The facts
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed a 73-page lawsuit in Ramsey County District Court last week against Mayor Kaohly Her and the city, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The complaint alleges Her described herself to Henry as a "MILF," made sexual innuendos about the size of his penis, and twice put her hand on his upper thigh beneath a conference table during a March 18 budget meeting, contact the suit says Assistant Chief Paul Ford witnessed. It alleges she took a personal photo from his office, replaced the people in it with three bodybuilders in compression shorts, put the print in a gold frame and returned it to his office. It also alleges she showed up unannounced at a golf simulator where he was spending personal time, made noises simulating an orgasm while working out in the police department's gym, and repeatedly told him her marriage was in trouble.
Henry alleges that after he complained in April, he was cut out of personnel decisions and was the only member of the command staff left out of a raise. The suit also accuses the city of withholding the full investigative report.
The city hired an outside law firm to investigate. A summary released September 18 called the harassment and retaliation claims "unsubstantiated" but found Her had engaged in "offensive and inappropriate behavior." The city says the mayor will follow the report's recommendations and does not comment on active litigation. When the allegations first surfaced, Her said her attempts at humor fell short.
Our take
Start with the part nobody disputes, because it is somehow the funniest. St. Paul paid an outside law firm to investigate its mayor, and the firm came back with "offensive and inappropriate behavior," but not harassment. That's the legal version of a teacher ruling that the kid didn't technically bite anyone, he just put his mouth on them in an offensive and inappropriate way.
Then there's the mayor's own review of her material: her humor fell short. Fell short of what? If the chief's lawsuit is accurate, the set list included calling herself a MILF and riffing on the size of the police chief's dick. That isn't a joke falling short. That's a joke tunneling under City Hall.
The photo allegation deserves a wing at the Minnesota Historical Society. According to the complaint, she lifted a personal photo from the chief's office, swapped in three bodybuilders in compression shorts, printed it, framed it in gold and put it back. That is not an impulsive bit. That takes editing software, a printer, a frame and a total absence of anyone on staff willing to say, "Mayor, please do not fucking do this."
None of it has been proven, and the mayor's office is standing on that unsubstantiated finding. But look at the defense in plain English: we checked, and she was merely offensive and inappropriate to her own police chief. Put that on the city letterhead.
Henry says his reward for complaining was getting frozen out of personnel calls and being the only commander skipped for a raise. If that's true, St. Paul invented a bold new employee perk. Report your boss and win a pay freeze.
A police gym is a room full of sweaty cops grunting over dented barbells. According to the lawsuit, the mayor walked in and still managed to be the loudest thing in it.
