Mayor addresses misconduct allegations under his administration
Mayor Hogsett addresses sexual misconduct allegations under his administration
Source: JOE HOGSETT/AC Brown / amos
On Thursday, he held a press conference addressing the allegations and answering questions.
“I understand that my responsibility is to work to protect the safety and well-being of 7,000 employees,” said Mayor Hogsett. “It’s never easy to learn about the misconduct of any coworker, especially when it involves supervisors who were entrusted with the safety of their teams.”
Thursday was the first time he spoke out to address the fallout from the allegations regarding his staffers.
“I would like to commend the people who bravely shared complaints of misconduct,” he said. “Clearly, we wouldn’t be here today if there weren’t mistakes that have been made.”
Those allegations recently came to light after two women accused the mayor’s former chief of staff, Thomas Cook, of sexual misconduct. It dates to Hogsett’s first term in 2017.
The women said Cook wasn’t held accountable for his actions then.
On Thursday, Hogsett spoke directly to those claims.
“Anytime problems came to my attention, they were investigated, sanctions were levied, and with each and every instance, the sanctions got more profound,” the mayor said.
On Thursday, Hogsett also signed proposal 287 passed by the City-County Council Monday night.
It will allow an independent law firm to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.
Read more from WRTV here