A special committee meeting in Cleveland Heights was adjourned Friday without action after verbal sparring between Mayor Khalil Seren and Councilmember Craig Cobb.
Seren is accused in a complaint by a former assistant of allowing a hostile work environment at City Hall.
The debate over the allegations roiling the mayor's office is, at least in part, about electoral politics, Seren said, who added he believes a text from Council President Tony Cuda asking whether he was OK was disingenuous.
"This council, by no means, is my overseer, and I am not your negro and knowing where I am..." he said, before Cuda cut him off.
"Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. OK, I appreciate that," Cuda said. "Unfortunately, the time is up. No, no no. You know what? I don't want people yelling out."
The meeting was called to discuss the mayor's "whereabouts, presence, accessibility, and ability to perform the duties" of his office, according to an agenda.
Councilmember Jim Petras said a number of city employees told him Seren has not been present at City Hall.
“If the mayor’s not here, who is running the city?” Petras said. “Are there any city services that are being affected by his not being here at City Hall?”
Last week, Patrick Costigan, a former special assistant to Mayor Khalil Seren, filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, accusing Seren’s wife, Natalie McDaniel, of creating a hostile work environment, claiming that McDaniel used derogatory terms to refer to the city’s Planning Commission Chair, who is an Orthodox Jew.
McDaniel is not a city hall employee with any official duties, according to Cleveland Heights City Council spokesperson Jessica Schantz.
Seren denied the accusation of antisemitism in a video on Facebook on Wednesday.
“Any accusation of either of us hating Jewish people is false,” Seren said. “I hope that enough of you can see a path toward more empathy and understanding to allow us to move forward together. Natalie and I love the Jewish people in our lives, and we love the Jewish people in pretty much the same way we love our own people.”
Seren said in a video released Wednesday in response to the allegations that his administration received a threat from Costigan that he would sue unless they met their demands of $300,000 and a job reference.
The scandal has caused Seren to lose the community's confidence, said Cobb, during the meeting.
"The residents have lost faith in their government and their mayor," he said. "They have, the employees, I believe, the mayor has lost their respect. How can we go forward?"
Some council members said they didn't believe the mayor's response took appropriate responsibility.
"We still don't have an apology for those remarks," Cobb said. "Instead, we have an excuse as to why they were made."
"The mayor has not assumed accountability for his wife's unacceptable behavior, nor for his practice of enabling her access to City Hall," said Councilmember Gail Larson. "The lack of action disqualifies him as our mayor. The statement the mayor made May 21 did not even come close to providing healing to this city in this moment."
Several community members attending the meeting held signage calling for the mayor’s resignation, including James Bates, who had a passionate argument with the mayor after the meeting adjourned.
“That asinine 15-minute video is ridiculous. You need to take responsibility, be a leader, be a man and carry forward,” Bates said to the mayor. “And the only way to do that is for you to resign. You know it, but your ego won’t let you.”
Council discussed a resolution asking for Seren's resignation, but a representative from the city law department said it would have no legal backing.
The law department is also investigating council's role if the mayor is not present, but the current city charter was written under the city manager model.
On Monday, council unanimously passed an emergency resolution “condemning anti-Semitism, reaffirming the city's commitment to tolerance, inclusivity, and respect, and expressing solidarity with Jewish residents.”
At the meeting, many community members expressed disappointment with the mayor, some calling for him to resign.
During Friday's meeting, Cuda, the council president, said he was hoping for more from Seren's statement.
"People were looking for something that would promote unity," he said. "I think what happened is he further divided the community, rather than bringing people together."
Seren, Cleveland Heights' first mayor, took office in January 2022. The next mayoral election is Nov. 4, 2025.
