Mayor Joe Hogsett’s answers to several questions from journalists on Sept. 12 did not clear up confusion about his administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations.
But the mayor did make one thing clear: He will not release any documents that could prove whether his team actually launched an investigation in 2017 into Thomas Cook, his former chief of staff.
“To provide you the documents would undermine the very purpose of why we are gathered here today,” Hogsett said during a press conference with journalists. “In other words, every employee in the city of Indianapolis needs to be assured that if they have a complaint, that it is confidential, it can be anonymous, it will be investigated, and if shown to be actionable, sanctions will be taken.”
The mayor’s comments drew an immediate response from former campaign employee Lauren Roberts, who tried to contact Hogsett about Cook’s alleged behavior as early as 2017. The Hogsett administration has stated that Roberts’ claims were investigated in 2017 — and that Cook faced a reprimand — but Roberts has questioned whether an investigation occurred because she said she was never contacted.
“As the victim, I deserve to know about this investigation and to get documentation related to it. You can redact names of witnesses or others interviewed if that is a concern,” Roberts wrote on X.
The half-hour press conference was the longest that Hogsett has publicly spoken about the allegations that have been gripping his administration for months following news stories by Mirror Indy and IndyStar detailing how three women felt trapped and victimized by Cook’s behavior. A subsequent IndyStar article this month revealed that the Hogsett administration has opened other investigations into other current and former employees.
And the press conference came just days after Hogsett attracted new scrutiny for telling a crowd gathered at a Mike Epps concert that Hogsett was “running from things,” leading to online speculation that he was speaking about the harassment allegations.
When asked to explain his weekend remarks, Hogsett said he was making a joke unrelated to the allegations.
The mayor emphasized that he’s determined to create a safer workplace for the roughly 7,000 city-county employees. His administration rolled out an anonymous and confidential reporting tool, for example, and he signed an executive order mandating all employees participate in annual sexual harassment training. Previously, only supervisors like Cook were required to participate in the training.
Yet while he talked about steps his administration has taken to protect employees, he still hasn’t addressed why he kept Cook in his inner circle even after Hogsett became aware of two of the subordinates who were subjected to Cook’s advances in the workplace.
Council launches probe
During the press conference, Hogsett also signed a proposal — passed by the City-County Council at its Sept. 9 meeting — to form an investigative committee made up of five Democratic councilors and two Republican councilors.
Councilor Brian Mowery, the Republican Minority Leader, is one of the seven councilors who will serve on the committee.
“These are very serious allegations that are being thrown around,” Mowery told reporters this week following a council committee meeting. “This is no joking matter, and we need to look into this in a serious manner and make sure we’re taking the necessary steps to try to prevent this in the future.”
The committee plans to hire an outside law firm or human resources organization to carry out an independent investigation. The committee will have the power to collect evidence, according to the proposal, and to subpoena witnesses to testify.
Questions remain
Hogsett asked Cook to resign in December 2020 after he learned of a second inappropriate relationship between Cook and a subordinate that has been characterized as consensual.
Despite knowing Cook’s past, the mayor brought his former top aide onto his 2023 reelection campaign — only to dismiss him after another woman, former city staffer Caroline Ellert, contacted the mayor in September 2023 to report Cook’s treatment of her between 2018-20.
Cook, who has not been charged with a crime, has previously declined several Mirror Indy requests for interviews.
When asked by reporters during the press conference why he let Cook back onto his campaign, Hogsett said that Cook “had no supervisory authority” over any city employee.
“He offered to volunteer, and I allowed him to,” Hogsett said. “He supervised one person, and that person’s name was Blake Hesch.”
When asked to explain Cook’s role given that Hesch worked as the campaign manager — typically the top position on a campaign — Hogsett corrected himself.
“Well, he wasn’t technically supervising him,” Hogsett said. “He served that campaign as an advisor.”
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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