A law firm hired by the Indianapolis City-County Council to investigate how the Mayor’s office handled sexual harassment allegations levied against former Chief of Staff Thomas Cook found that while the administration was “legally compliant” with state and federal law, the entire situation could have been handled a lot better.
Cook was accused of grooming and sexually harassing young women who worked under him. Complaints dated back to 2017. Cook was reprimanded and disciplined three times before he was removed, and later went to lobby the city.
The law firm of Fishers & Phillips produced the report. You can get a copy here.
The report stated that the Mayor’s office followed the law and proper procedure, but more could be done.
Such as creating an independent agency to handle future complaints.
Indy Politics received reactions tonight from Democrat Crista Carlino, who chaired the investigative committee, and Republican Brian Mowery.
You can hear them both in the audio above.
The Mayor’s Office released the following statement.
I would like to commend the members of the City-County Council’s Investigative Committee for their due diligence in conducting an independent and thorough investigation into the sexual harassment allegations made against Thomas Cook.
I instructed my administration to fully cooperate in the investigative process conducted by the Council’s selected law firm of Fisher Phillips. I am appreciative to everyone who provided testimony and access to information, including work and personal texts and emails, as part of the investigation, especially the survivors who have had to revisit painful experiences and trauma.
While I have not had an opportunity to read the full report at this time, the findings are clear that the earlier investigations and resulting sanctions were handled appropriately and confidentially.
It remains crucial that the City has the best system in place for reporting, investigating, and dealing with harassment of any kind, which is why I will work with the City-County
Council on how these recommendations may further strengthen efforts to create a safer, better workplace for everyone throughout the City’s operations.
