Sheboygan Prepares for Another Potential Lawsuit

Monday, February 19, the Common Council approved a resolution to pay an attorney to respond to a Department of Workforce Development complaint against the City of Sheboygan.

This is the first step to sue the city from a former employee fired by former HR Director Adam Westbrook.

The former employee worked in the Human Resources office and applied for the director position but was turned down in favor of Westbrook. This person had more human resources experience and training than Adam Westbrook but was told by Mayor Sorenson they would not get the position as the city hired Westbrook instead.

Why did Mayor Sorenson choose to hire Westbrook over a more qualified person?

The complaint states that Mayor Sorenson stated Westbrook had experience in transit labor negotiations that they did not and would bring more value to the role. It details that upon starting in the role, Westbrook stated that he had no experience in transit labor negotiations. It also details that in Westbrook’s interview, he said that he had experience in human resources software in a previous role, and upon starting in Sheboygan, when there was an issue with this software, Westbrook stated he had no idea how to work with it on this issue.

The complaint details a culture of discrimination and retaliation by Westbrook and another employee from a different department. It describes a scenario where a department head asked for additional time off for an employee whose grandparent passed away. Westbrook instructed the complainant to grant the extra time. When it was questioned by the payroll department, the former employee asked for support, and Westbrook did not support the employee. This created a more complex and challenging situation for an employee dealing with the grief of losing a grandparent.

The former employee was terminated while away from Sheboygan attending a conference for professional development. The employee was not allowed to return to Sheboygan or work before being fired. This employee was fired over the phone because Westbrook was out of work for ten days because of the placement of his adopted children.

The culture of fear and intimidation detailed on this site could produce another lawsuit for Sheboygan that you, the taxpayer, will pay for by hiring lawyers to defend your city.

This site has been claimed to be propaganda. This site has been criticized. This site has been accurate, and the legal fees to defend against this claim are not fake.

The City of Sheboygan has an attorney in Chuck Adams and an assistant attorney in Liz Majerus. They are paid with your tax dollars and employed to handle legal matters in Sheboygan. They are both there to protect Sheboygan’s legal interests.

They were both present for the volatile nine-month tenure of Adam Westbrook. A source within city hall stated that he was close to Assistant Attorney Liz Majerus towards the end of Westbrook’s time in Sheboygan. Westbrook went out of his way to mention Majerus in his resignation. Westbrook mentioned Majerus by name, stating her unwavering support for the human resources function and for him personally.

The actions of Westbrook as HR director are referenced in the federal court case by former Director of Planning and Development Chad Pelishek, where Westbrook allegedly stated he could not be discriminated against because he was not in a protected class.

The current claim alleges that Westbrook told the former employee another woman could not harass her because she was a woman. Both individuals filed complaints for concerns that Westbrook told them they could not be victims.

Westbrook stated that he received unwavering support from Assistant Attorney Liz Majerus.

That unwavering support enabled the culture of fear and intimidation under Westbrook’s leadership that employees have shared with this site.

There are mentions of additional complaints coming from more employees terminated by Westbrook. The city continues to deal with legal ramifications from the volatile nine months that Adam Westbrook led the human resources department.

If the city’s attorney’s office will grant unwavering support to behavior that results in lawsuits against the city, why do we have an attorney’s office?

Chuck Adams and Liz Majerus have put aside protecting Sheboygan’s legal interests.

As Westbrook put it, their unwavering support has been directed toward Mayor Sorenson’s agenda and has been misguided from the start.

The weaponizing of this agenda by Westbrook in the ruthless treatment of employees and terminations has produced legal costs to you as the taxpayer.

New City Administrator Casey Bradley has moved to outsource legal services to assist with development matters. Do you think Bradley should eliminate the City Attorney’s office?

Email your concerns over your current City Attorney’s office to Administrator Bradley here:

casey.bradley@sheboyganwi.gov

Take Back Sheboygan County knows that many former and current City employees have been reluctant to share their stories for fear of retaliation. If you are one of these, we welcome you to contact us. Your name will not be shared without permission. You can contact us at https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/.

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