Hogsett: ‘I don’t have any plans to resign’ in response to multiple calls for resignation

INDIANAPOLIS –  Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has no plans to resign, he told FOX59/CBS4 in a one-on-one interview on Tuesday.

“I don’t have any plans to resign,” Hogsett said. “There’s still too much left to do,” referring to focusing on making the city of Indianapolis safer and more peaceful.

Hogsett’s comments on Tuesday come after multiple members of the Indianapolis City-County Council have called on Hogsett to resign. According to previous reports, this includes Democrats Jesse Brown and Andy Nielsen as well as Republican Josh Bain. 

In his letter asking for his resignation, Nielsen stated he believed that Hogsett’s actions, letting then-Chief of Staff/Deputy Mayor Thomas Cook continue to serve despite findings surrounding claims of sexual harassment, “demonstrated a profound lack of judgement and disregard for fundamental ethics.” 

In response to Nielsen’s letter, Hogsett told FOX59/CBS4 at the time that when he was making those decisions, he was “operating on information that was available at the time.” 

Bain’s letter, which was released on Tuesday, covered similar ground as Nielsen’s letter. However, Bain also made claims of a perceived “troubling and growing pattern” in Hogsett’s actions, including accusations of Hogsett being impaired during a meeting with MLS officials.

According to previous reports, an independent report was published late last month surrounding complaints against Cook by women associated with Hogsett’s administration or the Democratic Party. The report found that Hogsett responded to the claims within appropriate guidelines. 

On Monday, the City-County Council’s Democratic caucus unveiled a proposal to revamp the city’s harassment and human resource policies, changes that were recommended by the firm that conducted the investigation.

When asked if he supports the public release of the entire investigation, Hogsett said that he does not support “releasing confidential documents.” Hogsett stressed that he is “not protecting himself,” but protecting the process that calls for anonymity and confidentiality for witnesses and survivors coming forward.

“Others have chosen to reveal some of that information,” Hogsett said. “…I support protecting the integrity of the process.” 

During the interview, Hogsett was asked about a potential motion for censure by the City-County Council, to which he responded was a decision ultimately up to the council.

When asked if he feels there has been a loss of confidence in his leadership because of this, Hogsett said he does not feel this at all.

“At the end of the day, the decisions I’ve made… were based on what I knew at the time,” Hogsett said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.