INDIANAPOLIS — Mayor Joe Hogsett vows he will not step down after lingering questions about the sexual misconduct allegations involving former administration staffers.
On Thursday, he held a press conference addressing the allegations and answering questions.
"I understand that my responsibility is to work to protect the safety and well-being of 7,000 employees,” said Mayor Hogsett. “It's never easy to learn about the misconduct of any coworker, especially when it involves supervisors who were entrusted with the safety of their teams."
Thursday was the first time he spoke out to address the fallout from the allegations regarding his staffers.
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"I would like to commend the people who bravely shared complaints of misconduct,” he said. "Clearly, we wouldn't be here today if there weren't mistakes that have been made."
Those allegations recently came to light after two women accused the mayor's former chief of staff, Thomas Cook, of sexual misconduct. It dates to Hogsett’s first term in 2017.
The women said Cook wasn’t held accountable for his actions then.
On Thursday, Hogsett spoke directly to those claims.
“Anytime problems came to my attention, they were investigated, sanctions were levied, and with each and every instance, the sanctions got more profound,” the mayor said.
On Thursday, Hogsett also signed proposal 287 passed by the City-County Council Monday night.
It will allow an independent law firm to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.
"Proposal 287, which I am signing today, is to determine the validity of the allegation in a thorough and confidential manner and to take appropriate steps to stop the harassment and prevent it from reoccurring,” Hogsett said.
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Yet, many on Thursday questioned what took so long and why the mayor allowed Cook to work on his campaign well after those allegations.
"He was no longer employed by the city of Indianapolis, and therefore had no supervisory authority over any employee of the city of Indianapolis,” said Hogsett.
Hogsett went on to say despite how much time has passed, he is committed to making changes now, so this doesn’t happen in the future.
"We are engaged in looking with the council at each aspect of our workplace misconduct policies and updating them," he said.
He said among those changes, now all employees instead of just supervisors, councilors and administration officers will be required to take sexual harassment training every year.
There will also be a third-party anonymous online reporting system that all employees will have access to.
A national law firm without local ties will also be hired to review and make recommendations on the City-County Employee Handbook.
Watch Hogsett's opening speech from Thursday's press conference in the video below.
