Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett says he took appropriate action each time he learned about claims of inappropriate conduct by his former chief of staff Thomas Cook.

The Indianapolis City-County Council passed a proposal to create an investigative committee Monday night. The committee will hire an independent firm to investigate sexual harassment allegations in the Hogsett administration.

As part of an effort to reform Indianapolis’s sexual harassment policies after three women accused Mayor Joe Hogsett’s former chief of staff of harassment and grooming, proposals for new rules and an investigation are working their way through the City-County Council.

In recent weeks stories of sexual harassment and misconduct by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogett’s former chief of staff have come to light. Former employees Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert talk about their experiences with Thomas Cook.

Mayor Joe Hogsett apologized to former employees Lauren Roberts and Caroline Ellert, who sat in the packed chamber room and held signs that demanded accountability.

Calls for transparency and accountability are growing after recent local news investigations unveiled misconduct by Thomas Cook, Mayor Joe Hogsett's former right hand man.

Thomas Cook, a former Indianapolis chief of staff in the Hogsett administration, was the focus of sexual harassment and predatory behavior allegations from three women