According to a Sheboygan Press article covering the Common Council organization meeting, City Attorney Chuck Adams informs us that the losing candidate for the District 10 alder seat made the decision to prevent residents of District 10 from being represented in the selection of council leadership.
Adams is quoted as saying, “While I indicated our office’s willingness to work with her to draft such a written waiver, she made the decision not to pursue this.” Adams added, “This was within her rights to decide.”
Marcia Reinthaler led the effort to infringe on the constitutional rights of residents of District 10.
Reinthaler denied her own neighbors the right to be represented in their government.
Chuck Adams stated it was her right.
Why did the losing candidate have more power than the winning candidate in the election of council leadership — the power to trample the rights of your neighbors to be represented?
The election was on April 2. The results were available that evening.
The Sheboygan Press article states that Reinthaler waited until April 8 to file the request for a recount.
Why did Reinthaler wait so long?
Was this a coordinated effort to run out the clock to prevent Heidemann from being sworn in?
Mayor Sorenson reacted quickly to Alder Mitchell’s request to delay the vote until ALL citizens of Sheboygan had representation.
Mayor Sorenson incorrectly called it out of order and was embarrassingly corrected by Adams due to his lack of understanding of city ordinances and his failure to lead a Common Council meeting correctly.
TBS is surprised that City Attorney Adams publicly points the finger at Reinthaler in the Sheboygan Press.
Marcia, if you feel that Adams is being dishonest or unethical by stating you chose to deny your neighbors their right to fair representation, please email TBS with your side of the story. https://takebacksheboygancounty.com/contact/
If you do not respond, TBS will assume your silence implies you did indeed decide to strip the most fundamental right from the residents of your own neighborhood.
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!
On Tuesday, April 17, at the first Common Council meeting following the election, City Attorney Chuck Adams supported Mayor Sorenson in proceeding with the vote for leadership on the Common Council.
Adams prevented 10th District Alder Joe Heidemann from being sworn in due to a five-day window for an appeal of the recount results, which confirmed Heidemann’s victory.
Alder Mitchell requested the vote be delayed to allow District 10’s residents to have representation in choosing council leadership and to enable District 10’s alder to be eligible to serve in this capacity.
Mayor Sorenson incorrectly accused Alder Mitchell of being out of order, leading to an embarrassing public correction by Adams due to the mayor’s failure to correctly preside over the Common Council.
Adams asserted that the ordinance required voting on council leadership after the completion of the election.
Here is the related ordinance for electing the council president:
Sec. 2-119. – Council president as presiding officer. The council, at its first meeting subsequent to the regular election and qualification of new members, shall, after organization, choose from its members a president who, in the absence of the mayor, shall preside at meetings of the council. During the absence or inability of the mayor, the council president shall have the power and duties of the mayor, except he shall not have the power to approve an act of the council which the mayor has disapproved by filing objections with the clerk. He shall, when so officiating, be styled “acting mayor.” The council president shall serve as vice-chairman of the committee of the whole.
(Code 1975, § 2-69)
The ordinance clearly states that the council shall choose the president after the election and qualification of new members.
Was the qualification process complete?
Adams’s advice to move forward placed city ordinance above the Constitutional rights of District 10 residents.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that all people within the state are provided equal protection under the law.
This includes fair and equitable representation in local government.
Adams violated the Constitution by depriving District 10 residents of their representation in local government!
Sheboygan’s city ordinance includes a code of ethics stating that city officials are public servants and should prioritize public interest.
Adams trampled public interest to push Sorenson’s agenda, denying District 10 residents their right to representation.
Officials are expected to observe a high standard of morality, focusing on public interest over personal considerations.
Did Adams act in the best interest of District 10 residents?
The code also states that officials should not exceed their authority and should cooperate with other public officials fully.
Did Adams exceed his authority and advise the council to do the same by excluding Alder Heidemann from the leadership vote?
District 7 Alder Grazia Perrella was elected as chairperson of the Committee of the Whole, which could convene the Ethics Committee.
If you believe City Attorney Chuck Adams’s actions violated your rights, you must demand an ethics investigation.
If you are a resident of District 10 and feel your rights have been violated, take action.
Email Alder Perrella and City Administrator Casey Bradley to request an ethics investigation into City Attorney Chuck Adams’s actions. Alder Grazia Perella: grazia.perrella@sheboyganwi.gov City Administrator Casey Bradley: casey.bradley@sheboyganwi.gov
Express why you believe Adams violated your constitutional right to equal protection, including your right to representation in your local government.
Do you feel you were represented in electing council leadership?
Inquire why Alder Heidemann was not sworn in if the qualification process was complete, as the ordinance states that both election and qualification must precede the election of a council president.
If you feel that Adams did not act with the public’s best interest in mind, share your concerns and state that his behavior lacked ethics according to city ordinance because you were not represented.
The City of Sheboygan is currently named in two federal lawsuits for potentially violating constitutional rights.
Adams is at the core of both cases.
Did Adams advise the council to violate your constitutional rights?
Demand the ethics investigation!
TBS has been made aware that other residents of District 10 may be taking more significant action.
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!
On Tuesday, April 16, the Sheboygan Common Council met for the first time with newly elected members. The agenda was set to swear in the new members and elect council leadership.
However, 10th District Alder Joe Heidemann was neither sworn in nor permitted to vote on leadership or be nominated for leadership roles.
Mayor Sorenson Tramples on Rights of District 10 Residents Again
Last summer, a resident of District 10 filed a complaint regarding Mayor Sorenson and a photo from the Pride Event. Alder Heidemann brought the complaint forward to the City Clerk to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. Alder Heidemann could not make it home from City Hall before receiving a call from the Clerk stating Mayor Sorenson had removed the agenda item.
This action blocked any council discussion and silenced public comment.
Mayor Sorenson Trampled on Your Right to Free Speech
In this council meeting, Sorenson, with the assistance of City Attorney Chuck Adams, not only stifled your right to free speech but also stripped you of your right to be represented.
Your alder was denied the opportunity to vote on who would lead the council. Your alder was barred from being considered for a leadership position.
As a resident of District 10, you were silenced and disenfranchised.
Alder Mitchell proposed a motion to delay the election of council leadership until all city residents could be represented.
Mayor Sorenson immediately interjected, claiming the motion was out of order, and sought Adams’s counsel.
Adams corrected the mayor’s misunderstanding of council proceedings by clarifying that the motion was not out of order but in violation of city ordinance.
Adams referenced the following ordinance:
Sec. 2-119. – Council president as presiding officer.
The council, at its first meeting subsequent to the regular election and qualification of new members, shall, after organization, choose from its members a president, who, in the absence of the mayor, shall preside at meetings of the council. During the absence or inability of the mayor, the council president shall have the power and duties of the mayor, except that he shall not have power to approve an act of the council which the mayor has disapproved by filing objections with the Clerk. He shall when so officiating be styled “acting mayor.” The council president shall serve as vice-chairman of the committee of the whole.
(Code 1975, § 2-69)
Adams advised the council to move forward with electing its leadership.
This decision stripped District 10 residents of their right to be represented.
The statute specifies “subsequent to the regular election and qualification of new members.”
Was the qualification process completed if Alder Heidemann was not sworn in?
Did Attorney Chuck Adams provide poor legal advice in full view of the public?
If you live in District 10, you deserve better.
Review your property tax bill. You pay more than most residents in this city. You contribute.
You have the right to the most basic form of representation our democracy allows—your city government alder.
Will you allow this disenfranchisement to continue?
District 10 residents must take action to safeguard their fundamental rights!
Do not let Sorenson continue to trample you.
TBS is committed to supporting residents who feel Adams and Sorenson have wronged them.
If you are tired of having Mayor Sorenson’s Cole Haans stomping on your throat, email him today with your concerns: ryan.sorenson@sheboyganwi.gov.
If you are concerned about City Attorney Chuck Adams’s role in keeping your tax dollars safe from legal issues, email City Administrator Casey Bradley: casey.bradley@sheboyganwi.gov.
There will be further developments following these decisions.
TBS stands with the victims of this blatant abuse of power.
Alder Heidemmann did not miss any meetings during the same time period that Alder Felde and Ackley failed to show up.
This is a disgrace to a dedicated and committed public servant.
This level of disarray is why the City of Sheboygan is facing TWO federal lawsuits right now.
Enough is enough!
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!
TBS has recently discovered that the book “Invisible Monsters” is in the North High School Library. This book is vile, pornographic, and disgusting.
This is the second incident of a book with inappropriate content found at North High in the past month. Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters was originally rejected by the publisher for being too disturbing.
