Council demands mayor's plan to manage police during chief's suit
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St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry is suing Mayor Kaohly Her. Photos: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Some St. Paul City Council members are calling on Mayor Kaohly Her to explain how she'll oversee police matters while simultaneously being sued by the city's police chief.
Why it matters: An independent investigator's report released last week concluded the mayor and chief Axel Henry's working relationship broke down months ago — and concluded that the ongoing strain between "two important City leaders" is "not sustainable."
What they're saying: City Council President Rebecca Noecker called on Her to "take accountability" in a public statement and "assure us that the two of them can continue to work together."
- "The responsibility is on them — and I would say particularly on the mayor — to tell us how this story ends," Noecker told Axios late last week.
Catch up quick: An outside investigation found Her touched Henry's upper thigh under a table during a meeting and shared "inappropriate" images — including a meme about SPPD's "Weiner Wednesday" tradition — with city employees.
- The investigator concluded this didn't amount to Her sexually harassing Henry.
State of play: Though the redacted version doesn't name Henry, the report suggests Her and the chief have been communicating through an intermediary — which is "not a sustainable solution," the investigator warned.
- While SPPD and Her's office are still "operating as expected," the investigator said interactions with the mayor herself have been "limited, but strained."
The other side: Mayor Her has taken the same approach to managing the police department as she has with all other city departments, a spokesperson told Axios. An assistant mayor — in SPPD's case, Erica Schumacher — oversees day-to-day operations "and delivers high-level updates to the Mayor."
- "All City business is proceeding as usual," the statement said.
Yes, but: "There is not at present a functional relationship between the Mayor and the Police Department," Council Member Molly Coleman said in a statement. "The situation as it currently stands is not tenable."
- The mayor is SPPD's "commander-in-chief," Noecker said. SPPD doesn't need her daily supervision, she added, but a relationship with the chief is key in an emergency.
Zoom in: In interviews with the investigator, Her disputed Henry's framing of how their relationship soured.
- For instance, she denied a late February dinner at Sweeney's Saloon was a power play over the chief. She told the investigator she called the meeting "because they needed to reset" their relationship — and said she felt Henry didn't give her a straight answer about where they stood.
Henry's attorney, Chris Madel, pushed back when Axios questioned whether the chief has considered resigning.
- "Apparently, the appropriate response to being sexually harassed by your boss is to resign and let your boss get on with business as usual," Madel wrote. "What a wonderful lesson in accountability. Would anyone even ask about Chief Henry resigning if he was a woman who had reported sexual harassment by the mayor?"
When asked whether Her or Henry should resign, Noecker said, "We're not at that point."
What we're watching: Coleman's statement called the mayor's workplace conduct "inexcusable."
- "I'm looking to the Mayor to show us, quickly, that there's a path forward," Coleman said. "Until and unless that happens, every option needs to be on the table."