CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Allegations of workplace hostility within Cleveland Heights City Hall have been circulating for months, with most of the accusations centered around Mayor Kahlil Seren's wife, Natalie McDaniel.
Following the surfacing of those allegations, 18 current city employees wrote a letter addressing them.
"Recent allegations of a toxic work environment under Mayor Kahlil Seren have made headlines. But here's the truth: those claims do not reflect our experience," the letter states. "Yes, there's been tension. But it's not because of abuse. It's because change is uncomfortable — especially for those used to calling the shots without accountability."
Read the full letter below.
The letter was signed by current city employees from various departments, including communications, court, planning, building, finance, forestry, and others.
In March, though, former City Performance Coordinator Andrea Heim emailed the mayor notifying him that she does not feel comfortable returning to the office due to his wife's actions.
Heim referenced an alleged incident on March 13, where McDaniel was aggressive while outside the Mayor's Suites. She claims McDaniel was yelling expletives, pacing back and forth past Heim's office while growing more intense.
"It is not appropriate to have an unelected, non-employee, non-hired consultant providing feedback, participating in meetings, and making requests of staff, regardless of their intelligence, experience, and proactive traits. I understand the need for a support system, and that can be fostered in the workplace setting through communication and collaboration with staff," Heim wrote in an email to Seren on March 17.
Heim further details that the workplace is not safe or comfortable due to the normalization of yelling and the use of profanity by Seren's wife.
Two days later, Heim alerted Human Resources of her concerns.
"I advocate that you take into consideration your staff's safety and do not continue to condone this behavior or allow a non-employee to attend meetings, participate in decision making, and make requests of staff," Heim stated in the email.
Seren then hired an outside law firm, Mansour Gavin, to investigate the accusation of workplace hostility.
The investigation's completion date is May 13, but the details of it are just now being made available.
Cleveland Heights City Council President Tony Cuda told me he hadn't seen the investigative report until Tuesday.
"There were people that were uncomfortable in the mayor's office and in city hall. They found it odd that they were never introduced [to the mayor's wife] and that the mayor's wife had key card access to offices and they just didn't know what her role was or what was going on," Cuda said.
The investigation consisted of several interviews, including one with Heim that reportedly lasted almost two hours.
The mayor's wife was also interviewed.
"She was extremely upset at the allegations in this matter," the report states, referencing McDaniel.
The report reveals the allegations did not meet the legal definition of an unlawful hostile work environment.
According to the investigation, the key elements of an unlawful hostile work environment claim must establish:
- Protected characteristic: The harassment must be based on a protected characteristic, such as race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin.
- Severe or pervasive: The conduct must be severe or pervasive enough to alter the terms and conditions of employment.
- Objective and subjective tests: The conduct must be both subjectively and objectively severe or pervasive. A reasonable person in the same situation would find the environment hostile and the employee must also subjectively find the environment abusive (The Handbook, at Section 7.01, also notes interpretation according to legal standards generally from the viewpoint of a reasonable person in similar circumstances as the complaining party).
- Employer knowledge and responsibility: The employer must know or should have known about the harassment and failed to take corrective action.
- Anyone in the workplace can commit harassing behavior - a manager, co-worker and even non-employees such as a contractor, vendor, visitor or guest.
"While excessive or offensive cursing can create an unpleasant and uncomfortable work environment, it doesn't automatically constitute an unlawful hostile work environment," the report explains.
The investigation reveals proof does exist to establish that McDaniel cursed, screamed, and was otherwise inappropriate or unprofessional while at city hall, but that it wasn't directed towards any individual.
Additionally, the report noted city hall surveillance that negates the claim that McDaniel was pacing back and forth in front of Heim's office on March 13.
Although McDaniel's behavior in March was not deemed as unlawfully hostile, it is questioned.
"... a workplace that normalizes yelling or the use of expletives regardless of where they are directed is not safe or comfortable," the report states. "These statements and/or observations are characteristics of a negative work environment and constitutes concerns of employees and an employer is obligated to address these concerns."
The investigation notes that a "toxic work environment" is described as having negative behaviors such as disrespect or yelling.
"Lack of transparency, feedback or open dialogue can contribute to a toxic atmosphere. Employees may feel unsupported by management leading to a lack of trust or confidence. A toxic environment can reflect poorly on a municipality or company where one exists," the report explains. "Employees reported that they felt uncomfortable with the mayor's wife being at work on an almost daily basis and attending meetings. The employees' concerns were that it was inappropriate for Ms. McDaniel to come to work with her husband on such a regular basis. The employees' apprehension and concerns are reasonable."
It also says, "The Mayor's failure to inform the staff in the 'Mayor's Suites' of the reason or purpose of his wife's being at City Hall or her involvement naturally caused confusion and resulted in a very uncomfortable work environment. Employees could feel intimidated by the Mayor's wife's continual presence at work. The Mayor must consider more communication to staff and employees. Compounding the problem is the fact that Ms. McDaniel was observed and heard to be loud, cursing or, at times, interjecting herself in those meetings."
The law firm that investigated explained that the mayor's wife should not be a visitor at his office on a regular basis, and she should not attend meetings that are scheduled for administrators or staff.
"Given the history of the last four months, the mayor should endeavor not to involve his wife in the city work environment. Any civic participation Ms. McDaniel would be invited to at City Hall by the mayor should be communicated to employees," the report shares.
The level of employee uncertainty or perceived inappropriateness has been temporarily remedied by the conscious decision of McDaniel not coming to work with the mayor and not being in the mayor's office since March 13, according to the report.
Heim, the employee who filed the HR complaint resulting in this investigation, resigned mid-April.
"No further action is recommended at this time," the law firm lays out.
The report basically says this was a bad idea. But now that the mayor's wife doesn't come to work anymore, this is OK. I still am concerned about the fact that people didn't know what was going on.
Cuda said while he has not had an interaction with McDaniel, he has seen her curse at another council member during a December city council meeting.
"We have a job to do and this is not gonna affect that in any way. We're going to do what's best for the city. The mayor's been ruled off the ballot, so we know we're going to have a new mayor next year. I'd like to make the next six months as productive as we can," Cuda said. "The mayor's behavior has been erratic and I would like to think that now that he knows he's not running that maybe things will kind of calm down a little bit."
Cuda said there are other allegations of workplace hostility being investigated.
"This is not something that I can discuss publicly," he added. "There's a lesson to be learned here and that is that both branches of government have to know what's going on in city hall."
I reached out to the mayor for an interview on Wednesday, but a spokesperson told me he was unavailable for comment.
