Chad Pelishek, former Director of Planning and Development for Sheboygan, resigned in May after a 16-year career with the city. His departure and the subsequent lawsuit have brought attention to interpersonal issues within the city government.
Pelishek's Accomplishments and Contributions
Pelishek joined the city as a development manager and served as Sheboygan’s director of planning and development since 2010. City council President Dean Dekker said Pelishek “was a great asset to the city, and we are going to miss him.” Pelishek has been “a tireless and dedicated civil servant” who “left a mark” on Sheboygan by spurring economic development and downtown revitalization, as well as leading sustainability efforts, Mayor Ryan Sorenson said.
Pelishek’s accomplishments include spurring economic revitalization and housing projects. He was instrumental in revamping the former Memorial Mall, pushing forward the creation of the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus (a business park near Interstate 43) and bringing in several housing developments, including The Oscar Apartments and other apartment complexes, Dekker said. Another big accomplishment, Dekker said, is that Pelishek facilitated the formation of neighborhood groups, many of which have formed over the last eight or nine years.
Resignation and Allegations
He resigned for his personal well-being and will explore other career opportunities, Pelishek wrote in his resignation letter. He wrote that “events over the past months have severely injured and negatively affected” him and his family.
The Sheboygan Press published articles stating that Pelishek used a racial slur in a meeting. It was the rumor of Pelishek’s stepping down that prompted a look into the resignations, and HR Director Westbrook indicated that notice of Pelishek’s resignation was received on May 1st. Pelishek’s reporting of racism during a community meeting was one of several “wedge issues” wielded by DEIB proponents in their alleged efforts to exert influence over City Hall, the fallout of which reportedly contributed to his decision to resign.
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Chad Pelishek, who resigned from his role in March after a 16-year career with the City of Sheboygan's Department of Planning and Development, alleges in the complaint that he was "set up" by another city employee to repeat a racial slur during an August meeting of department heads, then discriminated against by various city leaders, including members of the Sheboygan Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiative, in an effort to remove him from his position.
The Lawsuit
Pelishek is suing the city and five city officials for claims he faced harassment and discrimination for being a "white heterosexual male" that led him to quit. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 in federal court, names as defendants the City of Sheboygan, Mayor Ryan Sorenson, Common Council members Barbara Felde, Roberta Filicky-Peneski, Amanda Salazar and Uptown Social Director Emily Rendall-Araujo.
Pelishek's complaint alleges the city's policies and practices created a "hostile and abusive working environment" for Pelishek "and other white males similarly situated." The lawsuit claims the defendants violated Pelishek's rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which "prohibits an employer from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sex, sexual orientation, race, and/or religion"; the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which states that the government cannot deny employees equal protection of the law based on race, gender or other identity; the First Amendment right to free speech without government retaliation; and the First Amendment right prohibiting prior restraint, which refers to restricting what a person is allowed to say.
The complaint states Pelishek believes the Sheboygan DEIB and others affiliated with it, including Sorenson, Salazar and Rendall-Araujo, arranged for the unknown man at the neighborhood meeting to say the N-word, then encouraged Pelishek to repeat it and "created this outcry" so Pelishek would be fired "to 'dismantle the patriarchy.'" Pelishek alleges he "was subjected to insults, severe harassment, and public humiliation." He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and requests a jury trial.
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. 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.
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The events with Wolf and Pelishek stemmed from an incident at a Sheboygan Neighborhood Association meeting, where an unidentified person made a racial slur. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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”.
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.
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.
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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.
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. It is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the court will determine its outcome.
Lawsuits Filed Over Breaches of Privacy
Reactions and Related Issues
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 are the solution! Be part of a movement to improve your community!
The earliest “termination” on that list, a term used herein to describe any departure from City employment, was on December 29th of 2022 when a temporary tax collector left her seasonal employment. In all, 28 persons were included in the list that began at that point, and ended with the voluntary retirement of the Manager of Planning and Zoning, Steven Sokolowski effective on May 18th, a period covering 141 days.
Another notable voluntary departure that could relate to former Administrator Wolf’s issues with the Common Council was that of Management Analyst Carrie Arenz effective on April 28th. Of the 28 persons included in the initial list, and excluding those who left for reasons of seasonal employment, end of assignment, or retirement, there were a remaining three who were dismissed involuntarily, and another eleven who chose to leave on their own terms.
Reasons for involuntary termination were not included in the information provided by Director Westbrook. Those terminated involuntarily by the initiative of the City were:
- City Administrator Todd Wolf, the subject of a highly-publicized set of procedures by the Common Council in late 2022 and early this year, which ended in his termination without cause on January 10, 2023. Associated legal action continues.
- Community Service Officer Angelica Torres of the Sheboygan Police Department on February 16, 2023.
Court Decision
Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin points out that being falsely labeled a racist could constitute harassment. Magistrate Judge William E Duffin signed a DECISION AND ORDER on 7/23/2025. The defendants' motion for summary judgment (ECF No. 115 ) is GRANTED IN PART. The motion is denied with respect to plaintiff Chad Pelishek's First Amendment claim against the City of Sheboygan. The motion is granted as to all other claims. All defendants other than the City of Sheboygan are DISMISSED. Pelishek's motion for partial summary judgment (ECF No. 124 ) is DENIED.
The defendants' motion to seal (ECF No. 123 ) is granted as follows: The request to seal is denied. The court will GRANT the motion to restrict the document (ECF No. 123-1) to case participants. Pelishek's motion to restrict (ECF No. 154 ) is DENIED. The court finds that no good cause exists to support restricting these documents (ECF Nos. 152-25 and 152-41) from the public. No later than 14 days of this decision Christopher Ivan Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster shall show cause as to why sanctions, including dismissal of this action in its entirety, should not be imposed for the repeated false representations of law and fact contained in their summary judgment submissions. The defendants are not required to respond but are invited to submit any response within 7 days thereafter. Kachouroff and DeMaster may reply no later than 7 days thereafter.
