INDIANAPOLIS – Two women have told two different stories of sexual misconduct. They say one person is responsible, Thomas Cook Mayor Joe Hogsett’s former chief of staff. The women say he has not been held accountable for his actions, although the city said it takes the allegations seriously.

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Both women were present at the City and County Council meeting on Monday evening. Before the meeting, they spoke with WRTV’s Meredith Hackler about their experiences and what changes they would like to see in the city.

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“It took me a couple of years to process this and move from being angry at myself to being angry at him and the system that allowed him to do this,” said Lauren Roberts, a former Hogsett campaign staffer and Cook’s accuser.

Roberts first reported the problems she had with Thomas Cook in 2017. Ellert says she heard about these reports and was told they were not true.

“When Lauren first raised the alarm around 2017, I was definitely aware that she was saying these things, but I didn’t fully process it at the time and, on top of that, I was told by people I worked with to somehow discredit her,” said Caroline Ellert, a former city employee and Cook prosecutor.

Not long after Roberts raised her concerns, Ellert began receiving text messages and inappropriate messages from Mr. Cook. She says it took her a while to process what had happened.

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“When you say no, it ultimately means no,” said Ellert. “I have said no several times.”

Ellert recounted how Cook showed up at her house and said he just wanted to talk. She said he kept trying to get physical. She said no, but he continued.

“He actually said to me, ‘You’re making me feel like I’m going to rape you or something,’ and I said, ‘Well, I said no,’ and he kept going,” Ellert explained. “That really upset him. I had to kind of calm him down in those moments so that it was kind of a matter of survival because he would have such an intense emotional reaction if I stood up to him. So I kind of backed that off at the end just to calm him down. That happened more than once.”

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Women believe the system for reporting sexual misconduct is failing. They sent the letter below to City and County Council Chair Vop Osili and Mayor Joe Hogsett, demanding systematic changes. Hogsett addressed their concerns at Monday night’s City and County Council meeting, where Robert and Ellert were sitting in the second row. He began by apologizing and acknowledging their bravery.

You can read Caroline and Lauren’s letter below:

“Know that your decision to advocate for changes to better protect the women and men of this city was not in vain,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

The mayor further said that he would address the concerns raised in the letter and initially introduce an anonymous reporting procedure.

“Within a few days, the city will be implementing an anonymous online reporting form,” Hogsett said. “A temporary measure to ensure all employees have an anonymous place to report as quickly as possible.”

These women hope the changes will prevent any kind of abuse in the future. In the meantime, however, they have a message.

“We’re not going away,” Roberts said. “We’re not ashamed and we’re not afraid of anyone anymore.”

“We will continue to fight,” said Ellert.

Following Mayor Hogsett’s speech, the City Council introduced a resolution to establish a committee to investigate the allegations against Thomas Cook and the Mayor’s office’s handling of them. Another resolution will review the City’s current processes and procedures regarding sexual harassment. They have been assigned to committees for further discussion. Those proposals can be found below.

Decision to investigate:

Proposal to review procedures:

Councilmembers Ali Brown and Jessica McCormick also sent the following joint statement in response to the resolutions.

“With the passage of General Resolution 287 this evening, the City and County Council has taken the first step toward implementing a comprehensive process to significantly strengthen protections for all employees from sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace, improve the safety of those who report instances of harassment or discrimination, and ensure accountability when such violations occur. Going forward, the Council’s Rules and Public Policy Committee has the authority to study the need for systematic, structural changes in the management of the City’s human resources and the policies and processes that govern employee complaints of harassment and discrimination.

Unlike Resolution 287, we believe the proposal to form a committee of inquiry put forward tonight by our Republican colleagues was too narrowly focused on the actions of a few individuals and too limited in scope to result in meaningful or lasting protection for city employees. Given these limitations, we could not in good conscience vote for our colleague’s proposal.”