LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With Louisville's government facing another sexual abuse scandal, Councilman Anthony Piagentini, R-19, on Thursday told his Metro Council colleagues on that it was time to take a stand.
"I'm not going to go another day — I'm not going to work another day for this metro government — without taking action," he told the room.
The Council voted to initiate its own investigation of the Transit Authority of the River City after at least six women alleged the former executive director, Ferdinand Risco, sexually harassed them.
Risco resigned last week after at the women accused him of the misconduct.
In a Thursday interview with WDRB News, one of the alleged victims said Risco used a privacy-focused cellphone app to hide sexually explicit message to her and other TARC employees.
Ferdinand Risco resigned as executive director of TARC on Feb. 12, 2020 after less than a year on the job.
"He sent a video masturbating," she said. "I said, 'Oh my gosh, wasn't ready for that.'"
She continued, "I think he needs to be held accountable for the damage that he has done and the lives that he has negatively impacted."
Piagentini said he sought an investigation to figure out what happened, what breakdowns at TARC allowed it to happen and how to stop it from happening again.
During the council meeting, many on council, including Keisha Dorsey, D-3, voiced support for Piagentini's resolution.
"The recommendations or the lessons learned coming out of this investigation really need to be applied across all government agencies and all quasi-agencies," Dorsey said.
Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith, D-4, expressed some concerns with the process by which the resolution was abruptly added to the Thursday agenda as an "emergency" item. She was also concerned that if the investigation isn't completed carefully, it could re-victimize the affected TARC employees, who will be interviewed.
Mayor Greg Fischer, TARC officials, and Southwest Louisville Metro Council celebrated the launch of the rapid transit service from TARC. It's part of the $35 million New Dixie Highway Project. Nine buses will provide 15-minute service during the week for people between the Snyder and Valley Station to downtown locations.
"They're going to be asked to speak in some very direct, clear terms about what happened, and what did not happen, and how they felt, and what that did to them. How that destroyed the workplace where they had to go every day for their livelihood," she said.
But ultimately, council moved forward in initiating its investigation, even as some members pointed out that Mayor Greg Fischer's office and TARC itself will likely be examining the same allegations in separate investigations.
"We are a coequal branch of government," said Piagentini. "I am fine with our investigators speaking with them, but we must act as the check on the executive branch that we are. Those checks create confidence that government is working properly. When governments aren’t checked, you get breakdowns such as what we just experienced."
Council also voted to hire retired FBI agent David Beyer to conduct the investigation.
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