"Take responsibility": Cleveland Heights community member tells Mayor Kahlil Seren to step down

Описание: An explosive special meeting of Cleveland Heights City Council's Committee of the Whole was cut short on Friday amid the controversy surrounding Mayor Kahlil Seren and his wife, who is accused of making various antisemitic remarks.

Last week, former city employee Patrick Costigan filed a federal civil rights complaint accusing Seren's wife, Natalie McDaniel, of making antisemitic remarks. In the complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Costigan said McDaniel "created a hostile work environment" even though she was not officially a supervisor.

The complaint also included text messages Costigan claims were sent by McDaniel, messages that include "coded" and antisemitic language towards a number of Orthodox Jewish families and children. Among other things, Costigan says McDaniel referred to City Planning Commission Chair Jessica Cohen as a "brood mare" who "is destined for the glue factory," and also dubbed a resident who had lodged complaints against the city as "that Jewish b----."

Seren told councilmembers and the community during Monday's regular meeting that he would have a statement on the matter the next day. However, he was silent all day Tuesday and most of the day Wednesday, before releasing a 15-minute statement on Facebook. In the video message, Seren defended both himself and his wife from charges of bigotry against the city's Orthodox Jewish community. He asserted that many of the purported conversations and remarks were "altered" or taken out of context, and alleged that Costigan only made the claims after Seren rejected his offer to stay quiet in exchange for $300,000 and a job recommendation.

During Friday's meeting, Seren said he received a text message from Council President Tony Cuda during the period of time between the council meeting and Wednesday's Facebook message asking if he was OK. It led to a shocking statement by the mayor.

"For a variety of reasons that I'm sure people can understand, it didn't feel like I should answer a question that seemed disingenuous as that. So I did not answer you as to whether or not I was OK, but I just want to say this council by no means is my overseer, and I am not your Negro," Seren told the committee, quoting writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

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