“Invisible Monsters” includes a quote from a scene depicting the family eating Thanksgiving dinner:
This is only one passage, there are many more examples of this type of crude, vulgar, appalling, and horrific language.
Is this how you raise your children?
Does this reflect your family values?
Would your family talk like this over Thanksgiving dinner?
If you answered NO to any of these questions, you must act now!
In January 2023, the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) was made aware of pornographic graphic novels in the library of South High School.
SASD leadership has done nothing to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
Incoming Superintendent Jake Konrath and School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue have failed to keep vulgar content from the SASD libraries.
Are you frustrated with Donohue and Konrath failing your kids?
This is the second controversial book discovered at North High.
If you are frustrated by the failure of SASD leadership to protect the children of Sheboygan, you must act now!
Email North High School principal John Matczak and demand that Invisible Monsters and Push be removed from North High School.
You can review the previous TBS post on the book Push here.
Email incoming superintendent Jake Konrath and ask what steps he will take to stop this from continuing to happen. High school libraries should not be places where kids learn about felching!
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!
TBS has been reflecting on the moral ineptitude of the local leadership, driven by the local Democratic Party. This came full circle yesterday with a high-level Democratic operative being officially charged with election fraud.
That’s right—election fraud right here in Sheboygan, in the most basic form of our democracy, for a seat on your Common Council.
A theft of a political opponent’s election literature.
An act of election fraud recorded on camera—a suspect who admitted to stealing a political opponent’s literature.
Something that is so fundamentally wrong it should be assumed everyone can agree on this.
That assumption has been proven false.
Local Democratic supporters denounced the story’s relevance. Some suggested on social media that the theft was a kind act by Deb Klock because it prevented the candidate from committing a federal crime by placing election materials in a mailbox.
An extensive police investigation uncovered only one crime: election fraud by a member of the local Democratic Party in coordination with Alder Zach Rust’s re-election campaign.
It seems like an easy political opportunity to own the mistake and apologize.
Far from it, Zach Rust, who is running for re-election and was questioned in the criminal investigation, has neither apologized nor acknowledged his campaign’s mistakes.
A local Democratic Party activist’s account on X, GoSheboygan, referred to individuals and the Sheboygan Police Department as a “bunch of retards.”
A local political activist, identifying as Blossom on X, “liked” the tweet.
The term “retard” is considered outdated and offensive. It is a hurtful word that diminishes people with disabilities. It is regarded as hate speech. A campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word” raises awareness of the need to eliminate this term.
Yet, local Democratic Party activists have used and “liked” the term.
Candidate Roberta Filicky-Peneski, running for re-election for the 2nd District seat on the Common Council, was recorded using the N-word.
She has not acknowledged her mistake or apologized during this campaign, stating instead that she was in the comfort of her own home and recorded without her knowledge.
People show their true selves in the safety of their homes. When someone like Filicky-Peneski tells you who they are, believe them.
City Attorney Chuck Adams ardently defended former Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook, who has since been charged in federal court with sex crimes against children.
None of them, nor anyone else from the City of Sheboygan, has denounced Adam Westbrook’s actions.
Mayor Sorenson appeared in a photo that mocked the Catholic faith. There were concerns about religious discrimination. Sorenson removed a citizen complaint from a Common Council agenda, effectively silencing the community.
Mayor Sorenson could have simply acknowledged the feelings of others and apologized for making city employees and residents feel small by apologizing for minimalizing the religious beliefs of residents and employees.
Co-chair of the local Democratic Party, Mary Lynne Donohue, described herself as the chair of a social justice project and encouraged DEIB work in city government.
Donohue is on record at a school board meeting referring to the “growth formula” of the state report card as an intergalactic formula that nobody can understand.
The formula, a DEIB initiative, gives schools credit for increasing achievement among traditionally underperforming groups: kids of color, kids living in poverty, and kids with disabilities.
Kids with disabilities, the same group GoSheboygan carelessly referred to as “retards” on X.
Kids that need support from a true social justice warrior.
Donohue also serves as the School Board President of the Sheboygan Area School District, which is under scrutiny for allowing a sexually graphic book titled ‘Push’ in the North High School library.
This is the second incident involving graphic sexual content in a SASD library in the past 15 months. Donohue has taken no action as School Board President to prevent this from continuing to happen.
These individuals tell you that you lack understanding of:
Diversity
Equity
Inclusion
Belonging
Yet none of these actions demonstrate a commitment to genuinely enhancing any of these principles. The controlling Democrats’ reckless behavior in Sheboygan has resulted in two federal lawsuits.
In one suit, the Federal Magistrate indicates there is reason to investigate a hostile work environment that was not prevented but was perpetuated by Mayor Sorenson — a suit that is moving forward based on a white, Christian, heterosexual male being discriminated against.
A second complaint with the Department of Workforce Development has forced the city to hire outside lawyers. That complaint states a white, heterosexual female was harassed while working for the City of Sheboygan.
The actions of the members of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party are rooted in:
Division
Exclusion
Indoctrination
Blasphemy
Take a look at the well-documented evidence of what DEIB looks like in Sheboygan under the leadership of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party here:
When is enough going to be enough for you? Are you ready to take action?
Filicky-Peneski and Rust are unfit to serve.
There is a local election today. Polls close at 8:00 p.m.
Go vote!
Today’s election does not mean an end but rather a beginning.
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!
Longtime Sheboygan County Democratic Party (Democratic Party) activist Deb Klock has been charged with “Election Fraud – Deface Campaign Poster” charges for her work with the reelection campaign of Sheboygan Alderman Zach Rust.
On February 18, there was a Ring doorbell alert about a person removing something from a resident’s door. Citizens suspected that the person removing Roethel’s campaign literature might be Deb Klock. It was later determined that the literature belonged to District 8 Common Council candidate Jesse Roethel.
Klock is not just a Democratic Party activist; she is prominent in a picture dating back to 2017, positioned in the front row. In the middle, Klock is flanked by the party’s co-chairs, Mary Lynne Donohue and Maeve Quinn.
In the report, Klock states that she has been trained on proper campaigning procedures. Most shockingly, Klock also reveals that she trains other Democratic Party members on campaign policies.
Klock is a leader in the Democratic Party. She educates others. She has been photographed with senior leadership. She is the Sheboygan County Democratic Party.
Klock is charged with Election Fraud!
According to the complaint, the Democratic Party dispatched Klock to this neighborhood with specific addresses to visit based on prior voting data. She was part of a coordinated effort between the Democratic Party and incumbent Alderman Zach Rust.
How long has this type of corrupt and dirty politics been going on in Sheboygan under the current leadership of the local Democratic Party?
Klock’s Story Does Not Seem Truthful
Klock claims she had concerns that the literature did not meet election laws by failing to state who paid for the materials. She indicated she was collecting the literature to report back to the Democratic Party of Sheboygan.
However, Rust and a local party member said it would not be good practice to remove another candidate’s literature, even if there were concerns. The witness at the Democratic Party was unaware of the whereabouts of the materials or whether Klock had submitted them.
Did Klock lie in an investigation by law enforcement?
Rust Remains Silent
The complaint indicates that Zach Rust was aware of the election fraud investigation. Rust has not contacted Jesse Roethel to apologize. They have attended two public forums together, yet Rust has never addressed the alleged criminal acts by Klock, who acted under the guidance of the Democratic Party of Sheboygan.
Rust Is Unfit to Serve
Zach Rust’s campaign has been under criminal investigation since February 19, yet he has neither apologized nor acknowledged any wrongdoing. As the head of the Common Council’s ethics committee, Rust’s failure to address these issues is telling.
How can the head of the Ethics Committee fail to acknowledge criminal activity within his campaign, especially when coordinated by the Democratic Party of Sheboygan County and their campaign trainer?
Deb Klock faces a charge of Election Fraud.
She was acting on behalf of the Democratic Party of Sheboygan and the Rust campaign.
Filicky-Peneski Also Unfit to Serve
Roberta Filicky-Peneski, also running for reelection in the District 2 Common Council race, has been recorded using a racial slur and has not acknowledged this ethical failure. She has minimized her behavior by stating it occurred in her own home without her knowledge of it being recorded.
People reveal their true selves in the comfort of their own homes.
Filicky-Peneski and Rust both voted to fire Todd Wolf without cause. Wolf, the former City Administrator, is at the center of two federal lawsuits against the city.
The Wolf case is proceeding to mediation, which will likely lead to a financial settlement—a settlement that would be paid with your tax dollars.
Rust and Filicky-Peneski have demonstrated that they are unfit to serve on your Common Council.
