Through an outside investigation, the city of St. Paul has substantiated a workplace conduct complaint filed against St. Paul City Council Member Anika Bowie by fellow Council Member Cheniqua Johnson, who accused Bowie of bullying, offensive and harassing behavior.

The war of words that ignited last October between the two council members escalated Monday morning when Johnson released a written statement in an email newsletter and on Facebook demanding that Bowie “take public accountability for her actions.”

Both women were elected to the city council in November 2023. Johnson had recommended last April that Bowie hire her friend Jon Berry as a legislative aide, or top assistant, a position that Bowie had struggled to fill. Berry then worked for Bowie from late May to early October, when she terminated him, but Johnson quickly hired him back to City Hall later that same month in a lesser role.

In response, Bowie on Oct. 21 shared a two-page email full of accusations against the two of them with 11 recipients, including the city attorney’s office and human resources. A copy of the email was soon shared anonymously with the press.

Johnson, that same week, asked the city to send Bowie a cease-and-desist letter and investigate her conduct, while expressing fear of retaliation and accusing Bowie of creating a hostile work environment. She also accused Bowie of sexual harassment.

Investigation by the city

A third-party investigation conducted on the city’s behalf was turned over to the city on Dec. 11 by attorney Michelle Soldo and Soldo Consulting of Woodbury. At a reporter’s request, the city on Monday shared heavily redacted versions of Soldo’s findings, Bowie’s email and Johnson’s underlying complaint with the Pioneer Press.

Bowie’s accusations — which included allegations that Johnson, who is recently married, had a prior romantic relationship with Berry — and the manner in which they were shared constituted “prohibited offensive, bullying and harassing behavior” under the city’s Workplace Conduct policy, according to Soldo’s findings.

Council members also sign a “Council Norms” agreement in their first month of office, and Bowie’s “conduct also contravenes the expectations set forth” in that agreement, according to the investigation.

“Bowie’s October 21 email discusses private personnel data and there was no objectively valid or productive business reason for (Council Member) Bowie to publicly disseminate the email to 11 recipients,” reads the investigation.

Investigation involving Berry yields no discipline

Due to heavy redacting, it’s unclear from Soldo’s five-page memo to the city what part of Bowie’s email constitutes private data.

Among her accusations, Bowie had said that Berry was terminated for “misappropriating” travel funds from her office, spending money that was not pre-authorized during a work-related trip, missing events with a congressperson and showing up unprepared for community meetings.

Jason Schmidt, deputy director of St. Paul Human Resources, confirmed on Monday that a second investigation involving Berry had also concluded, though he said he could not release it without Berry’s permission as it constitutes private personnel data under state statute. Had there been any discipline, the final disposition of discipline and specific reasons for the discipline would have been public data under the law, he said.

Efforts to reach Bowie and Berry for comment were unsuccessful on Monday.

Conduct complaint

In her workplace conduct complaint last October — a redacted version of which was shared Monday with the Pioneer Press — Johnson said she had been blindsided by Bowie’s accusations. She noted that “not even one of Council Member Bowie’s claims against (redacted) or myself have ever been reported to Council Staff, the Council President’s office, my office, or myself.”

She asked for the city to conduct a full investigation of Bowie’s claims about unauthorized spending and the misappropriation of travel funds through an audit of Ward 1’s finances.

“If no such action is found, I am requesting a formal apology and documentation of those findings to (redacted) and myself,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson, in a newsletter update to her constituents on Monday, said the city’s investigation against Bowie “confirms that all claims made against me by Councilmember Bowie were unsubstantiated” and that “Bowie violated the city’s workplace conduct policies by publicly disseminating the false allegations.”

Johnson said Bowie’s accusations “against me and another city employee … impugned my integrity and character” and she emphasized she was not the subject of the city-driven investigation: “To be clear, I was never and have never been under investigation.”

Cody Blades, an attorney for Johnson, released a written statement on Sunday indicating “a third-party neutral investigation into Councilmember Bowie’s conduct concluded that Councilmember Bowie’s allegations against Councilmember Johnson were unsubstantiated and that Councilmember Bowie violated workplace conduct policies in making the statement.”

Council President Mitra Jalali on Monday said the director of council operations would review the investigation’s findings and would “work to recommend the best path forward for accountability.”

She noted, however, that council members are neither hired nor fired by the council.

“These are elected officials,” Jalali said. “They’re not hired by the city. They’re elected by voters.”

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