(The Center Square) – Just seven months into her term, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is addressing accusations of sexual harassment from city employees, calling them “attempts at humor.”
The story first broke this week with the news that Police Chief Axel Henry sent a complaint to the city in April.
Her said she has been cooperating with an independent investigation since then.
“As Mayor, I take my responsibility to treat every employee with professionalism and respect very seriously. I recognize that some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself,” the statement said. “We have fully cooperated with the independent investigation since it began in April and will continue to do so. I respect the investigative process and believe it is important to allow it to reach its conclusion.”
Her, a Democrat, took office just earlier this year. She is the first woman and the first person of Hmong ancestry to hold the position.
The city council was allegedly not made aware of the independent investigation, which is being conducted by a law firm.
“The lack of transparency related to this matter to date is unacceptable. The City Council learned about these allegations and the hiring of the external investigators from the media,” said City Council Member Molly Coleman in a statement this week. “Our partners in the Mayor’s administration should have informed the Council of this matter as soon as it was apparent that there were serious allegations against the Mayor, and before an external law firm was retained. Transparency moving forward is non-negotiable if we are going to restore trust and faith in City Hall.”
Attorney Chris Madel is representing Henry and said in a letter to City Attorney Irene Kao on April 1 that Her’s “unlawful” actions were “beyond isolated incidents.”
“The City is on notice that Mayor Her has engaged in illegal conduct towards City employees,” Madel wrote. “Mayor Her has used one of more mobile phones to communicate inappropriate, and indeed, unlawful text messages.”
Henry is a formal complainant against Her “for illegal employment practices against City employees.” Those city employees include allegations from members of the city’s police department.
“Recognizing both the seriousness of that misconduct and the vulnerability of those directly affected, he is concerned that, absent a formal complaint, the behavior will continue unchecked and may expose others to retaliation for speaking out,” Madel’s letter said.
So far, Her has given no indication that she plans to step down.
“I remain confident that the full facts will come to light, and I will continue to focus on serving the people of St. Paul with integrity and dedication,” she said.