St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her speaks out after police chief files sexual harassment complaint
St. Paul, Minnesota, Mayor Kaohly Her is speaking out amid allegations of sexual harassment from the city's police chief and other employees.
Chris Madel, attorney for Chief Axel Henry, confirmed Wednesday with WCCO he sent a formal complaint letter regarding Her, dated April 1, to City Attorney Irene Kao.
"The City is on notice that Mayor Her has engaged in illegal conduct towards City employees," Madel wrote in the letter, adding, "Mayor Her has used one of more mobile phones to communicate inappropriate, and indeed, unlawful text messages."
The letter goes on to say Henry "has reached the decision to step forward as a formal complainant against the Mayor after becoming aware that the Mayor's conduct has extended beyond isolated incidents and has included sexual harassment of subordinate City employees, including members of the Saint Paul Police Department."
Her, in a statement released early Wednesday evening, said she and her office are fully cooperating in the investigation, adding, "some of my attempts at humor fell short of the standard I expect of myself." Below is her statement in full:
"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," Her 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. 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."
Kao told WCCO she doesn't have a comment in light of an ongoing investigation.
Ryan Winkler, former DFL Minnesota House majority leader, says he's known Her since 2018, when she was elected as a first-term legislator.
"We just clicked from the beginning and formed a very close friendship," Winkler said. "She's a tremendously thoughtful, considerate person."
He heard about the investigation Tuesday evening and says he hasn't spoken with her since.
"The mayor is my friend, so my first thought was, 'I hope she's OK and I hope there isn't more to this than City Hall politics,'" Winkler said. "She is a trusting person who sees the best in people."
Madel said in a statement: "Chief Henry just helped crack a triple homicide in under four hours — that's the work he's focused on right now: keeping citizens safe. No comment beyond that."
"This investigation has been ongoing. It's coming out just a few days before the city budget is supposed to be announced. The mayor can't speak on her own defense publicly without risking the investigation," Winkler said. "The investigation has to play out."
Spokespersons from the St. Paul Police Department and City Council say they don't have comments at this time.
