UPDATE – Fargo City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn told Flag Family News the four former City of Fargo communications employees beginning individual administrative charges through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows he was telling the truth during a mayoral debate earlier this week.
Piepkorn said Gregg Schildberger, Katie Ettish, Ryan Green and Emily Groth have their rights to go through that process, but he wants the people of Fargo to know what’s going on.
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis law firm said claims made by Fargo City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn during a mayoral debate on Tuesday, May 6 that four former city communications employees are suing the city for discrimination aren’t true.
Eckland & Blando is representing former chief communications officer Gregg Schildberger, deputy communications director Katie Ettish, creative services manager Ryan Green and project manager Emily Groth who resigned from city employment. The firm says they’re beginning individual administrative charges through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which is a standard and legally required step prior to litigation.
“It is unfortunate that a sitting City Commissioner would publicly criticize former dedicated employees of the City of Fargo for exercising their protected right to file a charge under federal law,” Attorneys Lukas Boehning and Nathan Shoemaker wrote in an email to Flag Family News.
Flag Family News reached out to Piepkorn for comment, but he didn’t immediately respond.
The lawyers say their clients have no interest in harming the reputation of the City of Fargo or undermining public trust in local government.
“Their concerns relate to workplace conditions and professional treatment, not opposition to the mission of public service in Fargo,” Boehning and Shoemaker said.
“The City does not comment on ongoing EEOC matters, including the identity of any person(s) or the subject of any matters due to federal law—including Sections 706(b) and 709(e) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the City’s practice of not commenting on personnel matters,” City of Fargo Chief Communications Officer Scott Anderson told Flag Family News.
Our partners at Valley News Live report Sambor Law & Consulting was hired by the city to investigate Fargo’s Department of Communications & Government Affairs after receiving a complaint filed April 16, 2025 by former Multimedia Producer Zoe Bolonyi. It alleges poor leadership and a hostile work environment.
Interviews with 19 people took place between June 26th and July 14th, 2025, “showing a pattern of similar concerns raised by exit interviews over several years.” In the report, management is described as intense, rude, demeaning, causing employees to cry, micromanaging employees, not receptive to feedback, and manipulative. Several employees reported having bouts of crying both inside and outside the office due to the stress level.
The investigation also brought to light concerns about the leadership team’s tendency to “diagnose” employees with cognitive issues. The investigator cites this as the “most troubling aspect of the current supervision style”.
The report adds they have had to rotate through different human resources managers “because their working relationship with CommsGA became so difficult”. The report states contractors had refused to work with Schildberger, citing long-term vendors indicating they would question working with the City if it required interacting with CommsGA.
In this supplemental document, Schildberger himself explained his perception that Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney’s influence and communication style created difficulties in defining roles and responsibilities. Schildberger explained that from his perspective, the mayor often leaned on him to execute certain tasks or achieve certain outcomes.
In her resignation letter, Ettish said ongoing high levels of stress, daily anxiety and a toxic work culture fostered by city administration and human resources made it impossible for her to continue in her role.
“I am tired of having to defend myself – and the works of the CommsGA team – every time I walk into a room,” Ettish wrote.
In his resignation letter, Green said that city leadership used to support the CommsGA team.
“The priorities have now clearly shifted in a way where everything we do is now questioned, we are not supported in our department operations and they would rather have us do small projects that nobody notices rather than push ourselves to be the exceptional team we are,” Green wrote.
“Circumstances that are already public reflect serious concerns regarding workplace culture, leadership practices, employee treatment and operational conditions within the City of Fargo organization. This includes my clients’ resignation letters and other public reporting regarding their resignations,” Boehning and Shoemaker said.
The attorneys say these concerns were evidenced in the city’s employment engagement survey and its released report that was conducted after their clients left the city.
