The fallout from the sexual harassment scandal engulfing Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration continued to escalate Monday night, as Indianapolis City-County Councillor Crista Carlino publicly joined the growing number of elected officials calling for resignations at the highest levels of city government.
During a tense and emotionally charged council meeting, Carlino said what many people have only been whispering behind closed doors: it’s time for Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign.
But she didn’t stop there. Carlino also called for Council President Vop Osili and Vice-President Ali Brown to resign their positions, citing their roles in how the City-County Council responded—or failed to respond—to allegations that Hogsett’s former chief of staff, Thomas Cook, sexually harassed multiple women while on the city payroll.
“I can no longer stay silent,” Carlino said from the council dais. “We cannot ask the public to trust our leadership if we are unwilling to hold our own accountable.”
That makes four members of the Democratic-controlled council who’ve now broken ranks and called for a full-on housecleaning. Carlino joins Councillors Josh Bain, Brienne Delaney, and Ethan Evans, all of whom have previously issued public statements demanding that Mayor Hogsett resign.
She also questioned the sexual harassment report, saying all the facts were not included.
You can hear Carlino is the audio above. The conversation runs for about 12 minutes. We also heard from Brian Mowery.
