Antisemitic Remarks by Wife of Cleveland Heights Mayor Lead to Protest at City Hall, Calls for His Resignation

Accusations of a hostile work environment at Cleveland Heights City Hall have narrowed to Mayor Kahlil Seren and his “first lady” Natalie McDaniel Credit: Mark Oprea

The complaints surrounding the behavior of Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren and his so-called First Lady, Natalie McDaniel, continue. And have now shifted into legal territory.

Last week, a complaint made to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused McDaniel of making a string of racial and antisemitic remarks both in person and via text message involving a number of Jewish city workers and constituents going back to last April.

In the filing, former employee Patrick Costigan related a collection of McDaniel’s outbursts: calling a planning director a “pawn” of the Orthodox Jewish community; referring to a frequent public commentator as “that Jewish bitch”; suggesting that Planning Commission Chair Jessica Cohen and another employee were “fucking each other,” the complaint reads, “simply because they are both Orthodox Jews.”

“What qualifications does this brood mare have?” McDaniel wrote in a text thread, referring derogatorily to Cohen’s large family size. “She is destined for a glue factory and the days drag on.”

“Why is she there?” McDaniel continued. “Is this for Jewish worship?”

The comments led Costigan to quit in March. “The frequency and severity of these offensive and anti-Semitic comments created a hostile work environment for Mr. Costigan and gave him no choice but to seek medical leave from the city,” the charge reads.

Other top leaders have quit as well, including former City Administrator Dan Horrigan, who departed just months into the job due to McDaniel’s behavior.

Calls have been raised for Seren to step down.

And yesterday evening before city council’s regular meeting, a protest was staged in front of Cleveland Heights City Hall to decry McDaniel’s antisemitic comments.

“Many residents are calling for accountability, transparency and change,” an organizing group said in a statement to Scene. “Hate, verbal abuse, volatile behavior, bullying, intimidation are NOT welcome in Cleveland Heights. NOT WELCOME.”

At the meeting, residents demanded an apology by Seren and called for him to step down, according to Cleveland.com.

“You’re of no use to us, and you’re only doing more damage every day that you’re here,” one said.

Seren did not speak during the meeting except to briefly tell residents he was there to listen and would release a statement on Tuesday.

Jessica Cohen, who declined a request for comment to Scene on Monday, told the Cleveland Jewish News that she was incensed to hear McDaniel—a person she’s never met—had zeroed in on her and her family’s faith in her private criticism.

“What is beyond comprehension is that Ms. McDaniel, who holds no official role in our government, is allowed to roam City Hall, attend meetings and spew slurs—unchecked and unaccountable,” Cohen wrote in a statement. “Were she a city employee, her words alone would warrant immediate dismissal.”

Natalie McDaniel (left) seen at Cleveland Heights City Hall on December 6, in a incident of outbursts that led to the resignation of former City Administrator Dan Horrigan. Credit: Cleveland Heights

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced,” she added. “And I will not be driven out.”

Emails sent by Horrigan and Andrea Heim, the performance improvement coordinator who was put on administrative leave by Seren in April after reporting an outburst by McDaniel to HR, point to an incident on December 4 as a key plot point. McDaniel showed up to City Hall expecting to be a part of a certain meeting; she found out she was not invited.

In CCTV footage provided to Scene, McDaniel is seen in an overcoat and sunglasses storming towards Seren’s office around 12:58 p.m. After Seren exits, she leads him to a room down the hall, where, around 1:18 p.m., McDaniel seems to bang on the window glass, pointing fingers and yelling.

The police were eventually called. “I could hear her screaming at Patrick [Costigan],” an officer’s report reads. “I could hear her cursing loudly, saying ‘fuck’ and ‘bitch’ multiple times. This was occurring during City Hall business hours whereas employees and citizens were openly walking around.”

It is not the first or only time police have been called for a dispute involving Seren or McDaniel.

On April 23, Cleveland Heights police were called again when Cuyahoga County Judge David Matia drove by Seren and McDaniel’s house and lobbed a complaint that they should maintain their home better, telling McDaniel they should paint.

McDaniel yelled back.

Seren then drove over to Matia’s house. “I made it clear that he’s not welcome on my property,” Matia told the responding officer. “Just go paint your house, buddy, and leave me alone.”

Matia refused to file a police report but noted his thoughts on Seren’s administration. “From what I’ve been seeing, there’s not a lot of stability over there” at City Hall, he said.

In a sitdown interview with Seren earlier this year, the mayor defended his wife’s presence at City Hall, excusing her behavior due to her role as his “first lady”—a partner in policy decisions he has the right to assign.

“I value her opinion and I’ve asked for it,” Seren told Scene. “If a particular perspective or opinion or idea has value in my view, then I don’t care where it comes from.”

“I do, though, recognize that the first lady is somebody that I trust to understand what I’m trying to do here in this city,” he added.

An attorney representing Costigan, Sean Sobel, said that he felt the numerous complaints against McDaniel were more than sufficient to bring to county court, which will be the case if both parties can’t successfully mediate.

Which Sobel said might not be a problem for his client.

“The law requires severe, pervasive conduct that affects the terms of employment,” Sobel said. “Obviously these are allegations that rise well above what the law requires.”

A spokesperson from Cleveland Heights City Hall did not respond to a request to comment.

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.