Crista Carlino is back in the Council Democrat caucus
In a statement tonight from the caucus…
“As members of the Indianapolis City-County Council, we take seriously our responsibility to uphold the integrity of our elected duties and to serve the constituents who entrust us with this work,” the Council said in a statement. “It was recently reported that Councilor Crista Carlino had been voted out of the Democratic caucus. Councilor Carlino has since issued a public statement on this matter and remains a member of the caucus. We look forward to continuing our collaborative work with Councilor Carlino and supporting the constituents of District 11.”
That was the Council’s official response to swirling reports that Carlino had been removed from the Democratic caucus Tuesday night after she publicly called for Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign — and for Council President Vop Osili and Vice President Ali Brown to give up their leadership posts.
Carlino, who chairs the committee investigating the mayor’s office, argued that the council’s probe into former chief of staff Thomas Cook was too narrow and failed to hold top officials accountable.
Multiple sources tell Indy Politics that Democratic leaders viewed Carlino’s public comments as a direct challenge to party leadership. Following a closed-door meeting Tuesday evening, the caucus held a vote and decided overwhelmingly to remove her.
We’re told Carlino was given an opportunity to retract her remarks but refused. This marks the second time a Democratic councilor has been expelled from the caucus.