At an August 22, 2022, meeting of the City of Sheboygan’s department heads, Director of Planning and Development, Chad Pelishek, raised a concern over racist comments having been made by citizens at community meetings. Director of Senior Services and peer of Pelishek, Emily RendallAraujo, asked Pelishek what was said. In responding, Pelishek repeated the slur that a city employee had told him a citizen used at a neighborhood meeting-the N-word, although Pelishek used the actual word. Rendall-Araujo spoke to Pelishek after the meeting and said that he should have said “the N-word” rather than saying the full word.
A month and a half later, on October 10, 2022, the Sheboygan Press published an article under the headline, “Sheboygan leader says racist slur in meeting,” which stated in part: A city director’s use of an offensive term for Black people and the way the Sheboygan administrator responded have exacerbated what residents say are persistent equity issues at City Hall. Chad Pelishek, Sheboygan’s director of Planning and Development, said the N-word during an internal meeting of department heads in August. Pelishek said the slur while quoting a resident’s comment from a neighborhood meeting. He used the offensive word as an example of a racist incident brought to his attention and asked other department heads how the city can help address racial issues at the neighborhood level, City Administrator Todd Wolf said. Wolf was concerned not that a white department head repeated the racist term but that other staff members told people outside the meeting ….
The parties dispute how the Sheboygan Press learned of the incident. On October 26, 2022, the Sheboygan Press published a follow-up article under the headline, “‘People are angry’: Sheboygan residents, elected officials respond to city administrator’s handling of director repeating a racial slur.” The article focused on the common council’s response to Wolf’s handling of the incident. At least one community group expressed discomfort in continuing to work with Pelishek in light of his repeating the racial slur. Pelishek continued to work with another group, allegedly at the demand of Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson, that had called for Pelishek to be fired because he had repeated the slur. Others, including allegedly Amanda Salazar, a former member of Sheboygan’s city council, sought Pelishek’s termination, but Pelishek does not know if Salazar’s efforts were associated with his repeating the citizen’s use of the N-word or their past disagreements.
Sheboygan eventually retained Attorney Jill Hall to investigate Wolf, with the stated purpose being to investigate “Wolf’s actions that may have negatively impacted employees at the City of Sheboygan.” Around that time, in November of 2022, Pelishek retained Attorney Jennifer DeMaster to represent him. Hall interviewed Pelishek as part of her investigation. Although it was not a focus of her investigation, Hall wrote in her February 6, 2023, report, “Among other topics, [Wolf] talked extensively about personnel matters and discipline regarding a Director who had disclosed Pelishek’s utterance of a racial slur in a meeting.” Hall also referred to “the matter of Pelishek uttering a racial slur on August 22, 2022,” “Pelishek’s racial slur,” and “the fact of Pelishek uttering a racial slur.” Hall further stated that “no attendee,” including Pelishek, supported Wolf’s assertion that Pelishek uttered the slur because another employee “demanded” that Pelishek repeat the slur.
The Common Council fired Wolf on January 9, 2023. As a result, Mayor Sorenson replaced Wolf as Pelishek’s supervisor. On February 6, 2023, Wolf, with DeMaster as his attorney, filed a federal lawsuit against Sheboygan and those involved in his termination.
On March 26, 2023, Pelishek began leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. On May 12, 2023, while still on leave, Pelishek resigned his employment with the city. Pelishek filed this lawsuit on August 7, 2023, with a complaint (and subsequent amended complaint) that was paradoxically both verbose and vague, and paid little heed to the requirement that a complaint be both “short” and “plain.” The defendants moved to dismiss Pelishek’s amended complaint. The court granted the motion in part, narrowing Pelishek’s claims and dismissing certain defendants. After a contentious period of discovery, both the plaintiff and the defendants have moved for summary judgment.
Misrepresentations and Sanctions
Nearly two months after Pelishek’s attorneys, Christopher Ivan Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster, filed their Brief in Support of Plaintiff Chad Pelishek’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, they filed a “Notice of Errata for ECF 125.” The Notice of Errata states, “On April 28, 2025, Plaintiff discovered sua sponte that some of the descriptions of the cited cases were not accurate or that typographical errors existed.” Counsel identified six case citations that included materially false representations. Kachouroff and DeMaster identified similar misrepresentations in their brief in opposition to the defendants’ motion for summary judgment and likewise filed a revised version of that brief.
A few days before Kachouroff and DeMaster reportedly recognized the errors in the briefs they filed, Kachouroff appeared for a final pretrial conference in the District of Colorado. At the conference, the court noted that a brief filed by Kachouroff and DeMaster contained numerous significant misrepresentations: These defects include but are not limited to misquotes of cited cases; misrepresentations of principles of law associated with cited cases, including discussions of legal principles that simply do not appear within such decisions; misstatements regarding whether case law originated from a binding authority such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; misattributions of case law to this District; and most egregiously, citation of cases that do not exist.
The court ordered Kachouroff and DeMaster to show cause why it should not impose sanctions and refer them for disciplinary proceedings. In a declaration in response to the court’s order to show cause, Kachouroff declared, “I always conduct verification of citations before filing.” DeMaster attributed the misrepresentations to her having mistakenly filed an earlier draft of the brief. On July 7, 2025, the court ordered DeMaster and Kachouroff to pay sanctions of $3,000 each, finding incredible their explanation that the errors were attributable to DeMaster mistakenly filing an earlier draft.
Even after Kachouroff and DeMaster have now twice corrected their brief in support of Pelishek’s motion for summary judgment, it still contains material misrepresentations.
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