Elections Matter, as Do Your Tax Dollars
If you are tired of your hard-earned money being wasted by reckless behavior, please research the candidates before voting on Tuesday, April 2.
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!
It has recently been discovered that there are concerning books in the library of North High School in Sheboygan. The book Push by Sapphire is listed as available on SASD library websites to be checked out by students at North High School.
The book is described on Amazon as:
Precious Jones, an illiterate sixteen-year-old, has up until now been invisible to the father who rapes her and the mother who batters her and to the authorities who dismiss her as just one more of Harlem’s casualties. But when Precious, pregnant with a second child by her father, meets a determined and radical teacher, we follow her on a journey of education and enlightenment as she learns not only how to write about her life, but how to make it truly her own for the first time.
Push details explicit accounts of sexual activities that include incest and molestation.
TBS has included an excerpt from Page 27:
Push uses the following words in the entire book:
F*ck- 83 times
P*ssy-13 times
C*nt- 3 times
There are other accounts that are this graphic in a sexual nature. The book is dominated by explicit and vulgar language.
TBS has shared one passage. Overall, the book is alarming and concerning with the quantity of vulgar passages.
Last February, the Sheboygan Press reported on how South High School decided to remove three books that were graphic novels and included extremely graphic drawings of sexual activity.
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!
The Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) is beginning a campaign to ask taxpayers like you for a $126 million referendum to build two new middle schools.
This site has raised concerns about academic achievement in the SASD high schools. Lack of student achievement is a significant economic issue as we fail to prepare students to enter the workforce.
Our community and surrounding areas are rich with strong businesses that need employees. Companies cannot find people to work, and SASD fails to provide qualified talent to fill jobs despite significant investments by area businesses in the Red Raider Manufacturing program.
Local businesses have invested millions of dollars in Sheboygan’s high schools to equip students to enter the workforce and fill jobs in your local economy.
Companies that invested millions of dollars in the Red Raider Manufacturing programs should question the return on investment they are receiving today.
The current state of Sheboygan South and Central High School is abysmal.
97% of Wisconsin high schools in academic achievement
99.5% of Wisconsin high schools in academic growth
Sheboygan Central High School fails your kids. Your tax dollars go to a high school that fails to meet the expectations set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
There have been no presentations by the current SASD superintendent, Seth Harvatine, or the incoming superintendent, Jake Konrath, last year to address the miserable results of Central High School.
They have avoided the failures of Sheboygan Central High School while they are preparing to ask you for an additional $126 million in taxes!
This site has been referenced by SASD leadership and the SASD school board as disseminating disinformation.
Others in the community have referred to this site as propaganda.
In June, TBS estimated the project’s cost to be $150 million. Today, SASD says it is $140 million. SASD will ask taxpayers for $126 million and fund the balance of the project on their own.
TBS has been accused of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
Why did no other media outlet in Sheboygan talk about this last June?
Take Back Sheboygan wants to hear from you about this referendum.
Is the Mill Road and Najacht Road site ideal for a new middle school?
Has this referendum been well thought out?
Is this referendum reflective of a district with declining enrollment?
Is there a better solution?
Is it time to consider combining our Sheboygan High Schools into one school?
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!
There have been claims made that Take Back Sheboygan County is a propaganda machine pushing a fake idea of a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) agenda that is causing the City of Sheboygan to have a misguided focus on DEIB rather than the day-to-day operations of running a city and providing services to taxpayers.This is not propaganda, and here is the supporting evidence.
In an article published in the Sheboygan Press on August 6, 2019, there is an update on the Common Council banning conversion therapy on minors in a packed meeting. Alder Mary Lynne Donohue is quoted advocating for the ban’s passage, with then-Alder Ryan Sorenson cited as an author of the ordinance.
The article quotes Sorenson from a previous article, stating, “It’s difficult to track if conversion therapy has been practiced in Sheboygan, but the goal of the ordinance is to prevent it from happening.”
The point of this post has nothing to do with whether conversion therapy is good or bad. The point is that Sorenson and Donohue advocated for an ordinance to stop something that they did not know whether or not it existed in Sheboygan. They created a solution for a problem that they could not support existed in Sheboygan.
Mayor Sorenson attempted to generate fundraising money by banning conversion therapy and flying the Pride Flag at City Hall upon election as crowning achievements of his political career. This exemplifies Sorenson’s misguided focus as an elected official in Sheboygan. Where are the crowning achievements that make Sheboygan a better place to live for all taxpayers?
Note: Take Back Sheboygan County has never endorsed, supported, or discussed President Donald Trump. Take Back Sheboygan County is not MAGA, nor is it associated with MAGA.
The city is currently facing two federal lawsuits. One is in relationship to the firing of Todd Wolf as City Administrator without cause. The other suit has been filed by former employee Chad Pelishek for discrimination. Both of these cases are causing significant financial resources from the City of Sheboygan to be used on legal defense in federal court. These cases both resulted from the misplaced focus on DEIB in Sheboygan.
On October 5, 2022, Wolf and Pelishek met for lunch with two community members discussing DEI initiatives in Sheboygan. The lawsuit filed by Wolf alleges that Wolf refused to allocate $70,000 to a DEI consulting agreement.
On October 28, 2022, Mary Lynne Donohue sent the following email to the Common Council as the chair of the Sheboygan Justice Equity group that submitted a Request for Proposal “that aims to research, identify, and strategize on a process to bring a diverse, equitable and inclusive structure to city government.”
You can review the bold request from a chair of a group that works in DEI consulting asking the Common Council to reconsider a Request for Proposal that her group drafted be reconsidered for funding.
The recent resignation of Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook was covered by the Sheboygan Press, which stated that Take Back Sheboygan County has stated the city has a diversity and inclusion “agenda.” Take Back Sheboygan County has received emails that Westbrook would send to all City of Sheboygan employees titled “Diversity Digest.”
One book Westbrook suggests in this email is Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. This book is a story of a teenager working through gender identity challenges and transitioning. It is a Young Adult novel.
As a city employee, would you feel reading a Young Adult novel would benefit you in your role? Some may, but certainly not every city employee would be a better employee due to reading a Young Adult Novel on gender identity.
Westbrook also recommends an R-rated movie called Boys Don’t Cry. Westbrook instructs city employees that this movie is for mature audiences only and contains many devastating and graphic moments. Westbrook also informs every city employee that this is the only movie that has ever made him cry. Does every city employee need to be made aware of a movie that includes intense and devastating moments from a director-level leader at their place of employment?
Westbrook sent all City employees an edition of Diversity Digest titled Celebrate Black History Month. In this email, Westbrook provided books, movies, podcasts, and an album for education. One book Westbrook suggested is How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
This book is widely used in DEI work. The book has received considerable criticism for spreading Marxist ideology. In reading this book, Kendi states that capitalism and racism are conjoined twins. This line has drawn heavy criticism due to the harsh criticism of capitalism in America.
In addition to this, there was the failed strategic plan that the City of Sheboygan hired a consultant to draft and, after public backlash, had to be scrapped due to being entirely focused on DEIB and neglecting any strategic plan for departments like the Fire and Police Departments. This cost $140,000 to taxpayers due to a misguided focus by Mayor Sorenson and some of the Common Council.
The Sheboygan Press quoted Westbrook as saying he had never experienced local groups pushing the city “not to change, not to grow, not to become a more diverse, inclusive place.”
Take Back Sheboygan County is not opposed to growth, change, or becoming more diverse and inclusive. Take Back Sheboygan County opposes growth and change irrelevant to making Sheboygan better for all taxpayers. There is opposition to our City’s government driving change with NO strategic plan, NO appropriate allocation of resources, and NO involvement of stakeholders while being done without transparency and without open communication. That kind of change will not be supported!
While the focus on DEI is alive and well, the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus shows no progress in a recent update from the Sheboygan Press. On August 28, the City Attorney informed the Common Council that an offer to purchase fell through and said canceling this agreement would open up the opportunity for other buyers. Later in the article, it states that the majority of lots are still available. If the majority of lots are still available, how was losing the other development a benefit in that other buyers could be interested?
There was no evidence of any progress in filling the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus in the latest update from the Sheboygan Press.
The calls on social media that Take Back Sheboygan County is a propaganda site that is pushing lies and false narratives are untrue. Everything cited in this post is real. It has happened in Sheboygan. The DEI agenda is present.
This agenda is causing the City of Sheboygan to not focus on real issues that impact taxpayers. The day-to-day operations of the city are an afterthought. There have been financial costs, such as the failed strategic plan to taxpayers and the hiring of a recruiting firm to fill the Human Resources position that Westbrook filled for nine months. The financial impact is real, while substantial improvements to life in Sheboygan are few and far between!
