I-Team: Why is a local mayor going into law dept. after hours?
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) — Exclusive video released to the Fox 8 I-Team raises more questions about what's going on at Cleveland Heights City Hall.
Security video obtained by the I-Team through a public records request shows Mayor Kahlil Seren enter the Cleveland Heights Law Department office early in the morning on Thursday, April 3, for about four minutes. Then, also in the afternoon on Saturday, April 5, you see the mayor go in for about two minutes. City hall was closed both times.
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The mayor appeared to let himself into the office both times, even though he had said during an April 2 Cleveland Heights Council meeting that he does not have access to get inside the Law Department.
'There are a few specific areas of the city and city government that are restricted,' Seren said during the meeting. 'My key card does not open those areas. That would include the courts, the law department.'
The I-Team sent e-mails to the mayor, the Communications Office for Cleveland Heights, and the law director to discuss the video. We also went to Cleveland Heights to talk to the mayor, but he was not available.
In the e-mail requesting comment, we asked why the mayor went into the Law Department on April 3 and April 5, when no one was inside the office.
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A Cleveland Heights spokesperson asked us to send the video we obtained after filing a public records request. We offered to meet with the Mayor and show the video, but he declined.
The spokesperson then sent the following statement: 'Given the lack of information related to the request, and given the limited time to respond, there is no comment from the Mayor at this time.'
City residents have called for the mayor to resign, complaining about him and his wife. Some employees have alleged a toxic work environment and others have alleged the Mayor's wife made anti-Semitic remarks. The Mayor has denied those allegations.James Bates, a Cleveland Heights resident, says he wants to know why the Mayor went inside the Law Department when the office was closed.
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We have also asked for the body camera video of an interaction the Mayor's wife had with Cleveland Heights police officers inside City Hall on December 6. The Law Department has declined to release the video.
The I-Team has learned that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office was contacted about the December 6 incident. A spokesperson with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office released the following statement.
'The Cleveland Heights Prosecutor's Office informally consulted our office regarding a body camera video recorded by a Cleveland Heights Officer while on duty during an incident that occurred at Cleveland Heights City Hall. The question was posed to us whether our office felt felony charges were appropriate pertaining to the Cleveland Heights Officer's conduct. The video was never provided to us. However, based on the facts articulated to us, we felt no criminal conduct occurred. The informal consultation regarding criminal charges occurred on March 27 and specifically, it was an incident that occurred at Cleveland Heights City Hall regarding an officer's body camera recording and the mayor's wife.'
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The I TEAM will continue to fight for that police video and an explanation behind the after-hours visits to the Law Department.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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