Calls for Hogsett to resign. A forced removal from a public meeting. Apologies. Accusations. How did we get here?

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett speaks during an news conference at Douglass Park on Feb. 22, 2021. (IBJ photo/Mickey Shuey)

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is continuing to face calls for his resignation over his administration’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against his former chief of staff as well as new reports that he exchanged after-hours texts with subordinates.

The situation escalated this week into a chaotic scene at a regularly scheduled City-County Council meeting during which one of the accusers was forcibly removed from the room. And Hogsett has faced more criticism from fellow members of the Democratic Party—as well as from Republicans—and ultimately canceled a press conference about a major initiative rather than distract from the message.

Later, in one-on-one interviews, he reaffirmed to reporters his plan to remain in office and acknowledged—but dismissed—concerns about his ability to serve the city.

Here’s a recap in chronological order with links to individual stories and social media posts:

• On Monday morning, council Republicans requested a deeper probe into an investigation initiated by the council and conducted by outside law firm Fisher Phillips. The council agreed to pay $450,000 for the investigation, but two of the women who had accused Hogsett’s former chief of staff, Thomas Cook, of wrongdoing said the firm’s final report omitted key details and documents. That included “uncomfortable” text messages they said they received from Hogsett and provided to investigators. The Indianapolis Star had the details, including language from some of the texts.

• Democratic Councilor John Barth also released a statement on Monday saying that he was concerned that the “culture of inappropriate conduct extended to the highest levels of city leadership.” He stopped short of calling on the mayor to resign.

• Just as Monday’s full City-County Council meeting began, the 18-member Democratic Caucus released a statement saying that Hogsett’s past and recent conduct has compromised public trust and “weakened the moral authority” of the city administration. That statement also included the Democratic Caucus’s call to implement several actions that law firm Fisher Phillips recommended in its report.
  • Councilor Ron Gibson, a Democrat, exempted himself from that statement. He issued a separate statement on Monday, saying that the law firm found no wrongdoing by the Hogsett administration. He said that anyone critiquing the mayor is doing so for “political gain.”

• During a 3-1/2-hour meeting Monday evening, Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili ordered sheriff’s deputies to remove one of the women at the heart of the sexual harassment investigation.
  • Lauren Roberts, the first woman to publicly accuse former Cook of harassment, had been trying to read a statement to the council when Osili stopped her saying she ran out of time. When she didn’t stop, he asked deputies to remove her.
  • Outside the City-County Building, Roberts read her statement to reporters. “Please stand on the right side of history with us: Please demand that Joe Hogsett resign,” Roberts said.
  • Several of Osili’s council colleagues—including fellow Democrats Jared Evans, Frank Mascari, Crista Carlino and Nick Roberts—have publicly condemned or apologized to Roberts following Osili’s action on Monday.
  • Carlino, the chair of the council’s investigative committee, told reporters she was “deeply considering” joining calls for the mayor’s resignation.

• The next day, Hogsett’s office canceled a planned press conference intended to introduce an $8.1 million plan to end unsheltered homelessness. The city’s notice about the cancellation said the city made the move “in light of recent events.”

• On Tuesday morning, Republican Councilor Josh Bain called for the mayor to resign. He described a “troubling pattern” with the mayor, which included a meeting between the Republican caucus and Hogsett in which Bain said the mayor appeared to be stumbling and was “visibly impaired and unable to meaningfully participate.” (Hogsett later called that claim “absolutely ridiculous.”)

• Hours later, the Mayor’s Office invited local reporters to participate in short interviews. In a 10-minute interview, Hogsett told IBJ he is “not at all” considering resigning and categorically denied having a problem with drugs and alcohol. He also referred to the swirling questions about the investigation’s report as a “political football” that is getting in the way of conversations about how to help employees and measures the administration has already implemented to protect employees, including anonymous reporting.

• The mayor also called Osili’s decision to have Roberts forced out of the meeting on Monday “very regrettable.”

• Nearly 48 hours after the initial incident, on Wednesday, Osili called the decision a mistake. The lengthy statement Osili issued went much further than his initial comments to reporters that evening.