Mayor Sorenson has tried to raise money around a crowning achievement of banning a form of therapy for which he could not provide evidence existed in Sheboygan. That is the definition of misguided focus!
COVID-19 is once again on the rise in Sheboygan County, with recent data showing an uptick in hospitalizations. As we enter the fall season, a time when cases of the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 tend to increase, it’s crucial that we approach the situation with common sense and empathy.
For the past three years, we’ve been living with this virus, and now a new variant is on the horizon. Fall in Wisconsin often brings illness, but it’s time to come together as a community and make thoughtful choices.
Respecting Mask Choices Whether you choose to wear a mask or not, your decision is respected here. Let’s be understanding of one another’s choices and embrace a spirit understanding.
Embracing Vaccine Choices The decision to get a booster shot is a personal one. Whether you opt for it or not, your choice is honored. Let’s encourage a culture of respect for individual vaccination decisions.
Empowering Educational Choices As we reflect on the lessons of 2020-21, it’s evident that our children bore a heavy burden when schools closed. The toll it took on their education, social development, and access to extracurricular activities was profound and, in some cases, continues to affect them. We believe in keeping schools open, with the option for parents to decide what’s best for their children – whether it’s in-person learning or remote education. Attending school with a mask or without a mask is a decision that parents should be able to make based on their preferences and concerns. Let’s prioritize the well-being and choices of our families as we move forward.
Supporting Local Businesses Local businesses are the backbone of our community. They should have the autonomy to make decisions that suit their unique circumstances. Let’s refrain from undue government interference and support our local entrepreneurs.
Respecting Personal Rights As we face the reality of increasing cases, it’s essential to respect personal rights and choices. Mandates are not the solution; people should have the freedom to make decisions regarding COVID-19.
Take Back Sheboygan County advocates for a common-sense approach as we move into the fall and beyond. COVID-19 may be here to stay, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live our lives in the way we choose. It’s all about empowering individuals to make their own decisions rather than imposing mandates. The power lies in choice, and together, we can navigate these challenging times.
This coming Tuesday, September 12, the SASD Board of Education will vote to approve an 8% pay raise for staff. You have been silenced in this process as it has been done without any public knowledge. The time is now for you to show up and be heard.
Do you currently make nearly $80,000 a year and expect an 8% pay raise from your employer?
Are you struggling with getting by with the increased cost of living due to inflation and make less than $80,000 a year?
Does it sicken you to hear someone making almost $80,000 a year voice concerns over how hard it is to live in this economy?
Do you oppose lying by the SASD teachers’ union?
The Sheboygan Education Association (SEA) has lied to its members, stating that the SASD is going to impose a pay cut by only increasing wages by 4%.
The time to act is now! You must show up and voice your opinion on this 8% pay increase by the SASD.
There are teachers that deserve a significant pay raise, but that is not all teachers of the SASD.
You need to plan to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday, September 12!
What: Sheboygan Area School District Board of Education meeting When: Tuesday, September 12, at 6:35 p.m. Where: SASD Offices at 3330 Stahl Rd. Sheboygan, WI 53081 Room: Board Room
Your voice is needed as the SASD moves to approve an 8% raise for all staff. The impact on you as a taxpayer is significant. Plan to stay after the public input session to see presentations from North High School which currently “meets few expectations” and South High School which “fails to meet expectations” based off the current State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Report Cards.
The community and our children need your support Tuesday night!
This upcoming Tuesday, September 12th, the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) School Board may approve a 4% pay raise with an additional 4% salary stipend for employees of the SASD. This 8% pay raise is on a Committee of the Whole agenda, which prevents any public input on the matter. This is a significant expenditure for the district and involves taxpayer dollars. Should taxpayers have a chance to share their input?
The SASD had a Board meeting on August 22nd where there was an opportunity for public input. This opportunity was clouded in secrecy in that the agenda item was for a closed session that stated, “To deliberate strategies to address specific issues pertaining to collective bargaining for teachers.” Take Back Sheboygan County has received insight that some, if not all members of the school board, were kept in the dark on the breakdown in negotiations between the SASD and the Sheboygan Educators Association (SEA) which is the formal name of the teachers’ union.
Take Back Sheboygan County discovered concerns over SEA by district leadership prior to this meeting. Seth Harvatine expressed concerns to Board members over the SEA’s activity in the negotiation process. Harvatine normally does not comment on matters like this but felt compelled to voice concerns over the SEA during the negotiation.
Harvatine was made aware of an email that SEA sent only to its members that included false information. The false information revolved around the August 22 Board meeting and stated that the administration will be presenting information to the Board on salary negotiations during the open session. That was untrue based on the posted agenda reference previously.
The second lie from the SEA stated that there is a likelihood that the Board will impose a pay cut on the teachers unless SEA members show up in solidarity.
It was also uncovered that Harvatine met extensively with the SEA President and was not made aware of this messaging by SEA. Harvatine then met with three SEA team leadership members, and they all stated they did not send the email with inaccurate information, and they would need to check on who sent that email to SEA members.
It was not until teachers began sharing in the public comment of the August 22 Board meeting that it was clear that the SASD was offering a 4% raise and the SEA was asking for an 8% raise. This clearly illustrates the SEA was lying to its members by stating the SASD would impose a pay cut.
Had this been clearly communicated in a transparent way by the SASD Board to stakeholders, you would have had an opportunity to share your opinion on the 8% raise in that meeting as well. The SASD Board of Education is leaving you out of the decision-making process and silencing you!
Several SASD staff members spoke about the challenges of inflation and providing for themselves and their families in today’s economy.
If the advocacy of the SEA is for teachers on the low end of the pay scale to receive a pay raise, why is the SEA lying to its members in their communication? If you are a teacher struggling to make a livable wage at around $40,000 a year and do legitimately deserve a pay raise, can you honestly look at your colleague making close to $80,000 a year and believe that they need and deserve the same raise as you?
The following SASD staff members spoke at the August 22nd meeting in support of an 8% pay increase.
The pressure of inflation is real, and some of the stories shared by SASD staff members were sad and authentic. Take Back Sheboygan County supports a significant pay raise for some SASD teachers.
In reviewing the salaries of some staff members who spoke at the meeting, there are some concerns. Everyone is impacted by inflation. When you see someone making almost $80,000 a year voice concern over the impact of inflation and demand an 8% raise, it is tough to swallow. As a taxpayer, do you currently make close to $80,000 and plan on receiving an 8% raise from your employer this year?
The staff members making $42,000 a year should receive a significant pay raise. In the current economy, the cost of rent, childcare, food, and gasoline presents real challenges to living comfortably on close to $40,000 a year. Take Back Sheboygan County advocates for a significant raise for SASD employees on the low end of the pay scale.
The concern arises from the SASD strategically moving to pass the 8% raise in the dark, excluding taxpayers from any voice in the decision. There is also massive concern about an 8% raise across the board. That is not acceptable without the public and stakeholders like you having a voice in the process!
If the SASD staff members on the high end of the pay scale are advocating for this raise for the employees on the lower end of the scale, then they should decline the massive pay increase to afford the SASD the opportunity to increase pay for employees on the lower end in a fiscally responsible way. If this is about advocacy for an employee making close to $40,000 a year, then exclude the high-end pay scale employees from the massive raise!
This is not exact math but a general example of the impact this massive pay increase will have on the financial health of the SASD. The SASD annual budget is roughly $160 million. Salaries make up approximately 70% of the budget or $112 million. An 8% salary increase would cost the SASD $8.96 million this year. This is an estimate, and actual numbers could be requested from the district.
It would be more responsible for the SASD to provide stakeholders with an estimate of the fiscal impact of this massive raise. It would also be far more responsible to allow this discussion to take place in full transparency, during a general board meeting where there is an opportunity for public discussion. As a taxpayer or stakeholder in the SASD, do you want an opportunity to share your opinion on this massive pay raise?
The SASD School Board is eliminating you from this process! Board President Mary Lynn Donohue and Superintendent Seth Harvatine strategically placed this massive pay increase on the agenda of a meeting that does not allow public input to silence you!
The Board does not value your opinion or make any effort to seek your opinion as a stakeholder in the SASD. If you want an opportunity for your voice to be heard, you need to contact the SASD and the school board.
Demand an opportunity for public input! Demand that your voice is heard.
This is your tax dollars being spent without you having a seat at the table.
Email your concerns to SASD Leadership and the Board.
