GOP leader says Hogsett failed to take serious action against top aide accused of sexual harassment

Thomas Cook

The top Republican on the Indianapolis City-County Council said it is “beyond disappointing” that Mayor Joe Hogsett kept a key aide in his inner circle for years despite allegations by three women staffers that the aide showered them with gifts and attention and then pressured them toward intimacy.

Council Minority Leader Brian Mowery was responding to an investigation published Friday by IndyStar that said Thomas Cook, who served five years as the Democratic mayor’s chief deputy and advised Hogsett in other capacities, was accused by three subordinate women staffers of abusing his power and making unwanted advances.

Cook did not immediately respond to IBJ’s request for comment. But he provided the following statement to IndyStar.

“Dating back a decade, I had consensual relationships that violated a trust placed in me,” Cook said in the statement. “At no time did I seek to use my professional position to further those personal relationships. That being said, I understand these situations have raised legitimate concerns and I apologize to all those involved.”

A statement provided to IBJ by city attorneys says that Cook’s behavior was investigated three times over six years and each investigation brought a reprimand and discipline against Cook. The result was Cook’s resignation from city employment in 2020 and, later, his departure from Hogsett’s 2023 mayoral campaign, IndyStar reported.

“The City takes any and all allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct extremely seriously,” the Hogsett administration said in a statement.

Mowery questioned just how seriously the allegations were taken.

“It is beyond disappointing that the Hogsett administration has known about these allegations for years and failed to act in a serious manner. Employees of this city and tax payers deserve better,” Mowery said.

“All employees deserve to feel safe at work, and should certainly not have to worry about predatory behavior from a superior,” he added.

Hogsett responded with a written statement Friday afternoon, saying each complaint against Cook was taken seriously, investigated, and resulted in sanctions. He noted that sexual harassment training was made mandatory for supervisors under his administration and the practice was cemented into city code in 2019.

“First and foremost, I am grateful to the women who courageously brought this unacceptable behavior to our attention and bravely shared their stories publicly,” Hogsett said in written remarks. “I condemn the conduct that was reported.”

Vop Osili, the Democratic president of the City-County Council, did not immediately respond to IBJ’s request for his thoughts on how the mayor’s office handled the matter.

However, he said in a social media post on X that he was disturbed and angry to learn of the allegations against Cook.

“Our community rightly expects elected officials and their employees to meet the highest expectations,” Osili wrote. “The conduct alleged against Mr. Cook has no place in civil society, and certainly not in our civic institutions.” 

Cook was first reprimanded in October 2017, when he was also “prohibited from having romantic relationships with any coworker, subject to immediate discipline” which could include termination, according to information released by the Hogsett administration. That reprimand came from “inappropriate advances” towards a coworker on the Hogsett campaign in 2014. The statement says the administration was told the allegations in May 2017.

Cook violated that reprimand in October 2020, according to the Hogsett administration. Hogsett accepted Cook’s resignation in December 2020. Cook, an attorney, went on to work for the law firm of Bose, McKinney & Evans.

Later, Cook worked on Hogsett’s 2023 re-election campaign. In September, the mayor became aware of new allegations of “inappropriate romantic conduct with a subordinate coworker,” according to the statement from the Hogsett administration. In October, Hogsett severed ties with Cook, including all contracts he had with the city and related entities.