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/.

You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!

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Former Sheboygan HR Director Adam Westbrook is scheduled to make his initial appearance in a Sauk County courtroom tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Westbrook is facing four counts each of Child Sexual Exploitation and Possession of Child Pornography.

Many staunch supporters of Westbrook remain in city hall. Mayor Sorenson, Attorney Chuck Adams, and Assistant City Attorney Liz Majerus were very supportive and assertive in protecting Westbrook.

Chuck Adams quickly issued a press release to WHBL clearing Westbrook of claims that an open records request for alleged inappropriate comments to an intern was related to his resignation.

Adams’ press release rebuking any claims against Westbrook essentially cleared his name.

The Former Director of Planning and Development, Chad Pelishek, asked for the same exact thing Adams did for Westbrook many times after this headline appeared in the Sheboygan Press.

Adams and other city officials refused to attempt to clear Pelishek’s name, putting his life into disarray and setting the events in motion for the termination of former City Administrator Todd Wolf without cause.

Sheboygan currently faces two federal lawsuits regarding these events.

What could have potentially been prevented had Adams investigated Westbrook?

Why has Mayor Sorenson not released anything regarding the arrest and charges facing Westbrook?

Mayor Sorenson, will you publicly denounce Westbrook?

Alder Dean Dekker, your comments at the September 18, 2023, Common Council meeting were critical of this site and this message.

Listen to Dekker’ s remarks here.

Very few people who were critical of Westbrook ever met him in person. No opinions were formed by anything other than his actions as a city employee, email communication, and city employees’ testimonies.

It was clear that Westbrook was egotistical and abusive with power.

He leveraged his education and training to overpower and steamroll city employees. Westbrook utilized policy and judicial training as muscle to strong-arm long-term dedicated employees, often sending their lives into a tailspin.

Long-term dedicated employees of the City of Sheboygan stories brought forward to TBS repeated this abuse of power and little regard for the respect or decency of those on the other side of the table.

Mr. Dekker, you applauded Westbrook and indicated he was a great employee during his time in Sheboygan. You added that a “small but vocal group” bullied an employee into resigning and stated that you do not believe this is who we are as Sheboyganites.

You apologized for the harassment that the “small but vocal group” brought upon Westbrook.

Members of this “small but vocal group” did not work closely with Westbrook. We did not spend hours with him in a professional setting. Yet, it was clear that something was not right with him.

With him as a person, not with him for his sexual orientation or any other reasons that were brought up. The issue was with his ego and brazen abuse of power over those who were powerless.

The allegations facing Westbrook in that courtroom tomorrow may indicate that Westbrook’s fascination with abusing power to overpower the powerless extended beyond his professional life.

That was the problem with Westbrook.
That was the concern.
Nothing else.

Mr. Dekker, you end your prepared remarks by saying the views of the group that opposed Westbrook did not reflect the majority of Sheboygan but a small minority. You closed by saying we are better than this.

You stated that in defense of Westbrook.

It is hard to believe that the majority of Sheboygan does not oppose brazen abuses of power over the powerless.

Can we agree this is wrong?

Mayor Sorenson, Dean Dekker, Chuck Adams, and Common Council members need to release a public statement denouncing Adam Westbrook.

In the words of Dean Dekker: We are better than this.

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/.

You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!

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Click here to view our Breaking News!

Click here to view our series: Challenges in Sheboygan

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Click here to view our series: Academic Failures: Sheboygan Area School District

Click here to view our archives: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Roberta Filicky-Peneski and Zach Rust will appear on the ballot on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, in the primary elections for Common Council. Both alders showed blind loyalty and support towards former Human Resource Director Adam Westbrook, who is facing four counts each of sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.

Filicky-Peneski was part of an email exchange last summer concerning a citizen’s issues with Mayor Sorenson at the Pride Event. Mayor Sorenson posed with members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The citizen asked for an ethics investigation into the matter, which Westbrook did not address. The citizen invited Westbrook to their home for a meeting.

Filicky-Peneski, the only alder to respond to the many emails, advised Westbrook to meet at City Hall instead of the citizen’s home to protect Westbrook.

Her hesitation regarding home meetings might come from a prior incident where she was caught sharing information from a closed session meeting, violating her ethical duties. This breach of confidentiality has led to a “lack of trust” by Alder Barb Felde and other council members.

During the same session, Filicky-Peneski used the same racial slur that started the events that eventually led to the termination without cause of former City Administrator Todd Wolf.

CLICK HERE: FILICKY-PENESKI’S USES N-WORD

The Common Council formally censured Filicky-Peneski for using a racial slur and violating the council’s rules by sharing confidential information.

https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/local/2023/04/12/sheboygan-city-council-member-censured-for-breaking-rules-saying-slur/70093764007

Roberta Filicky-Peneski can’t be trusted by her colleagues on the Common Council. How can she be trusted to represent you?

