St. Paul City Council members react to mayor allegations
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Two St. Paul city council members said they’re concerned about sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her.
Council members Molly Coleman and Saura Jost said in separate social media posts on Thursday they’re awaiting the results of an ongoing investigation into Her.
“Every city employee deserves respect and a safe, welcoming, inclusive workplace; especially from leaders to whom we have entrusted the most power,” Jost said in the Facebook post. “Sexual harassment has no place in any workplace. It has no place in city government.”
According to Coleman, council members were not informed of the allegations or the investigation before media reports this week.
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“The lack of transparency related to this matter to date is unacceptable,” Coleman said in the statement posted on Facebook. “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.”
Both Jost and Coleman said they don’t want the situation to distract from other work in St. Paul, including an upcoming encampment closure and a $26 million budget gap.
They are the first council members to comment since news broke of the allegations that Her made suggestive comments to multiple city employees.
More allegations surfaced Thursday, including news that a former high-ranking police official told investigators Her made comments about her breasts and engaged in other behavior the former official found inappropriate.
Her said she respects the investigative process and it’s important it reaches 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,” Her said in the statement sent to MPR News on Wednesday.
