Chaos at Cleveland Heights City Hall Sparks Legal Battle Over Public Access to Police Bodycam Footage

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO — Cleveland Heights officials have declined to release police body camera footage of a December 6 incident involving Mayor Kahlil Seren’s wife, Natalie McDaniel, whose reported outburst at City Hall has since become the focus of mounting public scrutiny and legal questions. The city’s law department rejected a public records request submitted by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, asserting the video is “personal in nature” and unrelated to government operations.

“That’s laughable,” said media law attorney David Marburger. “Honestly, this is a joke.”

Marburger, a veteran advocate for public access under Ohio’s sunshine laws, argued that the footage qualifies as a public record since it was created by a police officer performing official duties inside a public building. “If some doofus from the street got back there and caused a disturbance, they would be providing you whatever you wanted,” he said.

The refusal comes despite the city’s prior release of two surveillance videos — both silent — that captured segments of the same incident. Those videos omit any audio of the verbal altercation allegedly instigated by McDaniel. According to Sgt. Jason Moze’s incident report, McDaniel, in a “panic state,” entered City Hall yelling, demanding to know the mayor’s location, and proceeded to scream at staff and berate officers, reportedly shouting about Moze being a “giant white man” who made her feel repressed.

Moze summoned two supervisors due to restricted access to the mayor’s wing. The confrontation, which he described as ongoing for 20 to 30 minutes, was reportedly loud enough to be heard in the public lobby. No explanation has been given for time skips in the surveillance footage or for the refusal to release the bodycam recording with audio.

The controversy has further intensified amid allegations that McDaniel made antisemitic remarks, including references to a Jewish city official as a “broodmare” and someone “destined for the glue factory.” The statements are detailed in a civil rights complaint filed May 14 with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission by law firm Sobel, Wade & Mapley, LLC.

Patrick Costigan, a former city employee and recipient of several of McDaniel’s alleged messages, is identified in the complaint as ethnically Jewish. The texts reportedly criticize Planning Commission Chair Jessica Cohen for purportedly benefiting Orthodox Jewish residents and contain religiously charged insults toward other community members.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, public pressure for Seren’s resignation reached a peak. Seren responded not at the meeting, but two days later in a 15-minute video statement posted on Facebook. He denied the allegations and asserted that both he and McDaniel “have no tolerance” for antisemitism, describing the complaint as part of a failed attempt to extort the city for $300,000 and a job reference.

Seren also contended that the texts were altered and taken out of context, saying, “Jessica Cohen has exhibited behaviors toward me that in my view invoke the racist trope of the mandingo.” He claimed the “broodmare” remark was a historical reference to American slavery, denying it was a commentary on Jewish culture.

Costigan responded, stating, “Weaponizing both of these identities to distract from hateful conduct is unacceptable.” He added that his Jewish heritage and transgender identity were inappropriately revealed by Seren in the video, an act he characterized as a violation of personal agency and potentially harmful.

Multiple former staff members have cited McDaniel’s conduct as a contributing factor to their resignations, including former City Administrator Dan Horrigan and Human Resources Director Melissa Heim. Heim resigned while on paid leave following the initiation of an investigation into her workplace safety complaint involving McDaniel’s behavior.

As community criticism mounts, Seren’s video continues to attract negative feedback. Residents have expressed concerns about his handling of the situation and the legality of limiting public comments on his official social media account. A special meeting between City Council and the city’s Law Director has been scheduled for 12 p.m. at City Hall to determine a path forward.

“My wife has received threatening texts and calls,” Seren stated in his video. “Our police had to pay a visit to a man who threatened to come to our home... We live in a time of heightened emotion and reduced empathy.”

Additional news coverage on this, from other local networks, can be found at the following sources:

1. cleveland.com, "‘This is a joke’: Cleveland Heights won’t release bodycam footage of mayor’s wife’s City Hall outburst," published on May 21, 2025. Available online.

2. News 5 Cleveland, "Cleveland Heights Mayor finally responds to allegations of his wife making anti-Jewish remarks," published on May 16, 2025. Available online.

3. FOX 8 Cleveland, "Cleveland Heights mayor speaks out amid accusations against wife," published on May 16, 2025. Available online.

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