Part 8, Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall: Westbrook Forces Out Two More City Employees
Take Back Sheboygan County has learned that the past few weeks have seen a continued turnover of city employees. One employee with 29 years of service was forced into early retirement for writing the name “Todd Wolf” on a questionnaire at the City Administrator stakeholder meetings. This employee has no known previous disciplinary issues and provided service to the city admirably. Some quotes that were shared anonymously were, “This employee did not have enough years of service to retire, so this does not make sense.” Another employee shared that the retirement pizza party and news came very abruptly.
An anonymous report stated that this employee asked who would do the job upon retirement and volunteered to stay on board to train the replacement. This employee was instructed that was not an option. This leaves a department in our city that is already battling staffing issues to cover a full-time position with no plan or consideration from Westbrook regarding the vacancy it would cause in the department.
Take Back Sheboygan County was anonymously informed that another employee with ties to Chad Pelishek was terminated and walked out of City Hall on Tuesday, August 8, which coincides with the same day Take Back Sheboygan County released the post detailing Chad Pelishek’s lawsuit.
What was the immediate danger and threat to the city by this employee that required immediate termination? Was the threat significant enough that the city needed to terminate this employee on the same day as the release of the lawsuit and risk it being labeled as retaliation?
Take Back Sheboygan County was notified of statements made by Mr. Westbrook in an email regarding harassment concerns based on religion due to Mayor Sorenson’s photo with a group mocking the Catholic religion. The citizen shared that city employees voiced concerns over harassment based on their religion due to the photo but faced the fear of bringing the concern forward due to not wanting to be terminated without cause like former city administrator Todd Wolf.
Westbrook responded in an email on July 19 with the following:
“As you know, I was not here when the Todd situation happened and had no role in that investigation or in the decision to terminate his position. As an attorney and an HR professional, I understand that retaliation is always worse than the original violation and would never allow or support an employee being terminated for filing a sincere report of harassment, discrimination, or bullying. (Obviously making something up would be a different story.)”
Westbrook expands on that later in the email with this statement:
“If these employees still have the irrational fear that I will retaliate or share their information (which they would have zero reason to hold that opinion of me), they have the option to follow the whistleblower procedure which (while still needing to provide their information) adds protection under the whistleblower law.”
With two employees ending their employment with our city recently and city employees stating that it was “heavy-handed discipline” and the “consequence did not match the issue” anonymously to Take Back Sheboygan, Westbrook feels that no city employee has a rational reason to fear interacting with him as Human Resources Director. City employees are communicating with Take Back Sheboygan and voicing concerns out of genuine fear of Westbrook, Mayor Sorenson, and eight of the ten members of the Common Council (excluding Alder Trey Mitchell and Alder Joe Heidemann).
Westbrook states that he understands that retaliation is always worse than the violation. Was the termination of an employee with close ties to Chad Pelishek on the same day this site posted information on Pelishek’s lawsuit retaliation?
The culture of fear and intimidation is rampant among city employees!
In the emails between Westbrook and the citizen regarding the harassment investigation, Westbrook refused to meet with the resident over the concern and instructed the citizen to review the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.) website for education.
Westbrook often refers to himself as an attorney and a Human Resources professional. In the Pelishek suit, there is an allegation that Westbrook told Chad Pelishek, “You are not being discriminated against,” and that Pelishek has no “protected status.”
The same E.E.O.C that Westbrook directed the concerned citizen to use for education is the same agency that granted Pelishek the right to sue the city of Sheboygan for discrimination. This led to a second federal court case naming the City of Sheboygan.
Westbrook’s actions are impacting employees of the City of Sheboygan, forcing them to work every day in a culture of fear and intimidation. Westbrook’s reckless actions have added to the city’s challenges, and Westbrook denies that he was involved in the Wolf investigation. There are allegations in the Pelishek suit that after Westbrook started with the city, he was involved in the Wolf situation even after the termination. This contradicts Westbrook’s statement in the email to the citizen that attempts to distance himself from the “Todd situation.”
City employees are scared, frustrated, and wondering who is next. This is unfair to the people who work to serve you as a taxpayer every day. This negative work environment impacts the attitudes and mindset of city employees every day. It is admirable to see the commitment of the day-to-day employees not to allow this toxic environment to impact the services they provide. It is wearing on employees, and that impacts you as a taxpayer!
It is also wrong and unfair treatment of individuals who dedicate their careers to serving you. Why is Westbrook acting this way?
The forced retirement of a 29-year employee seems to be tied to behavior that upset the mayor and/or the eight members of the ten members (excluding Alder Mitchell and Alder Heidemann)of the Common Council.
Is Westbrook working for the City of Sheboygan as a whole, or is Westbrook working only for Mayor Sorenson and eight of the ten members (excluding Alders Mitchell and Heidemann) of the Common Council?
Five people, Including Mayor Ryan Sorenson, Named in a Lawsuit filed by Former Sheboygan Director of Planning and Development, Chad Pelishek.
The lawsuit was filed on August 7, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Pelishek resigned in May, 2023, after a 16-year career with the City of Sheboygan, citing severe negative impacts on himself and his family.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued Pelishek a Notice of the Right to Sue for his discrimination charge on June 15, 2023.
The defendants in the lawsuit include Sorenson, Common Council members Barbara Felde, Roberta Filicky-Peneski, and Amanda Salazar, as well as Emily Rendall-Araujo, the Director of Uptown Social.
The claim submitted by Pelishek’s attorney, Jennifer DeMaster, alleges that Pelishek faced abusive and hostile conditions in his job, driven by the DEI collective. They labeled him a racist for expressing concerns about racism and demanded his termination while fabricating a false narrative about him.
The lawsuit claims that Pelishek witnessed Todd Wolf being accused of harassment and misconduct, leading to his termination without cause by the City of Sheboygan. When Pelishek tried to present evidence disproving these allegations against Wolf, he and his family were harassed and threatened by City officials.
The events with Wolf and Pelishek stemmed from an incident at a Sheboygan Neighborhood Association meeting, where an unidentified person made a racial slur. Pelishek sought assistance from Mayor Sorenson to address racial issues in neighborhood meetings, but the mayor ignored his requests.
During a meeting on August 22, 2022, Pelishek asked for help in addressing racism, and Emily Rendall-Araujo told him to quote the racist comment made by the unidentified person in the neighborhood meeting. Pelishek then provided a quote of the comment made by the unidentified male that included a racial slur.
The lawsuit also covers a lunch meeting on October 5, 2022, where Wolf, Pelishek, and another City employee met with members of the DEI group. The DEI members asked for $70,000 for consulting work, and when Wolf refused, they threatened to oppose him.
On October 10, 2022, the Sheboygan Press published an article titled “Sheboygan Leader Uses Racist Slur in Meeting” with a picture of Pelishek.
The lawsuit alleges that Rendall-Araujo met with a Sheboygan Press reporter and influenced the publication of additional articles suggesting Pelishek was racist and that Wolf failed to address racism.
These events led to an investigation of Wolf and eventual termination without cause. Following Wolf’s termination, Pelishek was told by City Attorney Chuck Adams to report directly to Mayor Sorenson. When Pelishek asked if he could have a private lawyer for himself during an investigation, Sorenson denied the request, stating that Adams was his lawyer for all matters related to the City and the investigation.
Due to fear without being allowed an attorney, Pelishek recorded his interview with Attorney Hall when he was questioned regarding the Todd Wolf investigation. The suit states that after being pressed by Hall to share his concerns, Pelishek told Hall about concerns regarding troubling financial matters with Progressive/DEI connected individuals and the City that he was aware of, that those issues were under an external audit, that Rendall-Araujo told him to tell her exactly what racist statement was made, and that he believes Rendall-Araujo asking him to repeat it was a “set up” and “plotted attack”. Pelishek also informed Hall that the DEI group members threatened Todd Wolf at the October 5 meeting after Wolf denied them money from the City. The suit states that Hall asked Pelishek, “Do you recall DEI leaders saying that if Todd didn’t pay them that they would publicly oppose him?” Pelishek responded, “Yes, that was said.”
After the interview, there was a series of events that impacted Pelishek’s wife and children. Pelishek asked to have the record cleared about the meeting where the slur occurred and was denied. At one point Pelishek discussed events with Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook and said it felt like the Common Council was going to allow the false narratives and hostility to continue. He was told that he responded to Rendall-Araujo as a “white man of privilege”. Westbrook told Pelishek, “You are not being discriminated against” and that Pelishek had no “protected status.”
Mayor Sorenson then outsourced some of Pelishek’s job duties and refused to re-appoint him to the Harbor Centre Business Improvement District Board where Pelishek had served for roughly eight years. There were also several “public records” relating to “disciplinary” matters regarding the meeting where the racial slur was mentioned. Pelishek also reported to Filickyi-Peneski that he was being harassed, that he was set up, and that he was being targeted by Rendall-Araujo, Sorenson and Salazar. Filicky-Peneski stated that there was nothing the Common Council could do about this.
The suit details the investigation report from Attorney Hall regarding Todd Wolf. This report stated that Pelishek confirmed he made an unsolicited racial slur, that Todd Wolf told the media about the slur and the public violating Common Council orders, and that Pelishek said there was no threat at the lunch with the DEI group. The suit states that all those statements were factually untrue based on Pelishek’s interview with Hall.
The suit brings claims of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which portents employees from discrimination on the basis of their sex, sexual orientation, race and/or religion. The suit claims a hostile and abusive work environment and disparate treatment. The suit also claims a violation of Fourteenth Amendment rights to equal protection of the law. This prohibits the government from denying employees equal protection for the law based on their race, gender, or protected expressions.
The suit also claims that Pelishek’s first amendment rights under retaliation and prior restraint were violated.
The suit requests relief in declaratory judgements, injunctions, enjoining and permanently restraining the City of Sheboygan from continuing and practicing violations, compensatory damages and punitive damages.
There are no future dates scheduled at this time regarding this suit.
It is important to note that all information presented is based on allegations made in the lawsuit filed by Chad Pelishek. That case is currently before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the court will determine its outcome.
The challenges that Sheboygan faces in poor student achievement at the high schools in the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) and the lack of direction and leadership in the City of Sheboygan’s government have a common denominator in Mary Lynne Donohue. Donohue serves as the current School Board President of the SASD and Co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party. Donohue has also previously served on the City of Sheboygan Common Council.
Donohue’s ties to everything happening in Sheboygan are deep. Donohue uses those ties to influence key decisions, and as evidenced in the previous post, she is comfortable advocating for causes by directly emailing the Common Council to publish a Request for Proposal that her organization drafted for the Common Council and would likely compete to secure the funding and contract for executing the work. Donohue’s connections also run into major budgetary decisions made by Sheboygan.
In the 2023 City of Sheboygan budget, the Sheboygan Press published an article on November 3, 2022, discussing the budget. Sheboygan Press reporter Maya Hilty states, “An increase in the budget for Mead Public Library is the largest proposed change in department budgets from 2022 to 2023.” The same article quotes Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn on how the board unanimously approved a wage increase and expressed gratitude for the increased spending in the budget to do so.
Mead Public Library received a greater increase in funding in the 2023 budget than any other department. This increase was larger than the Police Department, Fire Department, and every other department that provides essential services to you as a taxpayer. The Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn is also co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party along with Donohue.
The following photograph comes from media reports on December 9, 2022. This illustrates that Donohue was serving as co-Chair of the Sheboygan County Democratic Party with Mead Public Library Board President Maeve Quinn at the same time the library received the largest increase in funding of any department in our city.
Donohue has been involved in the recruitment of Common Council members and has close ties to Mayor Ryan Sorenson. Mayor Sorenson has referred to Donohue as a mentor and, at one time, stated that he views Donohue as his second mother. Donohue’s involvement with the Common Council and Mayor Sorenson led her to be named in a current lawsuit against the City of Sheboygan. She is the only non-City employee or official named in this lawsuit.
When City Administrator Todd Wolf was fired without cause in January, there was a lack of clarity on who would manage the operational responsibilities of the City Administrator due to the vacancy. The Finance and Personnel Committee passed a resolution numbered 153-22-23 that appointed the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to take on some of the authority of the City Administrator. This was requested by department heads of Sheboygan to ensure day-to-day operations could be maintained and not require the two-week wait for Common Council approval. This went before the Common Council for approval on March 20, 2023.
Alder Amanda Salazar asked for an amendment to the resolution and asked for the body of the Common Council to make changes rather than allow just the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to make decisions. City of Sheboygan Assistant Attorney Liz Majerus commented that the majority of these decisions would be Human Resources-related and also Finance-related.
Alder Grazia Perella stated that she does not see much of a need for the resolution and does not see any daily tasks or responsibilities that would, in fact, hinder or prevent the Common Council as a whole from making the decision rather than one individual.
Alder Salazar made a motion to file the resolution. This means that the resolution would not be voted on, and the resolution could not be brought up again for one year. It was stated that all decisions would need to come before the Common Council.
On the roll call vote to file the resolution, Alder Mitchell abstained due to being the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee. The motion to file the resolution passed on a 5-4 vote. Alder Roberta Filicky-Peneski voted in favor of the motion to file the resolution. She is the Vice President of the Finance and Personnel Committee, who approved the resolution and sent it to the Common Council with the recommendation for approval. Alder Filicky-Peneski was also the alder that brought the motion forward to the Council for a vote. The resolution was filed and could not be brought forward for a year. The City of Sheboygan moved forward with a lack of clarity and understanding of who was responsible for decisions on the day-to-day operations of running the City of Sheboygan. The understanding was that decisions that the City Administrator was required to make would come before the entire Common Council.
The vote to not identify a decision-maker on the day-to-day operations, leaving the decisions to the entire Common Council, was made with no alternative or options to a request that came from the City of Sheboygan Department Heads to allow the City to function efficiently. The day-to-day operations and the needs of the department heads were referred to by Alder Perella as not needed. She then voted to file the resolution. This shows a lack of understanding of the number of decisions made daily to ensure services are provided to taxpayers. An organization with a $124 million dollar budget and responsible for running a city with 50,000 residents requires efficiency and direction to function. Alder Salazar and Alder Perella demonstrated that they do not have concern or see much of a need for efficiency in daily decision-making power for the City of Sheboygan to provide you with daily services.
Since that vote, there have been multiple requests that have been brought forward to the Finance and Personnel Committee for consideration. Following is a document that was recently submitted and shown for your review:
Under staff comments, it states, “City staff has reviewed the above notice of claim and, under the authorization of the Mayor of Sheboygan, in consultation with the City Attorney and the Finance Department, have denied the notice of claim listed above” Previously, documents reviewed would state the decision made by the City Administrator on these claims In rejecting the resolution that would have allowed the Chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee to have the authority to make decisions on the day-to-day operations of the city it was agreed that decisions would come before the Common Council.
Mayor Sorenson has now taken the responsibility of some day-to-day decisions from the responsibilities defined in the Municipal Code to the City Administrator. This illustrates that the needs and services of taxpayers are secondary to the power grab of Mayor Sorenson and the members of the Common Council with deep ties to Donohue.
While the day-to-day operations of the City of Sheboygan have been an afterthought, the commitment to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been a central focus. Members of the Common Council and Donohue have advocated for a Request for Proposal to be published that was drafted by Donohue. The City’s proposed 5-Year Strategic Plan neglected priorities like Police and Fire Department and, instead, heavily incorporated elements favorable to DEI. That Strategic Plan was denied after public outcry and cost you as a taxpayer $140,000 in lost fees to a consulting company.
Budget priorities from last year, such as a new Firehouse No. 3 and development in the industrial parks have stalled. The City is moving forward with hiring a City Administrator, and the process included explicit directions from Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook that taxpayers like you, who are not City of Sheboygan employees, who attempted to attend would be asked to leave. The presentations by the two finalists for the City Administrator position were referred to as a Stakeholder Presentation. According to Mayor Sorenson, Human Resources Director Adam Westbrook and members of the Common Council, you are not a stakeholder!
Mayor Sorenson has gone rogue in approving and denying claims from residents without oversight from the Common Council. Mayor Sorenson is trampling on City Ordinances by denying resident claims that were previously the responsibility of the City Administrator. Mayor Sorenson has also trampled on the right to Free Speech by not allowing resident complaints to be on the Common Council agenda. This also prevents other residents from sharing their thoughts or opinions due to there not being an agenda item.
Again, Donohue is a major influence with the Common Council, the Mayor, and the SASD.
At a recent SASD Board meeting, Donohue referred to a Wisconsin State Report Card growth formula as “intergalactic” and difficult to explain, while the formula rewards schools that are increasing the academic achievement of students who have been traditionally marginalized by the educational system.
These are people that would benefit from relevant DEI work, work that focused on helping people of color, people with disabilities, and people who are economically disadvantaged. As Chair of the Sheboygan Justice Equity group and an advocate for DEI work, Donohue dismissed another school that is doing better than Sheboygan South in increasing achievement in these marginalized populations.
Under the leadership of Donohue, DEI in Sheboygan has demonstrated a different priority than enriching the lives of marginalized populations.
