University Heights Mayor Slams Council Over New $75 Parking Fines, Calls Ordinance “Regressive”

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan is publicly condemning City Council’s recent decision to triple parking fines, calling the move punitive and unfair to residents with limited means. The ordinance, passed May 5, 2025, raised the cost of a standard parking ticket from $25 to $75 and includes automatic escalations if the fine is not paid within 30 or 60 days.

“The idea of charging anyone $75 for a parking ticket is an imposition on people with limited means,” Brennan stated in a Facebook post. “Most of the time, if not all the time, a $75 fine is disproportionate to the seriousness of the violation.”

According to Brennan, neither he nor Police Chief Rogers requested the increase. The legislation, known as Ordinance 2025-13, was introduced by Councilmember Threse Marshall and seconded by Councilmember Sheri Sax. It passed by council vote and went into effect without the mayor’s signature.

Under the ordinance, a $75 ticket doubles to $150 after 30 days. After 60 days, additional collection costs are imposed. Brennan criticized the structure as a financial trap for low-income residents. “People who couldn’t afford a $75 ticket when they received it will soon owe hundreds of dollars over a single parking violation,” he said. “This is regressive, and most unfair to those people who can least afford to pay the fine.”

Brennan also linked the fine hike to a larger issue, which is the city’s long-standing parking shortage, particularly around John Carroll University. He accused Council of blocking a proposed parking garage that JCU had planned as part of its Gateway North development. The university later scrapped those plans in favor of limited surface parking, which Brennan said fails to address the city’s broader needs.

“In raising the fines, Councilmembers said they wanted JCU to solve the parking problem,” Brennan wrote. “However, JCU tried. JCU did propose a parking garage… But Council members (John Rach especially) opposed the proposed parking garage.”

He criticized what he described as a contradictory stance, penalizing residents while obstructing infrastructure solutions. “It is unfair for the City Council to be punishing people with higher fines to encourage JCU to solve the parking problem while opposing parking garages whenever JCU proposes them,” he said.

The ordinance has triggered debate among residents. Some support stricter enforcement. “Regardless of the parking situation, maybe follow the law and you won’t get a ticket?” commented one resident. Others called the law short-sighted. “I am not allowed to pull onto the grass in front of my house when a contractor is here working,” replied another. “There is no street parking allowed. It's stupid and short-sighted.”

Additional safety concerns were raised regarding sidewalk access near JCU during construction. Resident Julie Iammarino described the area as dangerous for runners and children, noting the absence of usable sidewalks near busy student exit routes. “They should move the fence off of the sidewalk,” she commented. Brennan responded that sidewalks are generally supposed to be accessible during construction and said he would investigate the issue.

Some residents questioned the Council’s resistance to a parking garage. “What’s the beef with a parking garage? Why is council opposed?” asked Cristy Evangelista. Another resident, Batya Muskal, said enforcement alone is not solving the problem. “$25 just doesn’t deter the students from blocking the fire hydrant or the apron of our driveway. It’s daily. All day.”

Brennan also took aim at Councilmember John Rach for spreading what he called “a lie” about the mayor’s departure from the County Planning Commission. Brennan said his term ended as planned and was rotated to another Heights mayor by mutual agreement with County Executive Chris Ronayne. He criticized Rach for attempting to deflect from Council’s stalled work on zoning code reforms, stating that the Rach-Weiss-Weizer committee met only four times in 16 months and failed to produce recommendations.

“The committee of Rach/Weiss/Weizer failed to make any formal or final recommendations,” Brennan said. “Mr. Rach declared his intention to stall the work further until the next mayor takes office.”

A full draft of the city’s revised zoning code was released September 2. Brennan announced public town halls for residents to review and provide feedback, scheduled for September 30 and October 30 at John Carroll University’s Dolan Science Center.

“I will continue to do the work,” Brennan said. “We will have this conversation, from the re-envisioning of Warrensville Center Road, to the review of residential uses, from Accessory Dwelling Units to Assembly and Religious uses, and more.”

UPDATE (9/9/2025 AT 12:01 PM EST): This article has been followed by a more detailed and updated report published on 9/9/2025, which includes additional context and responses from City Council members. Readers are encouraged to review that story for the latest developments. Click here to view that story.

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