by Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
I’ve seen a lot over the years as I’ve covered the folks who occupy the 25th floor, and one thing I can definitely say based on my years of experience is that the situation involving former Indianapolis Mayoral Chief of Staff Thomas Cook is not going to end well and I’m not talking about Cook.
I haven’t seen the Council chambers full of this type of angst or anxiety—pick your word—since former City-County Councilor Stephen Clay engineered a coup against then-City-County President Maggie Lewis back in 2018.
The story you should be familiar with, but in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, is that Cook is accused, by very credible witnesses, of engaging in very inappropriate conduct with at least three women who were subordinates. You can read the story at the Indianapolis Star and Mirror Indy. I say at least three women because we all know a lot of this type of behavior goes unreported. It’s like the person who is caught driving under the influence. It’s not the first time they did it; it’s the first time they got caught.
Two of Cook’s reported victims showed up at last night’s City-County Council meeting: Caroline Ellert and Lauren Roberts.
And the looks on their faces as Mayor Hogsett offered his apology were ones that even this hardened, cynical political columnist will remember for a very long time.
First of all, I have to give the women nothing but major props for coming forward and telling their stories. Not many people would have that much courage to put everything on the line and speak out against one of the most powerful individuals in the city of Indianapolis.
But they did. And when the Mayor apologized to them and admitted he and his administration dropped the ball by not listening to and taking the women’s complaints seriously, the lawyer in me thought if I were Chief of Staff Dan Parker and City Controller Sarah Riordan, I’d get ready to start writing a couple of very large checks, somewhere in the six-figure range, each. And I’m being conservative on that one.
And the money is just part of the story.
Councillors on both sides of the aisle are livid at the Mayor. I take that back; they are LIVID at the Mayor. While publicly, the Democrats are taking more of a wait-and-see approach, and no one is calling for the Mayor to step down, I can all but guarantee you those discussions are taking place behind closed doors.
And we would not be surprised if the Council Democrats have directed their legal staff to explore the possibility of impeaching the Mayor. It can be done. I wrote a column about this last week. You can read here about how the process would work. And by the way, it’s not just the Council who could impeach the Mayor; a private citizen can file a lawsuit to have the Mayor removed.
We’re quite a bit away from that. Although the Mayor could resign, we don’t see that happening anytime soon unless more women come forward, and it can be proven with clear and convincing evidence that not only did the Mayor know what was going on, but he also participated in any cover-up.
If any of this sounds like you’ve heard it before, it’s because, in an odd way, some of you have. It was 50 years ago that another elected official had to step down from his office: Richard Nixon.
Now, I am not saying this is Watergate; I’m just drawing a parallel, as history has a rather odd way of sometimes repeating itself.
Oh, before I forget, Cook could also face criminal charges, as one of the women alleged he got her intoxicated before groping her. That can’t be good.
Like I said, welcome to the sh*tshow. Strap yourselves in because there’s going to be a ton of turbulence on this flight before we reach our final destination, wherever that may be.
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the editor and publisher of Indy Politics. He is also an attorney licensed in Indiana and Illinois.
