Interview: Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert on their experience with Mayor Hogsett’s former aide

Stories of sexual harassment and misconduct by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogett’s former chief of staff have come to light in recent weeks. Two local news investigations, one from& IndyStar& and another from& Mirror Indy, focused on the experiences of three women who say Thomas Cook sexually harassed and groomed them and was allowed to continue the troubling behavior for years. Hogsett publicly apologized& at a City-County Council meeting& this week and said he supports policy ideas outlined in& a letter& from two of the three women — former employees Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert. WFYI’s Jill Sheridan sat down with Roberts and Ellert to talk about their experiences with Cook. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Jill Sheridan: Can you talk a little bit about the decision to step forward and put your story on record? Caroline Ellert:& When the Indianapolis Star article came out, I was able to kind of get a sense of how people were going to react. And a lot of former colleagues, friends reached out to me and knew it was me anyway, and I think it’s important to show other victims that they don’t have to be ashamed. And also, Lauren,...