City-County Council to debate investigation into sexual harassment charges in Hogsett administration
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis City-County Council tonight will debate a bi-partisan proposal introduced with overwhelming support to investigate allegations of sexual harassment inside the administration of Mayor Joe Hogsett.
Proposal 287 would establish a seven-member council investigative committee, made up of five Democrats and two Republicans, which would have the authority to subpoena records and individuals to testify about any allegations of sexual harassment within Hogsett’s office and administration dating back to his first term which began in 2016 but only came to light this summer.
“We should all be able to agree on an independent investigative committee, and that means, members who need to act right away and members who don’t have political, personal or financial ties to Joe Hogsett or his campaign,” said freshman Councilor Jesse Brown, a Democrat who represents Indianapolis’ near eastside. ”I would like to see that anyone who was told about the abuses of Thomas Cook or other senior administrative officials be asked what did they do when they received that information.”
Cook was the manager of Hogsett’s initial run for Mayor in 2015 who later went on to serve as chief of staff and deputy mayor before being ousted in late 2020 after the mayor said his top aide had violated a directive from years before which ordered Cook to not engage in romantic relationships with women in the Hogsett administration.
Cook went on to work for a high-powered connected Democrat law firm in Indianapolis which landed significant city-controlled contracts before he volunteered for the mayor’s 2023 re-election campaign and was dismissed again as a woman came forward and said he harassed her again in his unpaid position.
Three women have alleged Cook harassed them or plied them with alcohol during such encounters which became intimate and after they ended, continued with obsessive messaging.
Related Stories in Hogsett Aide Investigation and Fallout
Last week it was revealed that two more top aides in the Department of Metropolitan Development either were forced out or left under a cloud of suspicion regarding similar allegations.
”It’s really important that we know who knew what, who knew it when so that way we can really figure out the timelines and figure out what action we need to take to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Councilor Josh Bain.
“Can you guys subpoena the mayor to come and talk to your investigative committee?” I asked Bain.
“I think we can subpoena anyone within the city-county enterprise,” said the Republican from Decatur Township.
Over the weekend, Hogsett seemed to make light of his current political predicament while appearing onstage at a concert in Douglas Park hosted by comedian Mike Epps.
“I want you all… look, I ain’t on the ballot,” said Hogsett, exhorting the crowd to register to vote in the November General Election which will happen one year after the mayor was re-elected to his third term. “I ain’t running for nothing. I’m running from things, but I ain’t running for nothing.”
Hogsett’s office told FOX59 News that the mayor’s comments were a joke taken out of context.
The comments came as the mayor has severely curtailed his public appearances in the wake of the scandal, in favor of focusing on leading city employees through the current Human Resources crisis, and has been questioned on-camera only twice in the last two months during brief sidewalk interviews by FOX59 News.
”I’ve yet to come across someone who thinks it was a joke,” said Bain about the mayor’s weekend concert remarks.
His assessment was shared across the city-county council aisle.
“I think its kind of par for the course for him to make jokes at a time like this,” said Brown. “I don’t find it funny and I hope the council appoints people to the investigative committee who don’t find it funny either.”
Brown remains the only councilor who has publicly called for Hogsett to step down.
”There’s been a total lack of transparency and openness. And I think that you could look at any other industry on earth, and if you’re the top official, the buck stops at your desk,” said Brown. ”I don’t think there’s a path forward here that has Joe Hogsett in charge of this city.”
Should Hogsett step aside, his chief of staff and deputy mayor would fill that roll for 30 days while Marion County democrats would caucus to pick a new mayor.
Comments are closed.