Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said it was “performative” for a Republican state lawmaker to ask for a prosecutor to investigate ethical issues in Hogsett’s administration recently reported by IndyStar and Mirror Indy.
Hogsett dismissed the calls for an investigation from state Rep. Andrew Ireland of Indianapolis, who said last week there was “more than enough” there to warrant the opening of a formal inquiry by Democratic Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears or a special prosecutor.
Hogsett, a Democrat, said he was simply being dragged into an ongoing dispute between Mears and Ireland, someone who he said “has a reputation for being controversial.”
“(Ireland’s) assertions are more about the prosecutor than they are about the administration,” Hogsett told IndyStar on June 29 at a ribbon-cutting event for a new greenway at Grassy Creek Park.
He also said it was unnecessary for the public to get a fuller accounting of ethical issues raised in IndyStar and Mirror Indy’s investigations, which have revealed how his campaign has acted behind closed doors to further the interests of his donors, despite his 2015 campaign pledge to ignore the wishes of “downtown insiders.”
“If your reporting, which has been extensive to say the least, is not sufficient for the people of Indianapolis to identify and make their own judgments about whether any wrongdoing occurred, I don’t believe any lengthy expensive further investigation is necessary,” Hogsett said.
Recent reporting found, for example, that Hogsett’s campaign fundraiser on multiple occasions arranged for his donors’ wish lists for city contracts to be hand-delivered to one of his top administration officials, former DPW Director Dan Parker. Months later, three of the companies received their preferred contracts.
He has called that reporting “absurd,” a description he repeated on June 29. IndyStar and Mirror Indy have reviewed documents that confirm the existence of such wish lists.
Democrats on the City-County Council last week called for a modest ethics reform in response to the stories, which have also revealed that Parker, who ultimately became Hogsett’s chief of staff, left his role as a public servant for a job at a major Hogsett donor and city contractor.
To that point, Hogsett said on June 29 that he had no idea what Parker was currently working on for American Structurepoint, the contractor. Parker’s signature is on several of the contracts between the company and the city.
Hogsett also said he had “no strong feelings” about Council Democrats’ proposal to institute a cooling-off period for former city workers who want to go on to work for government contractors, despite campaigning on such a proposal during his 2015 campaign.
“I have no idea what Dan Parker does,” Hogsett said. “I have absolutely no idea who his clients are. I don’t ask.”
Contact investigative reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her on X @hayleighcolombo.
Sign up for IndyStar’s free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Hogsett says call to investigate his administration is ‘performative,’ unnecessary
Reporting by Hayleigh Colombo, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hayleigh Colombo, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