The following are pictures from Sheboygan South High School’s library of books that had to be removed after public outrage drove the SASD administration and School Board to act. These pictures were in books available to be checked out in a library of a school that was under the governance of School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue. The picture of Mayor Sorenson was from the Pride Event in Sheboygan on June 24 and was published on the Visit Sheboygan Facebook page.
We caution you that some of the images from the books that were available for students in the Sheboygan South High School Library are explicit.
This is what DEI looks like under Mayor Sorenson and School Board President Mary Lynne Donohue!
The City of Sheboygan is currently facing many challenges. There has been recent attention brought to the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) and the academic failures of the high schools. Additionally, the City of Sheboygan’s government is in a pending budget crisis due to the firing of the City Administrator. Furthermore, significant decreases in tax revenue are on the horizon with the expected closing of the power plant. The priorities from last year’s budget are in danger of not being delivered, as the Firehouse 3 project and the development of the industrial parks have stalled.
The filling of the vacant City Administrator position is moving forward with a stakeholder presentation from the two finalists on Monday. HR Director Adam Westbrook communicated to City employees that they would not be able to ask questions and that only City employees would be allowed to attend. The public was entirely eliminated from the hiring process, and Westbrook even informed City employees that if they shared or invited non-employees, they would be asked to leave. Taxpayers like you are not viewed as stakeholders in the hiring of the most important position the City of Sheboygan will hire.
The overall City employee experience has been concerning, as key services like the Human Resources office have been outsourced, and City employees fear sharing concerns due to the risk of being terminated without cause, similar to former City Administrator Todd Wolf. City Hall heavily emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, but day-to-day operations are often overlooked.
The challenges faced by the City of Sheboygan and the Sheboygan Area School District have something in common.
Mary Lynn Donohue has a history of serving the City of Sheboygan. She has served on the Common Council and currently serves as President of the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) School Board.
Donohue previously advocated to the Common Council as the Chair of the Sheboygan Justice Equity group by submitting a Request for Proposal (RFP) to City leadership with the aim to research, identify, and strategize on a process to bring a diverse, equitable, and inclusive structure to City government. Below is a copy of an email that Donohue sent to the Common Council on October 28, 2022, with the subject: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Issues in the City.”
At the SASD School Board meeting on June 13, 2023, the Board was hearing updates on the strategic plan and the progress of the district. Donohue was referencing concerns regarding the Wisconsin State Report Card Scores of Sheboygan South High School and Green Bay East High School. It has been previously reported that Green Bay East High School has a score of 70.6, which is defined as “Exceeds Expectations,” while Sheboygan South High School has a score of 41.2, which is defined as “Fails to Meet Expectations.”
Donohue expressed concern over how South High School can have higher achievement scores in Reading, Math, and a better graduation rate than Green Bay East High School and stated that she can show many ways that South High School is better than Green Bay East High School.
There was then a discussion of how the report card places emphasis on growth to balance the score and challenges of schools serving populations that are more diverse in ethnicity and economic status. The Department of Public Instruction implemented the growth factor to show the hard work that schools do to improve learning for student groups that face challenges in everyday life. Ms. Donohue referred to this as “some intergalactic growth formula.”
In examining the report card data, this is the definition under the growth section directly from the report card:
“This priority area measures the year-to-year student progress on statewide tests. It uses a value-added model that seeks to control for circumstances beyond the influence of educators. A high-value added score means that on average students in the school are progressing more quickly than other, similar students. Growth is scored from 0 to 100 to match the other priority areas and is a conversion from the roughly 0 to 6 value-added score.”
The growth scores are as follows:
Green Bay East High School: 80.3
Sheboygan South High School: 33.7
The report card then provides data of growth in Reading and Math for groups of students that have been traditionally marginalized by the education system.
Here is a breakdown of a small sample of the data (Scores go from 0-6. The higher the number, the better the score):
Data Retrieved from: https://apps2.dpi.wi.gov/reportcards/ Department of Public Instruction School Report Cards 2021-2022 School Year for Green Bay East High School and Sheboygan South High School
The data illustrates that Green Bay East High School is more successful in serving students of traditionally marginalized populations than Sheboygan South High School. Donohue’s claim that she can show many ways Sheboygan South High School is better than Green Bay East High School is alarming. As Chair of the Sheboygan Justice Equity group, she does not seem to have the ability to analyze data and determine that East High School is outperforming South High School in educating students of marginalized populations.
Donohue did not use her platform as School Board President to advocate for South High School to better serve the needs of students in poverty, students with disabilities, and students of color.
This calls into question Donohue’s expertise in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Donohue also has ties to members of the Common Council and Mayor Ryan Sorenson. She serves as one of the leaders in the local Democratic party. Donohue is involved in the focus on DEI in Sheboygan, and her ties to this are deep. The current version of DEI in the schools and the city government has been prevalent for the last year. Donohue serving as a chair of an organization that is focused on DEI and emailing the Common Council directly to open a request for proposal that her organization drafted is brazen. It is uncommon for an organization seeking to bid on a proposal to submit a draft of a proposal to the Common Council and then follow up to encourage the Common Council to publish the request for proposal.
This brazen nature illustrates the connection of Donohue to members of the Common Council and to Mayor Sorenson.
The City of Sheboygan is operating with no structure or leadership currently on key issues like the official budget process, strategic plan, and completion of budget priorities from the current year. The City has no defined process on who can approve spending or sign-off on key measures in the absence of a City Administrator. The City of Sheboygan is currently on a path of fiscal uncertainty that will impact you soon, following the significant increases in property assessments you recently received!
Donohue is connected to current City leadership and is School Board President of the SASD. Donohue is also so closely connected to the City of Sheboygan government that she is named in a pending lawsuit regarding the termination without cause of former City Administrator Todd Wolf. The connection is even stronger in that Donohue was initially being represented in that case by City of Sheboygan Attorney Chuck Adams.
Would City of Sheboygan Attorney Chuck Adams represent any other private citizen of Sheboygan in a court case?
The serious concerns expressed on this site about student achievement at the high schools in the SASD and the corruption at City Hall have one common denominator… Mary Lynn Donohue.
Over the last six weeks, we have uncovered continuing issues at city hall. In our final edition of this series, we lay out what we have discovered as it pertains to an ongoing pattern of unethical and at times corrupt behavior.
Part 6, Corruption at City Hall: Mayor Sorenson’s Misguided Focus for You and Sheboygan
Corruption at City Hall Mayor Sorenson posed for a picture with the group Sisters for Perpetual Indulgence. He was operating in his official capacity as mayor, wearing a nametag that identified him as mayor of Sheboygan. The picture was posted on the Visit Sheboygan Facebook page and received 29 comments, many of which were critical of Sheboygan and the mayor. Mayor Sorenson could have removed it within hours, but the post remained on the Visit Sheboygan Facebook page for ten days. This post violates the ethics policy in the City of Sheboygan Municipal Code by not exhibiting behavior above reproach.
Some have incorrectly labeled this concern regarding Mayor Sorenson as an attack on the Pride event or the LGBTQ community. The concern is not about either but, rather, Mayor Sorenson’s decision to pose for a picture while operating in his official capacity as mayor with a group that mocks and attacks the Catholic Religion. The mocking of the religion of many Sheboygan residents and City employees is the concern.
Second, Mayor Sorenson’s removal of a citizen complaint from the Common Council agenda is a clear violation of the First Amendment right of a Sheboygan resident. Mayor Sorenson trampled on the right to free speech of a Sheboygan resident!
Chaos at City Hall Mayor Sorenson manages the day-to-day operations of our City as an afterthought. His focus on the DEI agenda has become an obstacle. Mayor Sorenson and eight of the ten members of the Common Council (not Alders Mitchell and Heidemann) decided to fire the City Administrator, which led to resignations in other key departments. Mayor Sorenson lists himself as the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Sheboygan on his website. With the absence of a City Administrator, Mayor Sorenson is the Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for running our City.
A good example is the negotiations between the City of Sheboygan and Aurora to purchase land owned by Aurora next to the Police Department as the site for a new firehouse. The current fire station on North 25th Street is not large enough to house the new models of fire trucks. There are no separate sleeping quarters or bathrooms for female firefighters, and it does not meet the requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act. A study showed that the site next to the Police Department was the ideal location for increased safety for Sheboygan residents.
These negotiations for the City of Sheboygan to purchase the site from Aurora were being managed by City Administrator Todd Wolf and Director of Planning and Development Chad Pelishek. With Wolf’s firing without cause by the eight of ten Common Council members and following resignation of Pelishek, no one at City Hall has the skillset to negotiate this crucial agreement with Aurora.
