A public hearing meant to bring closure to a months-long investigation into misconduct at the highest levels of Indianapolis government instead reignited tensions Thursday night, when City-County Council Investigative Committee Chair Crista Carlino attempted to remove an abuse survivor and her advocate during a televised meeting.
Lauren Roberts, one of two women whose allegations triggered the investigation, joined the session by phone. The call was facilitated by Elise Shrock, a former Democratic political staffer and advocate for survivors. As Roberts began to speak during the live presentation of the Fisher Phillips report, Carlino repeatedly ordered Shrock to leave the room or end the call.
“Elise, please step out or end the call, please,” Carlino said, gaveling over Roberts’ voice (00:32:42–00:32:45).
The attempt to silence a survivor drew an immediate and furious response from the audience.
“You’re going to kick out a survivor?” one attendee shouted. “A survivor, not a disruptor!” (00:33:08–00:33:16).
Supporters in the chamber held protest signs throughout the meeting. Messages read “Hogsett HR is a joke,” “Abuse hasn’t stopped,” and “Protect workers, not Joe.”
Carlino recessed the meeting briefly, then resumed over continuing outcry.
“You are impeding the business of the committee and the members of the public to hear this report,” she said (00:33:35–00:33:46).
Legal Compliance, But Moral Outcry
The meeting centered on the final report by the national law firm Fisher Phillips LLP, which reviewed how the city responded to allegations against former Chief of Staff Thomas Cook, a top aide to Mayor Joe Hogsett.
The firm determined that city actions were “legally compliant” in three separate incidents from 2014 to 2023, including one involving a consensual relationship between Cook and a subordinate that violated the city’s non-fraternization policy. That relationship led to Cook’s resignation in 2020 — but only after he was allowed to remain on staff for 68 additional days.
Attorney Danielle M. Kays, presenting remotely, said the city’s actions met legal standards but acknowledged failures in workplace culture and ethics.
“We find the city-county’s HR systems and policies were sufficient… as they met the legal requirements,” Kays said (00:31:09–00:31:15).
Councilor Andy Nielsen criticized the timeline of Cook’s departure.
“Mr. Cook should have been fired well before he left the enterprise,” Nielsen said. “There is no avoiding this conclusion” (00:41:09–00:41:12).
Councilor Brian Mowery expressed frustration at the remote presentation, saying:
“For almost half a million taxpayer dollars, I was really kind of disappointed you guys weren’t able to be here in person tonight” (00:48:55–00:49:20).
Councilor Josh Bain said he found the conclusions internally inconsistent:
“It says that the respondent’s overall behaviors impacted the work environment… but yet I look at the back of the report and it says all the legal standards were met,” Bain said. “I can’t help but find that somewhat conflicting” (00:50:20–00:50:37).
What’s Next
The Fisher Phillips report recommended significant reforms, including:
- Appointment of a temporary Inspector General (00:36:05),
- Creation of an independent HR board (00:36:10),
- Improvements to anonymous reporting systems (00:37:18),
- And a strengthened non-fraternization policy (00:42:03–00:42:36).
Though the Investigative Committee’s work is now complete, councilors emphasized that broader accountability and structural change are still to come.
“The work of restoring trust, to the people of Indianapolis, to the employees, to the citizens that work here,” Councilor Michael-Paul Hart said, “it’s just beginning” (00:56:20–00:56:35).
Public Report Now Available
The complete 54-page Fisher Phillips report can be accessed online at this link.