Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is under investigation for sexual harassment after Police Chief Axel Henry filed a formal complaint alleging she sent inappropriate and unlawful text messages to city staffers. The complaint, submitted to the city attorney on April 1, states that Her, who is six months into her term as the first female mayor of Saint Paul, engaged in behavior that extended beyond isolated incidents.
One text chain cited in the complaint includes Her, 53, wishing a staffer "Happy Weiner Wednesday" and stating, "Wish I was having a [hotdog emoji] with you all on 6 today." The messages allegedly continued with an altered image of a baby in a blanket with the caption, "When she wraps you up in her blanket after you gave her a good weinering." The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that the redacted face in the altered image belonged to a former member of Her's security team.
Chris Madel, attorney for Chief Henry, wrote in the complaint that "the city is on notice that Mayor Her has engaged in illegal conduct towards City employees" and called for a "full filesystem extraction" of cell phones involved. Chief Henry filed the complaint after receiving reports that the mayor's alleged behavior included sexual harassment of subordinate city employees, including members of the Saint Paul Police Department. His action, according to the complaint, aims to address the wrongdoing and protect his team by signaling that such conduct will not be tolerated.
Her's office stated that they would not comment on an active investigation but issued a statement expressing the mayor's deep respect for city employees and regret for any unintended impact her actions may have had. Her, a Hmong-American who immigrated to the U.S. from Laos as a refugee, was elected in November, defeating incumbent Melvin Carter III. She previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from January 2019 to November 2025.