St. Paul (Azat TV) – The St. Paul City Council voted on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, to hire the outside law firm Fisher & Phillips to temporarily defend Mayor Kaholy Her and the city against a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit MPR News reported. The interim legal appointment comes as Mayor Her faces an October 16 deadline to respond formally to the legal complaint filed by Police Chief Axel Henry, who alleges he experienced sexual harassment by the mayor and subsequent retaliation by city officials after reporting her conduct.
The decision forces the city to tap into taxpayer funds from its general fund for high-cost outside representation, with hourly rates reaching up to $500. Council President Rebecca Noecker expressed deep frustration over the expenditure, noting that the city is already grappling with a $26 million budget deficit and a proposed 6.8 percent property tax levy increase submitted by the mayor in August.
Financial Strain and Budgetary Impact
The retention of outside counsel adds an immediate financial burden to a municipal government struggling to close a substantial structural deficit. Noecker stated during the Wednesday meeting that the city has a legal obligation under default circumstances to indemnify and defend the mayor, leaving the council with limited operational alternatives ahead of the looming October deadline. However, lawmakers emphasized that utilizing general fund revenues for high-cost legal defense diverts critical resources from municipal services.
The council president indicated that Wednesday’s resolution was strictly an interim measure. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote next week on whether to retain a different firm for ongoing proceedings and will seek explicit legal counsel regarding the city’s long-term obligations to fund the mayor’s defense.
Transparency Concerns and Leadership Friction
Beyond the fiscal fallout, the lawsuit has exposed acute tensions between the legislative body and the executive office, as well as a fractured leadership structure between the mayor and the police chief. Council members Molly Coleman, Saura Jost, and Cheniqua Johnson voiced sharp criticism regarding the timeline of the case and a perceived lack of transparency from the administration. Coleman noted that the closed-door session on Wednesday marked the first time the council had discussed the allegations directly with administration officials since Henry lodged his accusations six months prior.
Lawmakers expressed frustration at being asked to authorize unknown, significant sums of public money to defend against claims they know very little about, despite municipal funds having already financed an internal investigation. The council has formally requested that the full investigation report be released within a week, contrasting with the two-page summary currently made public.
Operational Stability and Accountability
The breakdown in communication between the city’s top elected official and its top law enforcement officer has raised pressing questions about workplace safety and administrative functionality. Johnson warned that St. Paul cannot afford to spend months or years operating under conditions where the mayor and the police chief are unable to communicate and lead effectively together.
While declining to call for the mayor’s resignation, Noecker stressed that accountability and due process are essential. She asserted that Mayor Her must take active responsibility for reassuring the public, restoring functional relationships across city departments, and ensuring a safe workplace moving forward.
Evaluating Long-Term Legal Exposure
The choice to retain Fisher & Phillips highlights the immediate procedural hurdles faced by the municipality. Under Minnesota municipal guidelines, elected officials frequently trigger indemnification clauses that require the city to provide legal defense unless specific statutory exceptions are met. Because the administrative complaint carries an immutable October 16 response deadline, the council was left with virtually no cushion of time to negotiate alternative fee structures or complete a broader RFP process for outside legal services.
This reality underscored the friction noted by Council Member Saura Jost, who joined her colleagues in pressing for complete disclosure regarding the financial trajectory of the litigation. With hourly fees capped at $500, even a moderately complex pre-trial discovery phase could accumulate tens of thousands of dollars in billing within weeks. City analysts warn that such unanticipated outlays can quickly undermine contingency reserves, forcing mid-year adjustments to departmental budgets that have already absorbed rigorous cuts.
Administrative Functionality Under Scrutiny
The fracture within the city’s public safety architecture remains a central concern for civic leaders. Police Chief Axel Henry’s lawsuit not only details direct allegations of harassment but also asserts a pattern of retaliatory management actions orchestrated by municipal personnel following his initial disclosures. The resulting institutional paralysis—characterized by a lack of direct operational dialogue between the mayor’s office and the police department—directly challenges the city’s capacity to execute cohesive public safety strategies.
Council Member Cheniqua Johnson emphasized that taxpayers deserve absolute clarity on how executive decisions are currently being brokered. When the city’s chief executive and its chief law enforcement officer are siloed by pending litigation, routine administrative governance risks stalling entirely. As the city council prepares for its decisive vote next week regarding long-term legal representation and reviews the administration’s compliance with the demand for the full investigation report, pressure continues to mount on Mayor Her to restore administrative transparency and re-establish baseline trust across municipal agencies.