A correction was made on June 18: This story has been updated to correctly note that Carlino publicly called for Council President Vop Osili and Vice President Ali Brown to step down from their leadership roles on the City-County Council.
Councilor Crista Carlino publicly called for the resignation of Mayor Joe Hogsett and for the top two Democratic leaders on City-County Council to step down from their posts.
While she chaired the council’s investigative committee, Carlino said she was not granted the authority to direct the scope of the council’s investigation into Hogsett’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against his former top aide, Thomas Cook.
“Tonight I’m calling for a change in leadership, not only for our city, but for this council,” said Carlino, a westside Democrat, in a prepared statement June 17.
Her comments came at the end of a council Administration and Finance Committee meeting, where councilors were gathered to decide whether to make the remaining $300,000 payment to a law firm for its investigation.
Maggie Adams-McBride hugs Councilor Crista Carlino after the meeting. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
An audience member holds a sign urging Joe Hogsett to resign. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Councilor John Barth asks questions of an audience member. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Councilors during a meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee on June 17, 2025. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Emma Davidson Tribbs, director of the National Women’s Defense League, plays a recording of an encounter between Lauren Roberts and authorities at a previous meeting. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy 
Councilor Crista Carlino reads a statement calling for the resignation of Mayor Joe Hogsett and for President Vop Osili and Vice President Ali Brown to step down from their leadership roles. Credit: Doug McSchooler for Mirror Indy
A divided committee recommended making the payment. But some councilors — and many victims of alleged harassment — believe that investigation was flawed.
For example: The final report from the law firm, Fisher Phillips, did not include late-night text messages sent by Hogsett to former campaign worker Lauren Roberts and former city staffer Caroline Ellert, who both said the messages made them feel uncomfortable.
That’s just one reason why Roberts tried to speak about her concerns during a full council meeting last week, but she was cut off by Council President Vop Osili, who ordered sheriff’s deputies to remove her from the building. He later said in a statement that he regretted his actions.
Afterward, Roberts, Ellert and other victims of alleged harassment were invited to speak at the June 17 committee meeting.
Emma Davidson Tribbs, director of the National Women’s Defense League, read a prepared statement on behalf of seven people who said they experienced harassment. Some of them worked in city government; others worked in political spaces.
Councilors sat in silence as Tribbs read a prepared statement from Roberts and played an audio clip from the June 9 Council meeting where Roberts was thrown out.
And, as the meeting came to a close, it was against that backdrop that Carlino read her statement.
She’s now the second Democratic councilor to publicly call for a change at the top of council, joining eastside councilor Jesse Brown, who has criticized Osili over his response to the allegations of harassment.
“If we are to overcome the shameful legacy of abuse in the Hogsett administration, we must also reject so-called President Vop Osili,” Jesse Brown wrote in a newsletter to constituents June 12.
Osili, who was not present at the meeting, did not immediately respond to a request for comment through a spokesperson.
In addition to Carlino and Jesse Brown, eastside Democrat Andy Nielsen and southside Republican Josh Bain have urged the mayor to resign.
When asked by Mirror Indy for comment, Hogsett said in a June 17 statement that he has no intention of resigning.
“I remain committed to continuing the important work we began nearly a year ago to ensure the confidentiality and safety of every employee. My focus, and that of my administration, for the remainder of my term will be on the promises we made — to create economic and social vitality and growth for the people of Indianapolis,” Hogsett’s statement read, in part.
Carlino’s comments June 17 also urged Ali Brown, a northeast-side Democrat, to step down from her post as council vice president.
In a statement to Mirror Indy, Ali Brown said Carlino “knows full well that I had no involvement in defining the scope of the investigative committee” and that Carlino is “weaponizing that trauma for her own political advantage.”
Carlino blames ‘architect’ of investigation
In her prepared remarks, Carlino said she was not the “architect” of the council’s investigation — an apparent reference to Osili, who works as a professional architect.
But when asked by reporters if she was specifically referencing Osili, Carlino answered: “I don’t know.”
Either way, Carlino said she was unable to ensure the council investigation would examine issues beyond the mayor’s former chief of staff and campaign leader.
“In January of this year, it became clear to me that the scope was just limited to Thomas Cook,” Carlino told reporters after the June 17 committee meeting. “That was the first time I expressed, behind closed doors, my frustration.”
Carlino noted that the general resolution establishing the investigative committee did not specifically name Cook. When asked why she believed the investigation narrowed in on Cook, she said “that’s a question for the architect who decided to do that.”
Carlino also shared that she lost her job soon after being named chair of the investigative committee. Carlino previously worked at RecycleForce, which does work with the city.
When asked why she decided to speak out now, Carlino said that her experience as a survivor made it hard for her to come forward. Beyond describing herself as a survivor, she didn’t elaborate on what happened to her.
“It’s been very difficult for me, for my family, my young daughter,” Carlino said. “This has been incredibly personal for us.”
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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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