Zach Rust, also running for reelection and currently the Committee of the Whole Chairperson, was involved in the same email thread. He was asked to address the ethics concerns by bringing together the Committee of the Whole. Rust refused to do this, aligning with Westbrook and robbing the council of investigating the complaint.

This inaction followed Mayor Sorenson’s removal of the concern from the meeting agenda and prevented public comment regarding the photo that mocked the Catholic faith. Rust and Mayor Sorenson trampled on your right to free speech.

Rust avoided his duty and responsibilities as Chairperson and chose Westbrook’s and Mayor Sorenson’s interests over yours.

Do you want to vote for an alder who robs citizens of their right to free speech and chooses the interests of the Mayor and Westbrook over yours?

The former City of Sheboygan H.R. Director Adam Westbrook is scheduled for court on Monday, February 19, 2024. There are more people in City Hall with deep ties to Westbrook.

Stay tuned.

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/.

You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!

• Subscribe to our newsletter: TakeBackSheboyganCounty.com
• Follow us on Twitter: TBSheboyganCo 
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• Join our private Facebook Group: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our Breaking News!

Click here to view our sitemap: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Challenges in Sheboygan

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Click here to view our series: Academic Failures: Sheboygan Area School District

Click here to view our archives: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Former Sheboygan H.R. Director Adam Westbrook is in Sauk County jail, facing four counts of possession of child pornography and four counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Take Back Sheboygan detailed the culture of intimidation and fear that Westbrook brought to the City of
Sheboygan before his resignation.

https://fox11online.com/news/crime/adam-westbrook-outagamie-county-human-resources-director-arrested-sauk-county-baraboo-kenosha-county-case-child-pornography-sexual-exploitation

In Westbrook’s resignation letter, he stated:

“What I did not know was how callous, deliberately untruthful, and unwelcoming a small, but very vocal, part of this community would be. Since starting at the City, I have been subject to an onslaught of false, defamatory, and downright hateful statements and accusations coming from a small group of individuals who seem to relish in conspiracy theories, name-calling, and trying as hard as they can to rid the City of anyone who doesn’t look, think, or act like them.”

There was a report on WHBL that stated Westbrook resigned amidst allegations of inappropriate comments of a sexual nature to a city intern. There was an open records request regarding Westbrook’s conduct, and shortly after that, he resigned. City Attorney Chuck Adams released a
press release, and in the words of WHBL, “strongly rebuked claims of inappropriate conduct by Westbrook.”

https://whbl.com/2023/08/31/city-attorney-allegations-of-misconduct-by-westbrook-were-false/

Adams stated that he was made aware of the comment and spoke to people involved in the conversation, and he was able to determine the conversation was entirely appropriate and above board.

What could have happened had Adams conducted a more thorough investigation? What may have been discovered?

The Appleton Post Crescent had an article yesterday, February 17, 2024, about the allegations made against Westbrook. The article states that Sheboygan Press reporter Alex Garner contributed to the article. The article mentions this site and talks about posts that alleged Westbrook’s actions led to “corruption” at City Hall.

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/2024/02/16/outagamie-county-human-resources-director-arrested-in-sauk-county/72631299007

Westbrook denied all the allegations made on this site during an interview with the Sheboygan Press.

Other residents of Sheboygan brought forward concerns with Westbrook other than this site. Some people in this community referred to this as propaganda or people obsessed with conspiracy theories.

Westbrook said, “They are spreading false accusations to City employees and the public at large, trying to undermine all of the good things the City is doing, and tarnish my name and reputation along the way.”

Who do you believe now?

The longtime city employees that had their lives flipped upside down by Adam Westbrook?

Or Adam Westbrook?

There is more to this story. There are people currently in City Hall who made deliberate choices to align with Adam Westbrook. Those stories may be coming soon.

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/.

You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!

• Subscribe to our newsletter: TakeBackSheboyganCounty.com
• Follow us on Twitter: TBSheboyganCo 
• Follow us on Instagram: TBSheboyganCo 
• Join our private Facebook Group: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our Breaking News!

Click here to view our sitemap: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Challenges in Sheboygan

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Click here to view our series: Academic Failures: Sheboygan Area School District

Click here to view our archives: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

City of Sheboygan Human Resources Director, Adam Westbrook, resigned on August 30th. Take Back Sheboygan County had previously highlighted the culture of fear, intimidation, and retaliation experienced by City employees during the tumultuous nine months after Westbrook’s arrival in Sheboygan.

Following Westbrook’s resignation announcement, Take Back Sheboygan County received messages from current and former employees, shedding more light on the situation. The fear of retaliation and the culture of intimidation have somewhat lessened with Westbrook’s impending departure.

