State Senator Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, didn’t vote for State Senator Greg Taylor to be the Senate Minority Leader amid reports of sexual harassment allegations against Taylor.
“Senator Taylor has done great things in the past, but this was time to move forward,” Pol said in an interview with the Post-Tribune Wednesday. “This was an opportune moment for us to move in a new direction.”
On Monday, the Indianapolis Star published a story about three women accusing Taylor, D-Indianapolis, of sexual harassment since he was elected in 2008. According to the Star, the accusations span eight years and involve two instances of unwanted physical contact and a sustained romantic pursuit of an intern.
Legislative leaders were aware of at least one of the allegations, which was formally reported, but it wasn’t released to the public when Taylor was voted Senate Minority Leader in 2020, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Later Monday morning, the Senate Democratic caucus met to elect its leadership team and reelected Taylor as leader. Senator Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, was elected as assistant minority leader and Pol was elected as caucus chair, according to a press release.
Pol said his vote, which occurs under secret ballot, was for Hunley to be the leader. He joined Hunley as well as senators J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, and Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, as the four senators who voted for Hunley.
Hunley, who was a principal within the Indianapolis Public Schools system, would have been a strong, education-first leader, Pol said. Hunley would’ve been a new way forward in the 2025 legislative session, when the legislators will begin working with incoming Governor Mike Braun and on a state budget, Pol said.
“We need as few distractions as possible,” Pol said. “This is why we wanted to go in a different direction, some of us.”
Pol and Hunley, as part of the Democratic caucus leadership team, issued a joint statement where they said it was “unacceptable” for anyone to experience sexual harassment and “it is especially egregious when it involves those in a position of public trust.”
In the statement, which was released Tuesday, Pol and Hunley said they stepped up into the other leadership positions within the caucus “to repair and rebuild your trust” as members within the “decision-making process.”
“We will help move our caucus towards a future where this type of abhorrent behavior is not minimized or condoned,” according to the joint statement. “As leaders in our caucus, we will ensure we are both focused on the session and focused on ensuring we create lasting reform.”
Senator Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, said he had no knowledge of the sexual harassment allegations against Taylor so he declined to comment. Randolph also declined to share who he voted for to be caucus leader.
House Democratic Leader Rep. Phil GiaQuinta issued a statement Monday condemning sexual harassment “no matter who it comes from.”
“I cannot ignore this principle simply because a statehouse Democrat has been accused of sexual harassment,” GiaQuinta said.
The Indiana House Democrats were able to offer an amendment to a bill that became law requiring annual sexual harassment prevention training for legislators and institute a House rule on the complaint process to properly investigate, and hold accountable, legislators when and if sexual harassment has occurred, GiaQuinta said.
“I want to remind all House employees that if something happened that you feel is worth reporting, our ethics rules and the House’s personnel handbook provide for a confidential investigation process and guarantee protection from retaliation,” GiaQuinta said.
House Democratic caucus chair and member of the House Ethics Committee Rep. Carey Hamilton, D-Indianapolis, said in a statement that while the House and Senate work under one roof they are different legislative bodies with their own policies and procedures.
While the House has harassment training and policies in place, Hamilton said she would like to work with other House leaders to reexamine if anything could be improved within the harassment reporting system.
“The vast majority of individuals working in our legislature are dedicated professionals who serve our state with integrity and commitment. We owe it to them – and to the people we represent – to ensure that our workplace is a model of respect and accountability,” Hamilton said.
