Following the sexual harassment incident, the City-County Council advances a modified proposal

Indianapolis, Indiana – An amended proposal to overhaul the city’s policies regarding sexual harassment and look into the allegations of sexual harassment made against Thomas Cook, the former chief of staff of Mayor Joe Hogsett, was advanced by the rules and public policy committee of the Indianapolis City-County Council on Friday night. Cook is accused of harassing women before he was fired.

The committee decided to suggest that Proposal No. 287, 2024, be approved by the entire council and sent it there. The law would give the committee permission to restructure the city’s existing policies regarding sexual harassment and would bring them into compliance with the new training mandated for all county and city employees going forward.

The revised plan would permit the establishment of a committee tasked with opening an official inquiry into how the mayor’s office handled the accusations made against Thomas Cook.
Additionally, the proposal would alter the way the mayor’s office responds to future staff accusations.

Maggie Lewis, the Democratic majority leader, and other council members hope that the updated proposal, if approved in its final form, will significantly alter the city’s policy around sexual harassment.

Lewis stated, “Our top priorities are building back public confidence in city leadership and making sure that every employee in Indianapolis feels safe, appreciated, and supported.” “We’re determined to implement the required adjustments to safeguard our workers both now and in the future. This is a vital step in making the workplace safer for everyone and holding the leadership team accountable.

Among these adjustments is the creation of an impartial commission to direct the inquiry. Two members of the minority party and five members of the ruling party would make up this committee. Additionally, this committee would have the authority to subpoena documents and witnesses.

More stringent privacy regulations would be implemented to guarantee that no information that might reveal the identify of victims is made public. Additionally, a non-local company would be consulted to get suggestions on how to improve the city’s harassment policy.

After the meeting on Friday night, Hogsett made the following statement:

Eleven days ago, I delivered my Budget Address to the City-County Council and laid out immediate steps the City would be taking to create a safer workplace for everyone, and we have worked swiftly to make these changes a reality. Human Resources sent out this year’s mandatory sexual harassment training on 8/15, which I completed the next morning, and on 8/19 I signed an executive order to make this training mandatory on an annual basis for all City employees, not just supervisors. On 8/16, the City began an internal education campaign to ensure all employees know how to access the free counseling and support available through our Employee Assistance Program. A national law firm without local ties is being hired to review and make recommendations on our Employee Handbook. And soon, following demos that began this week, an anonymous reporting system will be made available to all employees.

As the Mayor of Indianapolis, it is of critical importance to me that, in addition to ensuring there are appropriate sexual harassment and fraternization policies in place, every person who serves our community in the City-County enterprise understands they can report inappropriate behavior of any kind without fear of retribution, and that all investigations will be conducted in a confidential manner. I remain committed to working with the City-County Council and leaders of this Administration to make continued changes to our policies and practices that ensure a safe and equitable workplace for all.

The entire council may give the proposal final approval on September 9.

The meeting on Friday night comes after many weeks of controversy surrounding Hogsett’s conduct of an inquiry into Cook. Cook was accused of coercing and sexually harassing Lauren Roberts, a former member of the mayor’s campaign team, and Caroline Ellert, a former city employee.

Cook was the target of three different sanctions between October 2017 and October 2023, according to earlier sources.

Cook was forbidden from having intimate ties with his coworkers after the sanctions were implemented. After it was discovered that Cook had allegedly broken a 2017 directive to avoid having intimate relationships with any of his subordinates, Cook resigned shortly after in December 2020.

The mayor has already declared that following a comprehensive evaluation of the city’s harassment training, a national company will be entrusted with revising the employee handbook.

Earlier this week, Hogsett issued an executive order mandating annual harassment training for all city-county employees. Only supervisors were previously obliged to complete sexual harassment training.