One such message came from a 26-year veteran employee of the City of Sheboygan who has since left. This employee’s story is concerning because he worked overtime and holiday events, received satisfactory and above-average performance reviews, yet left the City of Sheboygan due to the toxic work environment and a lack of leadership.

The employee’s troubles began with an accident while driving a City truck in a park last year in October. During this incident, the truck’s equipment box clipped a pole, causing damage. The employee reported the accident and was informed, before Westbrook’s tenure, that a performance improvement plan would be initiated, as it was standard procedure after accidents. However, the City never implemented the improvement plan, and the employee received a satisfactory review and a pay raise.

Another incident occurred this past April, after Westbrook’s arrival when the employee accidentally backed a City vehicle into another car in a parking lot. The employee followed the proper procedures by notifying the vehicle owner and calling the police, which led to a report being filed.

Westbrook subsequently met with the employee and presented three options: resign the next day, resign in a few weeks, or accept a 24% pay cut and work as a janitor. Considering his family and the impact of inflation, the employee couldn’t easily absorb such a significant pay cut.

The employee requested time to think and later reviewed the letter presented by Westbrook during the meeting. However, the letter only outlined the immediate or the few week resignation options, omitting the offer for a lower-paying position that would allow continued employment.

Feeling concerned, the employee sought someone to talk to. Since Westbrook was unavailable, Mayor Sorenson agreed to meet with him. During the meeting, the employee shared his story, and Mayor Sorenson assured him that the City would address the situation. However, after this meeting, Mayor Sorenson disappeared, offering no further support or solutions.

The employee then worked out an agreement with another colleague in the same department who expressed interest in the 26-year employee’s position. The supervisor reassured both employees that this arrangement would work, and they would both have jobs.

However, the 26-year employee later learned that both positions needed to be individually posted for two weeks, prolonging the process to one month. During this time, the employee was also informed that he could no longer operate any City vehicle. Despite interviewing for the open position, knowing that driving wasn’t a requirement, the employee was later told that he wouldn’t even be allowed to drive a lawnmower, and he did not get the position.

Feeling frustrated and unfairly treated, the employee asked the supervisor how to explain to others why he didn’t get the job. The supervisor’s response was that he could say the supervisor had “F&*%ed him over.” This reply did not sit well with the employee, who requested a meeting with a higher-level manager and Westbrook. An invitation was extended to the supervisor who used the vulgar word, making the employee uncomfortable as the supervisor attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the employee explained that Westbrook had downplayed the use of the F-word and had repeatedly used it, even jokingly. The employee was informed that the only option to continue employment with the City was to accept the lower-paying position as a janitor with a 24% pay cut.

Frustrated, the 26-year employee eventually left the City of Sheboygan for another employer. The substantial pay cut, coupled with the perceived unfair treatment, drove away a long-serving, skilled, and dedicated employee.

As Westbrook’s questionable treatment led to the employee’s departure, this individual has now come forward since finding alternative employment and Westbrook’s resignation. This underscores the fear and intimidation prevalent in Sheboygan’s Human Resources office during Westbrook’s nine-month tenure, where the ‘human’ was seemingly removed from ‘human resources.’

While there is a sense of relief and even joy in Westbrook’s departure, a more significant concern looms over Sheboygan. The plight of the 26-year employee illustrates Mayor Ryan Sorenson’s failures. Mayor Sorenson had promised support to this employee but disappeared during his time of greatest need as he struggled to provide for his family amidst high inflation and a forced 24% pay cut.

Mayor Sorenson and eight of the ten members of the Common Council (excluding Alders Mitchell and Heidemann) are responsible for the toxic work environment and the mass exodus of City employees. The abrupt termination of City Administrator Todd Wolf without cause, driven by the mayor and eight of the ten members of the Common Council, has placed Sheboygan in this unfortunate predicament. Their decision to hire Westbrook further exacerbated the existing issues at City Hall.

Mayor Sorenson is failing City employees and failing taxpayers. His misdirected focus is evident as he participates in groundbreaking ceremonies for Popeye’s Chicken and attends Esslingen Fest. Where was Mayor Sorenson when this dedicated 26-year employee struggled to support his family in the face of a 24% pay cut?

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/.

“Corruption at City Hall” is an ongoing series that began in early July. Plans are to continue until all issues have been exposed and resolved. Taxpayers must be assured that City leadership truly serves the people, not self-interest or special interest groups.

You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!

• Subscribe to our newsletter: TakeBackSheboyganCounty.com
• Follow us on Twitter: TBSheboyganCo 
• Follow us on Instagram: TBSheboyganCo 
• Join our private Facebook Group: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our Breaking News!

Click here to view our sitemap: Take Back Sheboygan County

Click here to view our series: Challenges in Sheboygan

Click here to view our series: Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall

Click here to view our series: Academic Failures: Sheboygan Area School District

Click here to view our archives: Take Back Sheboygan County