Mirror Indy was given about five minutes to ask questions of Mayor Joe Hogsett
By PETER BLANCHARD
This story was originally published by Mirror Indy.
After initially declining to answer questions from Mirror Indy on June 10, Mayor Joe Hogsett hopped on the phone.
Hogsett is facing growing calls to resign and criticism from fellow Democrats after IndyStar published late-night text messages the mayor sent to two of his female subordinates, which they described as making them feel uncomfortable.
Some councilors are questioning why those messages weren’t included in the investigative report into the Hogsett administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against Thomas Cook, the mayor’s former chief of staff.
In a roughly five-minute interview with Mirror Indy, Hogsett said that governing and campaigning is a “24-hour endeavor” that can lead to “a casual conversation style.”
“It certainly was never my intention to make anyone uncomfortable,” Hogsett told Mirror Indy, “but I understand how my words could be taken out of context.”
Hogsett was also asked about Council President Vop Osili’s decision to order sheriff’s deputies to forcibly remove Lauren Roberts from the City-County Building when she tried to address the council during a public comment period at the June 9 meeting. Osili, a Democrat, said that Roberts was ejected for not adhering to the two-minute time limit.
Hogsett said the decision to eject Roberts was “regrettable.”
“She should have been permitted to speak for more than, certainly, two minutes,” Hogsett told Mirror Indy.
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
On Lauren Roberts
I’m sure you’ve seen the video of Lauren Roberts getting removed from the council chambers last night. A lot of people are upset by how that was handled. I wanted to ask if you feel that Council President Osili should have let Lauren Roberts speak, and could that situation have been handled better?
I think what happened last night, Peter, was regrettable. It underscores for me that we’ve lost sight of the most important thing here, and that’s continuing to improve and strengthen city policies and training to create a safer and more accountable work environment. I would add to that, though, I’m glad to have heard (Councilor Frank Mascari) say that next Tuesday evening, I believe it is, everybody will have an opportunity, without a two-minute clock on them, to say what they feel needs to be said. I think that’s a step in the right direction.
I know Lauren went out of her way to crowdfund a flight to make it here. Don’t you think that the council president could have waived that two-minute limit, given the special circumstances here?
I don’t exactly know what the thought process was that (Osili) had in that regard. If you’re asking me how I interpreted it, he was trying to be fair to everybody involved. But I think your point is well taken, and that is, she should have been permitted to speak for more than, certainly, two minutes. And I’m just glad that she’s going to have an opportunity to do that next Tuesday, even if it’s, you know, virtual.
On the text messages
I wanted to ask you about these text messages that IndyStar reported you sent to Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert. Looking back at these messages, do you think they were inappropriate or crossed personal boundaries?
Well I’d respond to that, Peter, by saying governing, and campaigning for that matter, has become a 24-hour endeavor, and in that type of an environment, I think it is easier than perhaps it was before to develop a casual conversation style with those you work closely with. It certainly was never my intention to make anyone uncomfortable, but I understand how my words could be taken out of context.
On calls to resign
I know you recently told Fox59 you don’t have any plans to resign, but there are growing calls for you to do so, including from three councilors. Your fellow Democrats said that your past and recent conduct has broken the public’s trust. How do you plan to regain the public’s trust, given all that’s happened?
Well, regaining the public’s trust includes continuing to lead the city in new and exciting ways. We still have important work to do. As I said a bit earlier, to ensure the confidentiality, anonymity and safety of every employee, but Peter, I also, over the next two-and-a-half years, intend to pursue my focus for the remainder of my term to satisfy the promises that I made during the last campaign to create economic and social vitality and growth for the people of Indianapolis. That’s the type of mayor I’ve tried to be, and that’s precisely what I’m going to continue to try to do for two-and-a-half more years.
On Thomas Cook’s role in 2023 campaign
You told Russ McQuaid last week that Thomas Cook wasn’t in contact with anyone directly involved in your 2023 campaign, but I talked to a half dozen folks who said that’s not true. So I was hoping you could clear the record for me on that?
Well, I will clear it up, because unfortunately I think (McQuaid) may have mistaken what I was saying, right? I said to (McQuaid) that Thomas Cook did not have contact with any city employees as an unpaid political advisor on my campaign until I became aware of the complaint that was filed by Caroline Ellert. My comment about his contact with city employees meant to suggest after we removed him from the campaign in September of 2023.
Wait, so are you saying that Thomas Cook was still an informal advisor on your campaign after September 2023?
No. After we removed him at Ms. Ellert’s request, he had no further contact with the campaign whatsoever.
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
