Calls for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's resignation grow

INDIANAPOLIS -- Just before 6 p.m. on Friday, at the end of the workweek and while Indianapolis was captivated by coverage of a Pacers playoff game due to tip off downtown in just a couple hours, the Indianapolis Business Journal joined the calls of three city-county councilors for Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign over his handling of sexual harassment allegations leveled against his former top aide.




"We don't make that recommendation lightly," reads the IBJ's editorial. "We're ready for him to turn the job over to someone who will provide the leadership this city needs."




By its mere title, the IBJ addresses and reflects the interests of the central Indiana business community.




"The Hogsett administration has never been able to articulate a clear strategy for the city, a message or a plan through which business and community leaders could rally," reads the editorial, chastising Hogsett for bailing out of a Tuesday afternoon public appearance regarding the issue of homelessness, "one of the biggest issues facing the city."




Hogsett's cancellation of his appearance came the afternoon following a city-county council meeting that was reduced to chaos as Lauren Roberts, a chief that accused former Deputy Mayor Thomas Cook, ran out of time to complain about what she felt was the mayor's inadequate response to her complaints and an independent law firm's report that cleared Hogsett of any wrongdoing.




Two hours after the cancelled public appearance, Hogsett granted FOX59/CBS4 seven minutes on camera to answer the calls for his resignation by the bipartisan group of councilors.




"I don't have any plans to resign," said Hogsett. "There's still too much left to do in the next two-and-a-half years, we want to make sure that we're giving everyone in Indianapolis the kind of economic vitality and vibrancy that they so richly deserve, as well as focusing on making our workplace safer and more peaceful."




Political Science Professor, Laura Wilson of the University of Indianapolis, said the addition of IBJ's voice to the chorus calling for Hogsett's departure reflects displeasure with the mayor spreading beyond the political world and perhaps encompassing other issue grievances.




"You see this erosion of what really should be support for the city, for the mayor, coming from the council, obviously coming from leadership within the IBJ, which is a very important news outlet in this city," said Wilson. "It certainly is the erosion of confidence across the city as a whole, and when you are talking about the business sector, they don't care maybe in the same way about partisanship or the people, they're worried about the future of this city."




During her abbreviated remarks to the council Monday night, Roberts said the report by Fisher Phillips of Chicago did not accurately reflect her account of the allegations against Cook for his alleged harassment and Hogsett for his response.




"I think what you see is this erosion of confidence across the board and as more information comes out it feels like there are more questions raised because of it," said Wilson. "Now seeing leaders of the business community, and I would expect that as we see more from the Fisher Phillips report and as some of these questions are addressed we'll hear more questions, more concerns, more calls for resignation given the information we already have access to."




Tuesday night, the council's Administration & Finance Committee has not only invited Roberts back to testify at length but will also consider a proposal to pay Fisher Phillips another $300,000, on top of the original $150,000 payment, for additional work on its report.




According to its contract with Fisher Phillips, the council is entitled to "work product" which would be the entire investigation done by the law firm, not merely the final report.




"There's no reason why they couldn't ask for that, and I think there's no reason why they wouldn't want to ask for that," said Wilson. "I would think the investigative committee would have a really hard time explaining if they chose not to go that route, they would want to see all of that material."




The council's Investigative Committee, chaired by Councilor Crista Carlino, a democrat, would be responsible for reconvening to consider a demand that it receive and review the entire Fisher Phillips file.




Carlino said after last Monday night's raucous council meeting that she was open to considering a call for Hogsett's resignation.





via: https://fox59.com/indiana-news/calls-for-indianapolis-mayor-joe-hogsetts-resignation-grow/