The Indianapolis City-County Council committee tasked with investigating sexual harassment within Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration held their inaugural meeting on Tuesday evening. The committee was formed in response to allegations made by former staffers Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert against the mayor’s former chief of staff, Thomas Cook. Since the formation of the committee, Matt Pleasant was fired from his position as the Administrator of the Division of Current Planning.
The meeting began with a presentation on the city’s new sexual harassment reporting system, which has already led to six investigations being initiated with four ongoing. The system, although aimed at being anonymous, currently requires employees to log in with their city credentials to file a report. The investigations involve gathering evidence such as texts, voicemails, emails, photos, or social media posts, followed by interviews and a determination of policy violations.
The committee members discussed how to handle reports involving elected or appointed officials and employees, as well as incidents that occurred outside the City-County Building or during a campaign. The members were presented with three independent law firms based in Chicago that could be hired to look into sexual harassment allegations within the Hogsett administration, with each firm charging significant fees for their services.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for October 9, where they will decide which law firm to move forward with for the investigation. The committee’s formation and ongoing work demonstrate the city government’s commitment to addressing and investigating sexual harassment allegations within the administration.
Source
Photo credit www.wishtv.com
