can also be an opportunity to become more comfortable communicating their ideas.

Melanie Piana, who participated in the series while running for reelection to Ferndale City Council in 2017 and later became Mayor of Ferndale, recalled the challenges of learning to communicate her ideas as a candidate.

“Stepping up from private life into public life can be an unsettling journey as you learn to find your voice, particularly for women,” Piana said. “Learning how to talk about what you believe in and convey your message isn’t always easy. My first video was part of us learning how to do this together.”

She added that Proxmire’s approach helps make that process easier for candidates.

“You create a safe, calm, welcoming space where people can be themselves,” she said. “Your kindness and the ease of talking with you make it so much easier for candidates to learn how to be on camera, find their voice, and talk about what they stand for. Most people running for local office aren’t used to giving speeches on camera.”

Piana also emphasized how important access to local candidates is because of how directly local government decisions affect residents.

“I’m so glad you do these. The value and benefit you’ve provided voters is incredible,” Piana said. “We need to know who wants to represent us. So many decisions made at the local level impact how we live in our communities.”

The 1,000th interview featured Sheila Worthy-Williams, a candidate for Oakland County Probate Court Judge. Her interview was posted July 8, 2026.

Though Worthy-Williams did not advance past the primary, she reflected fondly on the experience of being interviewed.

“I had a wonderful experience doing the interview with you. Initially, I was a little nervous but because of your personality and professionalism, I calmed down and just had a lot of fun doing it. You have a way of making people feel very comfortable, including the questions that you ask,” Worthy-Williams said.

For Proxmire, the series is about humanizing local governance.

“It’s easy to belittle people on the internet, or to feel disconnected from the political process. So many people say politicians are corrupt, and many people don’t even vote because they think it’s all just about fighting and power struggles,” Proxmire said. “I want people to realize that most candidates, especially at the local level, are just regular people who are trying to do something good for their community. They’re not just names on a ballot, they’re your neighbors.”

The effort was recognized by the Oakland County Bar Association in 2023 when the organization presented Proxmire with the Allene and Martin Doctoroff Liberty Bell Award.

From William White’s Ferndale City Council interview in 2015 to Sheila Worthy-Williams’ judicial interview in 2026 and all those since, the goal has remained the same: to give people seeking public office a chance to introduce themselves, explain their priorities, and help voters make informed decisions.

And with more candidates continuing to participate each election season, the first 1,045 interviews are just the start of what Oakland County Times plans to do, at least as long as Proxmire’s voice holds up.

Check out this year’s candidate interviews at https://oaklandcounty115.com/2026/05/22/2026-candidate-interviews-and-ballot-proposals/ and support Oakland County Times at https://oaklandcounty115.com/reader-support/.