Hogsett endorses sexual harassment investigation committee
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mayor Joe Hogsett on Thursday signed a proposal to have a special investigative committee of City-County Council members look into sexual harassment allegations within city government.
The signing came weeks after the explosive allegations made against his former chief of staff Thomas Cook.
During 30 minutes of questioning at Thursday news conference, the Democrat mayor defended how he handled the sexual harassment allegations against his former top aide. “I did what I was required to do at the time people complained about how Thomas Cook was behaving.”
When Lauren Roberts came forward in 2017 with her allegations against Cook, Hogsett says, he handed the investigation over to an outside law firm.
When that investigation was finished, the mayor says, he sanctioned Cook, telling him he was not allowed to have any sexual relationships with any city employees.
Where are the documents proving that the mayor actually did that investigation?
“To release all of those documents to the public would undermine the very nature of providing a safe and confidential atmosphere for employees to come forward,” Hogsett said.
Roberts took to social media while the news conference was being livestreamed. “@IndyMayorJoe since you’re citing confidentiality as a reason for not releasing records related to the ‘investigation’ you say you directed Taft to do after I first emailed you in May 2017, I’m requesting a meeting with you and that investigator.”
After Roberts came forward and after Hogsett sanctioned Cook, Caroline Ellert says Cook had an inappropriate sexual relationship with her.
At the news conference in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the 25th floor of the City-County Building, Hogsett steered the conversation toward what his administration is doing now to investigate these allegations.
“Why we are here today it is because the press has widely reported on these matters. The City-County Council has paired up with the administration to look into each and every one of these issues,” Hogsett said.
The mayor was asked, if the women had not come forward, would he and the news media be sitting in the Mayor’s Conference Room on Thursday talking about what he just signed.
“I’m not going to speculate,” Hogsett said.
Does the mayor feel responsible for fostering an environment where something like this can happen?
“The mayor of the city of Indianapolis has to take a leadership role and update its policies and procedures that protect a safe and comfortable working environment for all of its employees, so, in that regard, that is a responsibility of mine, so that is why we are here today.”
Hogsett says he will cooperate with the investigation committee while it looks into the sexual harassment allegations made against people in his administration.