St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is under investigation after Police Chief Axel Henry filed a formal complaint alleging the mayor engaged in sexual harassment against city employees, according to a letter obtained by Alpha News.
The April 1 letter, sent by attorney Chris Madel to St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao, states that Henry has decided to become a formal complainant after learning the mayor’s alleged misconduct extended beyond isolated incidents.
“Chief Henry has reached this 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,” Madel wrote.
The letter says Henry believes filing the complaint will help protect employees from retaliation and encourage accountability.
“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,” the letter states.
Madel’s letter alleges Mayor Her “used one or more mobile phones” to communicate what it describes as “inappropriate, and, indeed, unlawful” text messages to city employees.
As an example, the letter includes a screenshot of a message that begins with, “Happy Weiner Wednesday! Wish I was having [hot dog in a bun emoji] with you all on 6 today!” and continues with a partially redacted photograph with an accompanying caption that reads: “When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering,” followed by two laughing emojis.
Madel cites the message as one example supporting the allegations and argues the city should preserve evidence by conducting a full filesystem extraction of the mayor’s mobile phones.
Madel wrote that Henry expects the city to conduct “a thorough and independent investigation” and said the chief will provide investigators with all relevant information.
In a statement provided to Alpha News, Madel said Henry’s decision was driven by principle.
“Chief Henry’s integrity is beyond question. He’s doing this solely because it’s the right thing to do. And he just helped crack a triple homicide in under four hours — that’s the work he’s focused on right now: keeping citizens safe,” Madel said.
Alpha News reached out to Mayor Her’s office and the City of St. Paul for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Prior allegations
This is not the first time Mayor Her has faced allegations of harassment.
In January, Alpha News reported that a Ramsey County court denied a harassment restraining order petition filed against Her by Shirly Yang following an evidentiary hearing.
In the filing, Yang alleged Her sent persistent and unwanted messages — including sexually explicit comments and personal questions — and interfered with her professional life.
In testimony during the hearing, Rep. Ethan Cha, DFL-Woodbury, said he told Her “on multiple occasions” to stop contacting Yang and believed she was “escalating and not de-escalating the situation.”
Court referee Elizabeth Clysdale denied the petition, finding the evidence did not meet the legal standard required to issue a harassment restraining order.
Following the ruling, Yang told Alpha News she was disappointed by the decision but stood by the allegations outlined in her petition.
“St. Paul deserves a mayor who leads with integrity, not intimidation,” Yang said.
Mayor Her did not respond to Alpha News’ requests for comment at the time.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
