UPDATE | On Aug. 9, 2024 City County Council President Vop Osili and 16 other councilors outlined steps they aim to take to better protect workers.
The steps are:
- Creating an independent Human Resources branch to address sexual harassment and other discrimination complaints.
- Creating a commission to evaluate the city's current policies and outline ways the city can improve.
- Modify the city's code to give all employees mandatory sexual harassment training.
The group of councilors also released this statement.
"As the legislative branch of local government, we are committed to working together to determine the necessary changes to the city’s policies and systems to ensure a safe work environment for all employees, now and into the future. Our priority is to create a workplace where every employee feels secure, valued, and supported. We are focused on implementing improvements that will bring greater accountability for all leaders, whether elected, appointed, or hired. We recognize that a safe work environment is foundational to the well-being and productivity of our employees. We are dedicated to taking the necessary steps to achieve this goal. Together, we will build a stronger, safer, and more inclusive workplace for everyone."
INDIANAPOLIS — Her name is Lauren Roberts. She says she is not the only one accusing former chief of staff Thomas Cook of harassment.
Roberts says the city should have done more to stop this from happening to other women.
Born in Fort Wayne and a graduate of Carmel High School, she went to Indiana University before interning on Capitol Hill.
"If something bothers me,” Roberts said. “I want to do something about it. Injustice is very uncomfortable for me to sit with. So, politics seemed like a really obvious place to channel that energy."
Roberts started with the Hogsett campaign in 2014. That November, she was hired as a deputy campaign manager.
That is when she says a non-consensual sexual encounter happened with Thomas Cook, Mayor Joe Hogsett's former chief of staff.
She says she was working a Hogsett hosted party on election night in 2014 where everyone was drinking including her. She decided to stay at a hotel downtown where there was room.
"I don't remember details because again I was inebriated, but there was a decision made to stay,” Roberts said. “As I shared with the Star I know we ended up in the same hotel bed there were two beds in the suite. I know there were things that happened I remember waking up the next morning being confused and full of shame."
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, consent can not be given if someone is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Unequal power dynamics, such as engaging in sexual activity with an employee or student, also mean that consent cannot be freely given.
Roberts says Cook continued to contact her and make inappropriate comments. However, she says when she set boundaries, her work environment changed.
She felt she was bullied, and often treated poorly by Cook once she shut down his advances. She eventually quit when the job was impacting her mental health.
"It was down to a choice between trying to stick with this job and pursue this part of my career or taking care of myself and surviving and so I chose myself,” Roberts said.
She kept silent until 2017 when during the #MeTooMovement she contacted the mayor. She says her initial email went to the mayor's office in May, but says she was never contacted by the city as part of the investigation the city says it did.
"I don't understand how there in any integrity in an investigation where you don't even speak to the person bringing the report forward,” Roberts said.
In 2020, Cook resigned as Hogsett's chief of staff.
However, Cook worked for the Hogsett re-election campaign in 2023, where he again allegedly had an inappropriate relationship.
Survivors like Roberts hope sharing her story will fix a system she says allowed cook to act inappropriately for so long.
"Until the root cause is addressed, which is the system, it's pretty hard for things to get better,” Roberts said.
Roberts has questions for the city.
Why wasn't she contacted after her report?
Why was Mr. Cook allowed to work on Hogsett’s campaign in 2023 after multiple reports of his alleged misconduct?
WRTV reached out to the city with those questions.
They said questions regarding campaign work would need to be directed to the campaign, for the other question WRTV was referred the statements they released last week.
