Michael Brennan recall, University Heights, Ohio (2024-2025)
| Michael Brennan recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Ohio Ohio recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Michael Brennan did not go to a vote in University Heights, Ohio.[1]
An earlier attempt to recall Brennan was ended on June 15, 2024, after recall organizers did not submit signatures by the deadline.[2]
Recall supporters
Both recall efforts were organized by the committee called Moving University Heights Forward. While the committee's membership changed in part between the two efforts, University Heights resident Tina Byer remained a member for both attempts to recall Brennan..[3]
The second recall affidavit stated that Brennan should have been recalled for "prohibitive political activities, including unlawfully blocking and deleting comments (made in response to his Facebook post), (and) targeting for harassment and creating fear for the safety of citizens via social media accounts used for political and or campaign purposes." Byer said the grounds for recall used in the first recall effort, listed below, still apply:[4]
- Unprofessional and inappropriate behavior, as well as continued defamation established towards city employees, guests and members of city council in public forums;
- Ordering directors to violate Ohio Revised Code 733.06 under threat of suspension or dismissal if they met and spoke with council about budget issues;
- Expensive litigation costs generated by delay in resolving civil and federal court actions taken against the city for First Amendment violations;
- Failure to follow legal rulings of the law director and associated Ohio Revised Code requirements;
- Failure to provide oversight of the building department, resulting in plans for Chick-fil-A being presented to the planning and zoning commission for approval without adherence to city building codes;
- Ordinances and resolutions not being implemented as legally binding actions approved by city council;
- And multiple city contracts do not comply or follow any generally accepted end-to-end process from request for proposal to the completion of work.
Recall opponents
In a response to the second recall effort, Brennan said, "As mayor, indeed, as a citizen of this city and community, I have opinions on matters of public interest. As a community leader, I share those opinions. Sometimes, I share those opinions with eloquence, and sometimes I fail to do so. Which is why I took down some comments that were unclear and therefore misunderstood."[3]
Brennan said the first recall was over the celebration of Juneteenth in University Heights. He said, "Diversity Day is not a federal holiday; Juneteenth’s a federal holiday. One in four people in our community are Black. We had some very racist things said at a finance community meeting two weeks ago and then a council meeting last week and just a few days later they’re trying to recall me."[5]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Ohio
No specific grounds are required for recall in Ohio. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from qualified electors equal to 15% of the votes cast at the most recent regular municipal election. Supporters of the recall have 90 days to circulate petitions from the day the first signature is collected.[6]
A recall affidavit was submitted on December 2, 2024.[3]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Ohio
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "University Heights mayor swears at councilman before storming out of meeting," April 1, 2025
- ↑ Cleveland Jewish News, "University Heights mayor says he’s ready to move past recall effort," June 20, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cleveland.com, "Another attempt is under way to recall University Heights’ Mayor Brennan," December 3, 2024
- ↑ Cleveland Jewish News, "University Heights PAC focuses efforts on recalling Mayor Brennan," March 18, 2024
- ↑ WOIO, "Recall drive for the mayor has begun in University Heights," March 11, 2024
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "Section 705.92: Procedure for removal of elective officer by recall." accessed October 17, 2023
