When long-time councilmember Michele Weiss was elected to serve as University Heights’ next mayor on Nov. 4, 2025, her history of sparring with former Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan was well-known. This tension continued into the transition period, when Brennan sent a memo to city directors stating that he would not meet with Weiss. A month later, Brennan attempted to ban Weiss from city buildings after claiming she was trying to implement staffing changes before being sworn in. Weiss maintains she was merely warning city employees of planned structural changes to a position. Now, three months into her first term as mayor, Weiss says she is putting the past behind her, while focusing on city culture, infrastructure and new municipal buildings.
Emphasizing the importance of community, Weiss previewed her plans for improving city and administrative culture in University Heights. These include a continuation of the city’s current seasonal programming like The Summer Concert Series and an expansion of programming aimed at various age ranges. Among these is a robust series of programs aimed at senior residents. The city has partnered with The Cleveland Heights Community Center to offer daily programming to seniors. University Heights has also joined The Community Partnership on Aging, a non-profit which offers social services and more to seniors across the Cleveland area.
Weiss is also expanding youth programming. Weiss said, “One thing I’m really excited about is our city is going to be holding two sensory awareness nights at the pool.” The event will include lowered lighting and no music to accommodate those with sensory issues. The city also hosted its first Easter egg hunt on Sunday, March 29th. Finally, Weiss says the city is in the beginning stages of partnering with John Carroll University to re-launch “A Series of Discoveries,” a program exploring different cultures within University Heights.
Weiss says city culture has two components: resident culture and the culture of city employees. Upon taking office, Weiss brought city directors and city council members to a leadership event hosted by a professional leadership coach. “It kind of gave everybody an opportunity, in a relaxed environment, to kind of get to know each other a little better,” Weiss said. The city will also be offering bi-annual professional development to leaders and elected officials. Asked about the state of city government when she entered office, Weiss noted, “I will never ask them [the city employees] how they felt beforehand… but I can tell you right now that everything is smooth and things are getting done.”
During Brennan’s time as mayor, the relationship between the city council and the mayor’s office was frequently tense and Brennan was censured twice. Reverend Dr. Vincent Stokes II is a freshman councilmember who entered office on the same day as Weiss. According to Stokes, relations between Weiss and council members have been constructive. Stokes said “She is very transparent and I think that’s directly related to her having been on council and being the vice mayor for so long.” Stokes stated that Weiss maintains open communication with council members 6 days a week. On Saturdays, Weiss, the first known female orthodox Jewish mayor in the country, is offline to observe Shabbat. Weiss cites Vice Mayor John Rach as an important facilitator between council and the mayor. Weiss said, “It’s like a different world right now… I let them know if… there’s something important happening in the city.”
Weiss is also prioritizing infrastructure improvements in the city, including newly paved roads and updated technology in traffic signals. “It means that our cars won’t be sitting at lights long because they’ll be timed appropriately,” Weiss elaborated. Elsewhere, the city is also working on sewage projects funded by government grants.
In particular, Weiss highlights funding new municipal buildings as a major but “lofty” goal of her first term. The current buildings feature cramped spaces and have long been considered out of date. Weiss calls them “embarrassing.” The city has hired a lobbying firm to seek out federal grants to fund the project. Weiss believes that if the firm can secure 12-14 million dollars in federal funding, the city can contribute another three to four million to complete the project. Weiss is placing first priority on new fire and police buildings, with hopes of a new city hall later down the line. Stokes believes that if a new fire station is built, the old one can serve as new council chambers. “I really think that we can get it done somehow,” Weiss concluded.
On a lighter feather, Weiss’ first few months may be disappointing for fans of Cooper the Chicken, University Heights’ fowl brand ambassador since 2018. “The chicken is not staying,” Weiss said, laughing. “Right now Cooper is kind of taking a break. If I get a lot of requests we can revisit it.”
Weiss’ first three months have been a period of both continuity and change, but one she says would not have been possible without the team surrounding her. “I’m really honored to work with them… I don’t think I really thought about that beforehand, but I’m really proud to be working with this group of people.”
