Saint Paul Investigation Finds Mayor Kaohly Her’s Conduct Violated City Workplace Policy
Photo: City of Saint Paul
Published: September 18th, 2026.
SAINT PAUL MN: — A City of Saint Paul investigation found that Mayor Kaohly Her acted inappropriately toward city employees and created an uncomfortable workplace, but investigators did not substantiate allegations of sexual harassment or retaliation.
The investigation also found that Her created and shared offensive material, according to a Sept. 17 letter from the city’s Human Resources director.
The city said it became aware of allegations involving Her on March 30, prompting an investigation that was completed Sept. 14.
According to the letter from Human Resources Director Kamaria Kassim, the investigation substantiated three allegations that were inconsistent with the city’s Workplace Conduct Policy: that Her engaged in offensive and inappropriate behavior with city employees, created and shared offensive material, and created an uncomfortable work environment for city employees.
The investigation did not substantiate allegations that Her sexually harassed a city employee, retaliated against a city employee or made sexual noises while exercising at a city facility. Investigators also did not substantiate allegations that she sent inappropriate text messages to city employees other than with two employees.
Human Resources said the substantiated conduct did not meet the city’s expectations and required Her’s immediate attention.
As a result, Her was directed to comply with citywide policies and workplace expectations, maintain appropriate professional boundaries and exercise sound judgment in workplace interactions, attend training on workplace conduct and retain an executive coach at her own expense.
The Human Resources director will follow up with Her monthly for the next six months to monitor her compliance with those steps, according to the letter. Her was also directed not to take hostile or retaliatory action against anyone involved in the investigation.
Her issued a statement following the investigation, saying she cooperated fully with the process and intends to comply with all of the recommended actions.
“I am gratified that the report finds that the allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation were unsubstantiated,” Her said.
Her acknowledged that some of her interactions crossed workplace boundaries.
“As reflected in the summary of investigative findings, at times, I became too informal in my communications and crossed lines that are not consistent with the standards set forth in the City’s Workplace Conduct Policy,” Her said. “I apologize for any discomfort I caused.”
Her said she had worked to be approachable and build strong working relationships during the first months of her administration and had attempted to connect with people to build camaraderie.
She said she is committed to learning from the experience and “leading with greater clarity, respect, and awareness.”
Her also criticized information from the investigation being shared with the media while the process was underway. She said she did not publicly respond to the allegations earlier because she wanted to respect the city’s investigation.
“I am deeply disappointed that during the course of a confidential HR investigation allegations and information were shared with the media,” Her said, adding that she believes the disclosures caused harm to her family and public trust.
The Human Resources letter does not identify the employees involved or provide detailed descriptions of the specific conduct behind the substantiated findings.