The first female mayor of St Paul, Kaohly Her, is reportedly under investigation for sexual harassment following a complaint filed by the Minnesota city's police chief. City leaders have contracted an outside law firm to conduct an independent inquiry into allegations that Her sent inappropriate messages to employees, including several members of the police department, according to the New York Times and NBC News.
A 1 April letter to the city attorney, Irene Kao, written by Chris Madel, a lawyer representing St Paul's police chief, Axel Henry, claims that Her engaged in a prolonged campaign of harassment against a number of workers "using one or more mobile phones". The letter contains a screenshot of one message allegedly sent by Her to an employee, wishing them a "Happy Weiner Wednesday", a redacted image, laughing emojis, and the caption "when she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering".
Investigation and Response
An investigation by Cally Kjellberg-Nelson, an employment law expert at the law firm Resolute Law, was already under way, the Times said, citing records it had obtained. In a written statement to NBC, Her said she had cooperated with the investigation and believed the "full facts will come to light". The statement said: "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."
In an emailed statement to the Times, Matt Wagenius, a spokesperson for the mayor, said he could not answer questions about the ongoing investigation. "The mayor has deep respect for city employees and regrets any unintended impact her actions may have had," he said. Madel told the Times that Henry would not be giving media interviews, but "will do everything to ensure that appropriate conduct is modeled and followed in the St Paul police department".
Background
Her, a Democrat, served in the Minnesota house of representatives for six years before ousting the incumbent mayor, Melvin Carter, in a close, two-round election in 2025. The 53-year-old came to the US aged three as part of a resettlement program following the Vietnam war. Henry, police chief since 2022, has also spoken out against the surge of Immigration and Customs enforcement agents ordered by Donald Trump, telling the Times in January that residents were "scared to death" and "afraid to go outside".
