We, the undersigned, are disgusted by the reports outlined by Indy Star and Mirror Indy that describe how the Mayor’s right-hand man Thomas Cook used his position and power to coerce and sexually abuse multiple subordinates, and how Mayor Hogsett, having learned of this behavior by at least 2017, covered for the misconduct and gave Cook multiple chances to offend again.

As an elected leader, Mayor Joe Hogsett has a duty to protect and improve the lives of every citizen in the city. Sadly, Hogsett has shown he has no such desire to protect even those in his own office. How can he be trusted to act in the best interest of his constituents? We have no confidence that he will.

Due to his complicity in covering up multiple instances of sexual abuse, we demand an immediate resignation from Mayor Joe Hogsett.

Knowing that Mayor Hogsett did not act alone, we demand a full and independent investigation of Mayor Hogsett’s entire administration, campaign staff, and all past Deputy Mayors to discover what other misconduct or corruption has been hidden from the public and who else was involved. The investigating entity must have no connection to or interest concerning the Democratic Party in the city, county, or state or any governmental office in the city or state.

In addition to multiple acts of sexual abuse, the city-county employees have issued a petition to address the toxic culture they experience in their workplace. We demand these concerns be taken seriously and addressed in an expedient manner to provide those workers with a safe and anonymous way to report mistreatment and plans to hold offenders accountable.

We demand that all leadership within this City-County Council and the Democratic Party at the state & local levels address this issue with all seriousness and urgency. Considering it has been ongoing for 8 years or more, now is well past the time to take action to ensure all parties receive the justice to which they are entitled. The silence on an issue of this gravity is alarming.

Finally, we demand fulfillment of all of Caroline Ellert’s and Lauren Roberts’s very modest and reasonable requests for documentation from past investigations, a third-party audit of the City/County human resource and sexual harassment policies, employee training on their rights and reporting options, access to an independent entity for safe reporting, and access to mental health services.

Sincerely,
Central Indiana Democratic Socialists of America and the undersigned: