Miriam Scherff: Wuppertal's new mayor introduces herself!

Miriam Scherff: Wuppertal's new mayor introduces herself!

On November 3, 2025, a significant change took place at the top of the city administration in Cologne. Miriam Scherff has taken up her position as mayor and has taken on an exciting challenge. She prepared intensively for her new role, which included, among other things, transition discussions with her predecessor Uweschneidewind and meetings with council members and managers. A first official highlight was the visit of 100-year-old Margot Seidel on her birthday, which she had not forgotten.

At the ceremonial inauguration by Dr. Led by Rolf Köster, the longest-serving city councilor, it was symbolically presented with the master key to the town hall by city director Matthias Nocke. This marks the beginning of a new era in Cologne, which Scherff wants to shape with fresh ideas and a clear vision. Their strategy focuses particularly on improving communication between the city administration and citizens.

New team and fresh ideas

In the press interview, Scherff introduced her two closest employees. Florian Kötter will act as office manager, while Rémi Teichmann will take on the role of personal advisor. Scherff emphasized the importance of administrative experience, which is also reflected in the structure of her new office. By creating a new position to coordinate location marketing and economic development as well as a contact person for civic engagement, she wants to promote proactive and transparent administration.

Three new specialists and central project coordination for major projects are also part of their plans. These changes are to be implemented through restructuring or vacant positions, with the staff council giving final approval. Scherff is aware that sound public relations work is essential to strengthen connections with the population. As part of this strategy, she would like to focus more on social media, especially on platforms such as Instagram, in order to better address the younger generations aged 14 to 29.

Social media as the key to better communication

From the experience of the last two years during the Corona pandemic, it became clear that social media is an indispensable tool for public administration. Citizens expect faster, more transparent and more dialogue-oriented exchanges with the authorities. This is also shown by the ARD/ZDF online study from 2024, according to which 95% of the German population uses the Internet and 100% of 14 to 49 year olds are online. A good knack for social media is therefore particularly important for Scherff and her team in order to communicate current information and services.

With a clear focus on digital communication, Scherff wants to increase administrative efficiency while improving access for all age groups. Younger generations now mainly get information via platforms such as Instagram (38% usage) and TikTok (19% usage). Scherff plans to combine smart marketing, targeted communications and strong social media to best present the city's issues and receive direct feedback from citizens.

In conclusion, Miriam Scherff strives to develop a deep understanding of the various areas of city administration. Their first key issue will be the budget, which is due to be presented to the council next December. It will be exciting to see how the new mayor's plans develop and what mark she will leave behind in Cologne.