Third Indianapolis City-County councilor calls on Hogsett to resign

INDIANAPOLIS - A third Indianapolis City-County councilor is calling on Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign.




Josh Bain, a Republican, called on the mayor to step down on Tuesday, nearly one week after Councilor Andy Nielsen, a Democrat, publicly called for Hogsett's resignation following a detailed report presented to the City-County Council about sexual harassment allegations against the mayor's former top aide.




Despite the independent report concluding that Hogsett's administration acted within the legal bounds when it came to allegations made against Thomas Cook, Bain joined Nielsen is calling for a total "reset" that begins with Hogsett stepping down.

Bain pointed to "profound ethical failures" as a driving force in his decision to call for the mayor's resignation, particularly Hogsett's decision to retain Cook despite multiple allegations of sexual harassment.




"That choice alone reflects a serious lapse in judgment and a troubling absence of moral clarity," Bain said.




Bain stated that calling on Hogsett's resignation "is not something I do lightly" but pointed to a perceived "troubling and growing pattern" in the mayor's actions.




These "troubling" patterns included accusations of Hogsett arriving to a closed-door meeting with MLS officials in an alleged state of impairment.




"I witness him stumble into the room, have difficulty even sitting down, read a brief printed-out statement, then awkwardly exit without answering any questions," Bain claimed.




The councilor said he did not raise his concerns publicly after this May 2024 meeting in order to "preserve the dignity of our City's leader."




Bain also questioned Hogsett's leadership during the downtown riot of 2020 and his "lack of response."




"This is a pattern - one that falls far short of the leadership Indianapolis deserves," Bain said.




Bain joins Democrats Jesse Brown and Nielsen as three members of the city-county council calling on the mayor to resign. Others, like Councilor Ron Gibson, continue to support Hogsett while others shift their focus to creating policies to address misconduct among public officials.




Hogsett sat down with FOX59/CBS4 for a one-on-one interview on Tuesday in which he said he had no plans to resign.





via: https://fox59.com/indiana-news/third-indianapolis-city-county-councilor-calls-on-hogsett-to-resign/