City-County Councilors of both parties are insisting that Mayor Joe Hogsett needs to clean up his administration following new allegations that make it increasingly appear a culture of sexual harassment has taken root.
Jennifer McCormick, the Democratic nominee for governor, also released a wide-ranging ethics plan today that calls for the creation of reporting mechanisms for sexual harassment at the state and local levels that she says were inspired in part by previously reported allegations against Hogsett’s former top aide.
Matt Pleasant, a Department of Metropolitan Development administrator, was fired this week for violating the city’s workplace harassment policy, according to an IndyStar investigation published today. Meanwhile, city officials are investigating several other current and former staffers, IndyStar reported — including Rusty Carr, who formerly led that department.
The accusations come just weeks after Mirror Indy and IndyStar published separate investigations that describe how Thomas Cook, who was formerly the mayor’s chief of staff, used his power to make three women feel trapped and victimized.
Democratic City-County Councilor Jesse Brown, who called for Hogsett’s resignation after the Mirror Indy investigation published Aug. 7, said the latest allegations are indicative of a wider culture of sexual harassment at city hall.
“I don’t have first-hand experience, but I don’t see how the city could possibly have this many high-ranking officials commit obvious sexual improprieties with no HR complaints unless you have a culture that tolerates and even encourages it,” Brown told Mirror Indy. “I’ve had many female friends and constituents tell me they do not feel comfortable in city government.”
Brian Mowery, the Republican leader on City-County Council, told Mirror Indy in a statement that it’s clear there are systemic problems within the Hogsett administration.
“As we have said from day one, the Republican caucus is committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to investigate what has occurred, and work to create a path forward to ensure our city-county government never turns into such a ‘toxic culture’ ever again,” Mowery said, referencing two words from IndyStar’s new article.
State Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, who ran against Hogsett in the 2023 Democratic primary, said she was “shocked and a little frustrated” after reading the IndyStar investigation today.
“I would have thought during the Me Too movement every employer would have looked at their policies to see what they have to do,” Shackleford told Mirror Indy. “It seems some employers have just taken a little longer.”
Council President Vop Osili, a Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment made through his spokesperson. In a statement posted on X, he said the council remains committed to “conducting an objective, thorough investigation into the handling of reports of harassment.”
In a statement, Hogsett said that the Human Resources office is currently investigating six allegations of harassment. Hogsett also encouraged any employees who have witnessed harassment to utilize the city’s anonymous and confidential reporting system, which his administration created after Mirror Indy and IndyStar published its investigations.
Current and former city employees told IndyStar that Carr sent sexually explicit messages and made unwanted advances toward coworkers. A July investigation into Pleasant showed that he engaged in “inappropriate sexual misconduct,” according to an internal human resources document provided to IndyStar by the city’s Office of Corporation Counsel.
Pleasant did not reply to IndyStar’s request for comment. Carr told the newspaper that he had two relationships with city employees and sent suggestive messages to women outside of his marriage, but described his behavior as consensual.
The allegations against Pleasant and Carr come as the City-County Council is preparing to launch an investigation into the Hogsett administration’s handling of the allegations against Cook. The council is expected to take a final vote to create an investigative committee at a meeting in September.
Gubernatorial candidate wants better reporting mechanisms
McCormick, the Democratic nominee for governor, and Terry Goodin, the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, released their “Commonsense Ethics Plan” today.
She scheduled the news conference before IndyStar published its latest investigation.
In a conference call with reporters, McCormick said she stands by her previous statement that “Hogsett’s apparent failure to address these issues appropriately highlights a systemic problem that demands a systematic solution.”
According to the plan, the state Inspector General’s Office, which is responsible for investigating fraud, abuse and other mismanagement in state executive branch agencies, would establish a confidential reporting mechanism for harassment committed by state or local elected or appointed officials and lobbyists.
After any investigation, the inspector general would inform the state ethics committee of the findings. If it is found that criminal actions are warranted, the findings would be referred to the relevant prosecutor. If the matter is noncriminal, the findings would be referred to the appropriate personnel department. If the alleged harasser is an elected official, the ethics committee would be required to publicize its findings.
Such a plan would broaden the scope of the Inspector General’s Office and likely require state legislative approval. The inspector general does not have any jurisdiction over local or county government.
McCormick said she wants to ensure that better reporting mechanisms are in place.
“We have the time to work out the details of what that would look like and how that would work,” McCormick said, “but our message is there’s got to be another mechanism in which to report, and then let those investigations go where they are gonna go.”
All eyes on Hogsett
Hogsett decided to seek a third term in office despite having said he would stop at two terms in order to complete what he felt was unfinished business following the COVID-19 pandemic, but now his administration is instead wracked with scandal.
Since the first allegations came to light, Hogsett has declined interview requests from journalists and has made fewer appearances at public events. Following an Aug. 28 event to celebrate the opening of a housing complex on the south side, Hogsett gave reporters five minutes to ask questions about his handling of the allegations against Cook, though his answers provided little clarity.
Hogsett brought Cook onto his 2023 campaign despite having asked Cook to resign as his chief of staff in December 2020 due to what the city described as an inappropriate but consensual relationship with a fourth woman who was his subordinate.
Hogsett removed Cook from the campaign six weeks before the election after former city staffer Caroline Ellert came forward to report Cook’s behavior in September 2023.
Lauren Roberts, who worked on Hogsett’s first mayoral campaign, also tried to contact Hogsett about Cook’s alleged behavior as early as 2017, though it’s unclear to what extent Cook was investigated at the time. The Hogsett administration has stated that Roberts’ claims were investigated in 2017 — and that Cook faced a reprimand — but Roberts has said she was never contacted about either.
Last month, Hogsett issued an executive order requiring all city-county employees to take sexual harassment training. It was previously only required of supervisors. The city has also rolled out an anonymous internal reporting tool for employees.
Cook, who does not face any criminal charges, has previously declined several Mirror Indy requests for interviews.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick contributed to this story.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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