Aurora has gotten the upper hand on Sheboygan before. Due to ineffective leadership in the Sheboygan Area School District, the new hospital was stripped from the City of Sheboygan and built on Kohler land. This cost the City property tax revenue going forward and a free multi-million-dollar youth athletic facility for the children of Sheboygan. What is Mayor Sorenson doing to protect your tax dollars while increasing the safety of Sheboygan with a new firehouse that meets the needs of all City employees?
Fear at City Hall Reports from City employees paint a grim picture of the employee experience under Mayor Sorenson. It was shared that the Human Resources (HR) office used to have staff that would help City employees deal with important and personal issues. There is no remaining staff in the HR office to assist City employees. If an employee needs to process an FMLA request, the city has outsourced that to a private company due to staffing issues in the HR office. It was stated, “Rather than talking to my employer for personal issues that require FMLA leaves, I must talk to somebody I have never met at some company I know nothing about.”
City employees also expressed that during their training from HR Director Adam Westbrook, they were instructed that they cannot jokingly make fun of themselves because another individual could hear that and take offense to the comment, which could then lead to a harassment complaint. An employee stated “We are instructed that we cannot joke about ourselves due to harassment complaints, but the mayor can pose for pictures making jokes about my religion.” The added stress of poor management, no planning, fear of termination, and a skillset that is lacking has all led to a toxic environment for our City’s employees.
Speaking to this point, several City employees have also reached out informing Take Back Sheboygan County that they will not voice employment concerns due to fear of being terminated without cause like the previous City Administrator. An employee stated, “If you have ten years in, there is too much to lose by sharing your concerns with how they treated Todd Wolf and others.”
If City employees are looking for a voice, please reach out to Take Back Sheboygan County to share your concerns. As always, your confidentiality will be closely guarded unless we are specifically informed otherwise.
Costly Mistakes at City Hall It was also brought forward that the development of the industrial parks has slowed under Mayor Sorenson’s watch. There have been no announcements regarding businesses looking to build locations in the industrial parks. The City of Sheboygan incurred tremendous costs to build the infrastructure like roads and sewers for the industrial parks. Payment of those costs is due in the coming years, and if there is not revenue generated by development, the City will have to borrow money or pull money from the general fund to make those payments.
These are real issues that will impact you as a resident and taxpayer in Sheboygan!
The City is facing expensive litigations and just had to transfer $50,000 from the general fund to the Human Resources budget due to increased litigation expenses that were not budgeted for in the current budget. Mayor Sorenson’s reckless behavior along with eight of the ten members of the Common Council caused this increased spending of your tax dollars!
A recent 5-year Strategic Plan cost $140,000 due to the use of a consulting firm but was then voted down. The Strategic Plan included a heavy focus on DEI plans and integration while neglecting significant planning for essential services like the Police and Fire Departments. Due to public outcries, the Common Council had no choice but to reject the plan. That was $140,000 of your tax money thrown away by Mayor Sorenson and eight of the ten members of the Common Council!
Just those two examples show $190,000 of your tax dollars that Mayor Sorenson has mismanaged!
Most residents just received new assessment information on their properties. The city states that property taxes will not increase due to the new assessments. With this mismanagement of the daily operations of the city, it is just a matter of time before the taxpayers take on the financial burden.
The concern is not about the Pride Event or the LGBTQ community. The concern is about Mayor Sorenson posing for a picture making fun of the Catholic faith and trampling on the First Amendment rights of a citizen who voiced a concern. Mayor Sorenson and eight of the ten members of the Common Council are so focused on DEI that they are neglecting the day-to-day operations of the City that will cost you in the quality of service you receive and money spent as a taxpayer!
You must act now to voice your concerns regarding the mismanagement by Mayor Sorenson and eight of ten members of the Common Council. (Alders Mitchell and Heidemann are NOT part of these concerns!)
If you are concerned about the attacks on your right to free speech and the attacks on your values you need to attend the Common Council meeting on July 17, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.
Mayor Sorenson attacked your values by posing for a picture at the Pride Event with members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The post brought criticism to Visit Sheboygan and had to be removed from Visit Sheboygan’s Facebook page.
Defend Your 1st Amendment Rights
Two citizens voiced their concerns to Alder Heidemann and he went to City Hall to have their concerns placed on the agenda for Monday’s Common Council meeting. Within minutes, Alder Heidemann received a call from Assistant City Attorney Liz Majerus informing him that Mayor Sorenson removed the citizens’ concerns from the agenda.
Mayor Sorenson removed this from the agenda to silence you!
Public comments are not allowed on a topic if the topic is not on the agenda.
Sheboygan is on a dangerous path if the city government is allowed to do anything they want and citizens must ask permission to voice concerns. Only to have those concerns denied by Mayor Sorenson!
If you do not attend the Common Council meeting, you will empower Mayor Sorenson and his followers to continue these attacks on your values and your right to free speech.
Call to Action: Attend the Common Council meeting on Monday, July 17, at 6:00 p.m.
Special Note: When you show up on Monday, please bring your own hand-made signs and hold them high. Be respectful! Let the Common Council do its business. Your presence alone will show them your disapproval of the Mayor’s actions!
This is Part 5 in a multi-part series on “Corruption at Sheboygan City Hall” and the roles that Mayor Sorenson and 8 members of the Common Council are playing. In Part 4 we illuminated the decision to remove offensive material from the Visit Sheboygan website to mitigate the damage done by Mayor Sorenson. This fast-emerging story had more developments this week. We hope that Part 5 inspires you to action.
Call to Action On Monday, July 17, at 6:00 p.m., make every effort to attend the Common Council meeting at City Hall and to represent your concerns about Mayor Sorenson’s attack on your values and your community.
If you do not attend this meeting, you will empower Mayor Sorenson to continue moving Sheboygan in this direction! Be a part of the majority and take control in shaping a brighter future for the City of Sheboygan!
Special Note: When you show up on Monday, please bring your own hand-made signs and hold them high. Be respectful! Let the Common Council do its business. Your presence alone will show them your disapproval of the Mayor’s actions!
Mayor Sorenson Attacks Your Values and Your City!!!!
On June 24, 2023, Visit Sheboygan posted this picture on the Visit Sheboygan Facebook page. Mayor Sorenson is acting in his official capacity as mayor. He is wearing a City of Sheboygan hat and a nametag that identifies him as Mayor of Sheboygan.
At a Pride event, Mayor Sorenson is posing with members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. They are clearly mocking and attacking the Catholic religion! This group is not about love and acceptance, which is the stated purpose of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging). A member of this group has the highly sexualized name of Rex Uranus!
Actual DEIB work is a noble cause. Unfortunately, Mayor Sorenson’s DEIB work is not rooted in love and acceptance. Mayor Sorenson’s version of DEIB work is highly sexualized and attacks the faith of many Sheboygan residents and City of Sheboygan employees.
If your values and/or faith were attacked by Mayor Sorenson, you must attend this Common Council meeting on July 17 to show your concern!
Mayor Sorenson Silences Citizen Concern
On Thursday, July 13, Alder Joe Heidemann went to City Hall to place the concern of several citizens on the agenda. When he presented the concern to the clerk’s office, they immediately called Assistant City Attorney Liz Majerus. Ms. Majerus came and asked Alder Heidemann what he wanted to do with this document. Alder Heidemann stated that he received letters from two citizens with the same concern and wanted the Common Council to address the concern. He was informed that the concern would be on the consent agenda for Monday’s Common Council meeting. On Alder Heidemann’s ride home, he received a call from Ms. Majerus stating that the concern was placed on the agenda and sent to Mayor Sorenson’s office. However, Mayor Sorenson removed the concern from the Common Council agenda.
Mayor Sorenson is silencing you and your values! Mayor Sorenson has attacked the first amendment rights of the people of Sheboygan!
Mayor Sorenson’s removal of this agenda item prevents any citizens from commenting on his ethics violation at the Common Council meeting on Monday, July 17.
Your voice has been (temporarily) silenced by Mayor Sorenson, but Mayor Sorenson cannot silence your actions!
Call to Action
Attend the Common Council meeting on Monday, July 17, at 6:00 p.m. to show your disapproval of Mayor Sorenson’s actions!
Don’t empower Mayor Sorenson and his allies to continue their attack on your morals and your First Amendment rights!
Sheboygan is a community with strong morals and a culture based on traditional values. Mayor Sorenson identified this as a “threat” in his Strategic Plan for Sheboygan. This is a deliberate attack on your morals! Act now to protect your values!
See you Monday at City Hall at 6:00 p.m.! The majority may be silenced from speaking, but your presence will be loud!
You are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!