Indianapolis City-County Council democrats to introduce proposal to revamp City's harassment, human

INDIANAPOLIS - Democrats on the Indianapolis City-County Council plan to introduce a proposal to revamp the city's harassment and human resources policies.




In a press release, the City-County Council's democratic caucus indicated that the proposal it plans to introduce will review the following recommendations:

• Create an independent Ad-Hoc Inspector General as needed to investigate policy violations involving city-county elected or appointed officials.  





• Establish an Independent Human Resources Board, replacing the current Human Resources Division and forming a Human Resources Division led by a Human Resources Officer.





• Remove the Office of Equal Opportunity from within the Office of Corporation Counsel and make it an independent agency with expanded jurisdiction over all city-county employee complaints





• Update all anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, retaliation, and non-fraternization policies, including the associated reporting systems.





• Revamp training programs for leadership and staff to ensure effective implementation and compliance with workplace conduct policies. Track training completion for all elected and appointed officials and City-County employees, with mandatory training for new hires within the first 10 days of employment.

The policy changes the City-County Council's democratic caucus is reviewing were recommended by Fisher Phillips, a Chicago-based firm that was tasked with investigating Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's handling of sexual harassment and assault complaints that were lodged against one of his former top aides, Thomas Cook.




Fisher Phillips delivered a report on its investigation to the City-County Council late last month. The report indicated that complaints were lodged against Cook in 2017, 2020 and 2023.




Cook, who was accused of harassment or assault by at least three women, did not respond to Fisher Phillips' requests for investigative interviews.




Hogsett participated in the investigation, which cost taxpayers $450,000. The investigation found that Hogsett had not committed any legal wrongdoing.




Hogsett said he provided more than 1,000 documents during the investigation. He also indicated he participated in multiple interviews with Fisher Phillips.




Previous reporting indicates Hogsett had told Cook to stop harassing the City's and mayoral campaign team's female employees. He also urged Cook to discontinue any inappropriate workplace relationships he had.




In 2020, Hogsett learned Cook had disregarded his reprimand. At the time, Hogsett told Cook he had 60 days to clear out his office after he completed any remaining work on outstanding City projects.




In total, 68 days passed before Cook departed. Though he was ousted from his formal role in City government, Cook volunteered on Hogsett's 2023 mayoral campaign team in an advisory role.




While Cook was working as a member of Hogsett's campaign team, additional harassment complaints were lodged against him.




A lawyer representing two women who accused Cook of harassment told FOX59/CBS4 on Monday that Fisher Phillips omitted key details in its report on its investigation. Lauren Roberts - a member of Hogsett's most recent mayoral campaign team - and Caroline Ellert, a former City employee, said text messages the mayor sent them were not included in the Fisher Phillips report.




The women told FOX59/CBS4 that, in one of the messages Fisher Phillips omitted, Hogsett asked one of the women if her partner appreciated how feisty she is.




The City-County Council's reaction to Fisher Phillips' report has been mixed. Democrats Andy Nielsen and Jesse Brown have both called for Hogsett to resign.




In an interview with FOX59/CB4's Cameron Ridle, however, Michael-Paul Hart did not call for the mayor to resign. Rather, he indicated that he is focused on creating policies that will address misconduct among public officials.




"We need to come up with policies that address this," Hart said. "How do we prevent this from happening in the future, where the Mayor doesn't have the authority anymore to allow this type of behavior to stay for another 68 days? What we need to focus on is what we can control."




In a Facebook post, John Barth voiced criticism of Fisher Phillips' investigation. Barth called on Fisher Phillips to share all of its findings, including the messages Ellert and Roberts said were excluded.




Barth requested that pending payments to Fisher Phillips be withheld until the firm answers the council's questions about its investigation. Barth urged Fisher Phillips representatives to attend a public meeting of the City-County Council to respond to questions and provide clarification on omitted evidence.




"I remain committed to working with my Council colleagues to ensure that this investigation is complete, fair, and transparent. We owe it to the employees of our city-county government - and to the residents of Indianapolis - to demand accountability at every level and to uphold the highest standards of public conduct."




Other councilors, like Ron Gibson, have expressed support for Hogsett and Fishers Phillips' investigation.




"After reviewing the final report produced by Fisher Phillips for the City-County Council's investigative committee, I remain steadfast in my support of Mayor Hogsett's leadership. Fisher Phillips did exactly what they were hired to do: they reviewed all evidence provided within the scope of the investigative committee's authority and authored a report that included all the information they deemed relevant given their significant expertise.




"That report was clear: Mayor Hogsett followed all applicable law and policy whenever an issue was reported to him. To claim otherwise is to use this process for political gain in a way that does not benefit the residents we were elected to serve. I am committed to continuing the work with Mayor Hogsett and my colleagues on the Council to improve workplace policies and create the safest workplace possible for all the public servants who serve our city."




In the press release it sent about the proposal it plans to create to review Fishers Phillips' recommendations, the City-County Council's democratic caucus wrote that Hogsett's handling of allegations against Cook has compromised the community's trust in its government and weakened the moral authority of the mayor's office.




"The residents of Indianapolis deserve a city government that is accountable, honest, and reflective of the community's highest aspirations. Public trust is a sacred obligation continuously earned through principled moral leadership and responsible governance.




"The Mayor's past and recent conduct has compromised that trust and weakened the moral authority of the office.  His actions are inconsistent with the ethical expectations we hold for ourselves and one another as stewards of this great city's future.  We reaffirm our dedication to ethical leadership and call on the Mayor to reflect deeply on the gravity of this moment."




The Indianapolis City-County Council convened as scheduled on Monday night. During the meeting, Roberts and others were removed by police.




Roberts was given the floor to speak, but she exceed the amount of time given to her. After exceeding her allotment of time, Roberts refused to give the floor back to the council.




As a result, police moved in to remove Roberts. As police began to remove Roberts from the meeting, a few chaotic moments were had between councilors, police, and civilians.




Some civilians in the council's chamber surrounded Roberts and attempted to create a barrier between her and law enforcement. Others, including Roberts herself, told the police not to touch her.




FOX59/CBS4's Max Lewis attended the meeting and posted the following video on X:

Chaos just erupted at the City-County council meeting as Lauren Roberts got up to speak. She has accused Mayor Joe Hogsett's former chief of staff of sexual harassment. Deputies removed her and others from the room. pic.twitter.com/XmkU1LBqnV
— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) June 10, 2025

Prior to Fisher Phillips releasing the findings of its investigation, Hogsett issued an executive order that required all City employees to undergo sexual harassment training. Before Hogsett issued his executive order, such training had only been required of supervisors.




Hogsett and the City also rolled out a new platform that allows City employees to anonymously report incidents of harassment.




Previous reporting indicates neither Cook nor Hogsett have yet to be charged with a crime. Hogsett has previously rebuked calls for his resignation.




"As Democrats, we believe our city's character begins with its leadership and a firm commitment to justice, equity and good governance," the City-County Council's democratic caucus wrote in the press release it sent Monday night. "In the event that additional information comes to light during this ongoing investigation that negatively bears on this situation, our Council remains committed to taking whatever additional steps may be necessary to do the right thing."





via: https://fox59.com/news/indianapolis-city-county-council-democrats-to-introduce-proposal-to-revamp-citys-harassment-human-resources-policies/