Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren said he will not resign, and the accusations of antisemitism against his wife are false, during a public event Monday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Fairmont Boulevard.
"I’m not one to resign because people who have biases that are influencing their view of my actual accomplishments are telling me to," Seren said.
The embattled mayor has been at the center of controversy since May when a former city employee filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, alleging Seren enabled a hostile work environment.
In the complaint and a lawsuit filed days later, the former special assistant to the mayor, Patrick Costigan, said the mayor's wife, Natalie McDaniel, made antisemitic and homophobic comments while acting as a de facto representative of the mayor.
The lawsuit includes claims that McDaniel, who is not a city employee, used derogatory language, mimicked stereotypical accents and claims that McDaniel referred to the City’s Planning Commission Chair, who is an Orthodox Jew, as a "brood mare."
Seren acknowledged Monday he will not run for reelection because he did not collect enough valid signatures to qualify for the September mayoral primary ballot.
“I wasn’t sure if I should do this, if I should put myself through this, if I should put my family through more of this,” Seren said. “I took a lot to feel like it made sense to try.”
Candidates that did make the September 9 primary ballot are Deanna Bremer Fisher, Marty Gelfand, Laura Kingsley Hong, Jim Petras and David Russell, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Seren has previously denied the accusation of antisemitism. In May, he posted a 15-minute video to social media responding to the allegations, where he denounced antisemitism and defended his wife.
On Friday, he said in a statement that he was the victim of political opposition rooted in racial prejudice.
He expected opposition as mayor, he wrote.
"That comes with the job and it’s fair. But what is not fair, what is not acceptable, is the persistence of a false and deeply harmful trope: that I, as a Black man, lack the intelligence, the work ethic, and the moral character to lead," the statement read.
The accusations against his wife were an attempt by "hateful" individuals seeking to "obstruct" his agenda.
"They have attacked the love of my life, my wife. She has been falsely accused in an attempt to tear me down," he wrote. "But I have evidence proving her innocence and will share that with the community."
On Friday, Cleveland Heights' city council unanimously passed a resolution calling for an outside investigation into Seren and called on Seren to resign. Earlier this month, some residents launched a petition to recall the mayor from office, citing the allegations of antisemitism, high staff turnover and the submission of an incomplete 2025 budget, which the petition says lacked required information for city council to review.
