
Simons give Indianapolis’ MLS efforts a big boost, experts say
The Simon family’s involvement in the city’s effort to attract a Major League Soccer team might have been the worst-kept secret in Indianapolis.
The Simon family’s involvement in the city’s effort to attract a Major League Soccer team might have been the worst-kept secret in Indianapolis.
Initially, the Feb. 28 deadline was intended to be the midpoint of the seven-member, bipartisan investigative committee’s work.
Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration and the Indianapolis City-County Council launched investigations and new reporting and training programs this year after three women accused a mayor’s adviser of sexual harassment.
In April, Hogsett made a surprise announcement that the city would pursue a Major League Soccer team and said he was talking with representatives of a yet-to-be-named ownership group about the possibility.
Despite concerns over the Indianapolis mayor’s response to sex harassment allegations against his former chief of staff, Joe Hogsett said he has no plans to resign and believes he reacted appropriately to the allegations at the time they were lodged.
An administrator at the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development was fired Wednesday after an internal investigation found “overwhelming evidence” of inappropriate sexual misconduct, according to documents released by the city’s attorneys.
The Hogsett administration is currently under scrutiny after three former female employees made harassment accusations against former Chief of Staff Thomas Cook, who served as Hogsett’s close adviser for years despite concerns raised about his behavior.
The Democratic-controlled City-County Council allowed the immediate introduction of a measure that would potentially let a committee investigate Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett’s response to three women’s sexual harassment allegations against Hogsett’s former top aide, Thomas Cook.
Mayor Joe Hogsett’s staff stressed, however, that federal American Rescue Plan Act funds are running dry and union contracts are currently being renegotiated—two factors that constrain spending.
Thomas Cook’s employment at Bose McKinney & Evans ended Friday after IndyStar published an investigation that revealed three women staffers had accused him of sexual harassment while he served as a top aide to Mayor Joe Hogsett.
An IndyStar investigation reported that Thomas Cook, who served as Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s chief deputy and advised him in other capacities, was accused by three subordinate women staffers of showering them with gifts and attention and then pressuring them toward intimacy.
The Hogsett administration says no development can proceed on the property unless the owner agrees to treat human remains found there in a way that is consistent with the wishes of a community group.
Although the possibility of a Major League Soccer stadium in Indianapolis is still up in the air, city officials are considering design possibilities for their preferred site, on the east side of downtown.
The Democratic incumbent beat a self-funded opponent in a reelection bid where he focused on the administration’s fiscal accomplishments and unfinished business leftover from the pandemic.
Taylor, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for nearly 4 years, plans to step down at the end of the year into another IMPD role.
The Hogsett administration has not yet released an ending date for the closure and has not committed to additional mitigation measures for the vendors.
Overall, the results seemed to reinforce the Republican reign over Indiana’s vast suburban and rural swaths, raising more questions than answers about whether Democrats can put a dent in the GOP’s long-held dominance over statewide elections in 2024.
Results have begun to roll in for the Carmel mayor’s race. Meanwhile, supporters of Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and other Democratic city-county candidates are gathering at the Kountry Kitchen soul food restaurant to await the vote tallies. The Heirloom at N.K. Hurst is the site of the Republican gathering for mayoral candidate Jefferson Shreve and his supporters.
Early voting is underway for Indiana’s Nov. 7 municipal elections. Here’s a roundup of IBJ’s campaign coverage for Indianapolis and the northern suburbs to help you get ready to cast your vote.
The flurry of new proposals from Republican Jefferson Shreve, most of which came a little more than a week before he faces incumbent Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett in Tuesday’s election, left some political experts scratching their heads.