A federal complaint alleges that Seren’s wife, Natalie McDaniel, created a hostile work environment and directed insults towards the Orthodox Jewish community.
In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, before 6 p.m. on a Monday evening, a group gathered outside City Hall in protest against hate, reacting to recent accusations against Mayor Kahlil Seren’s wife.
An area activist named Lawrence Hill expressed the need for Mayor Seren to address his wife’s behavior, stating that she has no place in the community and is not contributing positively to the situation.
Last week, former city employee Patrick Costigan filed a federal civil rights complaint accusing Seren’s wife Natalie McDaniel of making antisemitic remarks. In the complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Costigan said McDaniel “created a hostile work environment” even though she was not officially a supervisor.
The complaint also included text messages Costigan claims were sent by McDaniel, messages that include “coded” and antisemitic language towards a number of Orthodox Jewish families and children. Among other things, Costigan says McDaniel referred to City Planning Commission Chair Jessica Cohen as a “brood mare” who “is destined for the glue factory,” and also dubbed a resident who had lodged complaints against the city as “that Jewish b—-.”
During Monday’s city council meeting, after some passionate discussions in committee, members (minus one absence) unanimously passed an emergency resolution condemning “Jewish hate,” with a commitment to expand it and be more inclusive of other groups in the resolution. Every seat was filled in the small room, with dozens lining the halls, holding signs and flags.
Before the floor opened for public comment, Seren addressed those in attendance.
“I’ve prepared a statement and I’ll be releasing that tomorrow,” he said. “Tonight, I’m here to listen to everybody here to speak.”
For more than an hour, several residents aired their grievances, and many called for the Mayor’s resignation.
“To Mayor Seren: Silence is not leadership, denial is not justice, and failure to act is not neutrality. It is abandonment,” Sarah Popivker stated.
“The allegations of comments made by Mayor Seren’s wife directed at the Orthodox community are deeply hurtful and unacceptable,” Yaakov Berger added. “They do not reflect the values of Cleveland Heights, a city identified with the slogan ‘All Are Eelcome.'”
“Spouses have different views; spouses don’t give each other the keys to City Hall. You did,” Angel Fasolo said to Seren. “You need to resign, you needed to resign in December, January, February, March, April. It’s May. It’s overdue, and I’m sure we’ll hear more.”
Seren later left the meeting abruptly without making any remarks or taking any questions. The meeting went on without him for about 50 minutes before it was officially adjourned for business.
Concerns over McDaniel’s purported role in city affairs have been boiling for weeks, particularly after City Administrator Dan Horrigan resigned in March. In April, 3News media partner Cleveland.com reported that Horrigan had raised alarms about McDaniel’s “improper and un-ethical” behavior towards staff members, which other employees claim has led to a number of high-profile departures.
“It doesn’t matter to me that a family member comes in and aids and assists and provides guidance, but this almost seems like this has crossed the line,” Councilman Jim Posch said last month. “In the spirit of trying to protect the city, we’ve had 12 major directors leave this city, and we’re concerned about this.”
At the time, Seren denied any wrongdoing.
“At no point did my wife believe she had the authority to give directives to my staff,” he told 3News. “On many, many occasions, (she) has made it clear — as have I — that her opinions are her own and that the mayor may or may not share them. I think it’s important for people to recognize that. Anybody can be consulted.”
Cleveland Heights’ next mayoral election is scheduled for this fall.
