(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. — County Executive Samantha Kerkman is denying allegations that a paid Kenosha County Health Department internship was awarded through favoritism after the same individual was hired for three consecutive summers, referred by a department supervisor, and alleged to be the supervisor’s neighbor and a close friend of the supervisor’s children. Kerkman did not address the alleged neighbor or family-friend relationship, and her response did not state that the position was publicly posted before the intern was hired or rehired.
You must be logged in to view the rest of this article.
50 Responses
Just like other departments around the county. Circuit Court has a lot of favoritism.
That’s total bullshit!!
Considering they can’t keep employees I doubt it. Please name which positions.
ALL positions, no matter how big or small have to be posted for the public. Its always something…
Sam thinks rules dont apply to her. Just kidding – she’s too dumb to actually know the rules.
Looks like she is longing for Mr. Jerkman’s special sauce.
Welcome to County Government….or any Government, or any business. The best is when they create a “new position” with favorable hours and pay just to give it to their buddy without giving anyone a chance at it.
Yes, most state or any government jobs initially it is policy to post and give everyone a chance but most times they have their eyes on someone before you even walk in for an interview. It sucks!
Kenosha has a high level of incestuous corruption. Look at the employee roster for local governments. It is sickening. The former mayor, the former city attorney, and the current city administrator all set up their kids with city jobs. It is the same with the county. This is why Kenosha’s corruption is generational.
Can you name more than 5? I obviously don’t know all of the county employees but I can’t name 5.
Here are five off the top of my head: Antaramian, Morrissey 2x, Maccari, Petersen.
Don’t forget smith, and Jones
Why in every picture does Samantha always look so disheveled? She looks like a hot mess and desperately needs a comb over
That really matters.
Why are you obsessed by her looks? Post a picture of yourself so we can evaluate your looks.
Just saying she looks like a dumpster fire, not an obsession it’s an observation. Now go back to your shanty and evaluate deez nuts you loser
Public officials should bathe and wash hair on a regular basis
She’s a slob in her personal and work life. Slovenly mess of a person
Ozempic? Losing her hair ?
Kerkman and corruption in the same sentence……. Nothing new sadly, we are almost use to it!!
Please list all the corruption. Facts please.
Use the search bar on this website
Shocking. I worked for a government agency in Kenosha County for over 2.5 decades. I’ve seen more than one person get railroaded because of favortism and who was buddies with who. Oh, they post the jobs publicly (sometimes), they just make sure that their favorite candidate gets it.
I also work for a govt agency in Kenosha and constantly see favoritism and corruption. It’s not even surprising anymore to hear of someone getting a job that was never posted. Or a job posting written so specific that it only matches one candidate. Or another family member of another kiss ass gets bumped to the top of a hiring list.
You learn really quickly what to not apply for as it’s a waste of effort. They know who’s getting the job before it’s even available.
Saw the same with a State of Wisconsin agency.
Even when positions are posted qualified applicants are placed on hold while friend or family gets maneuvered based on pay classification to qualify for position. Happens towards end of career to get placed at a State job near a vacation home or future business opportunity.
State employment can be a good gig if you can deal with the slackers and morons that run things.
How about her buddy Jill the ex reporter from Kenosha News ? Her side kick and photo op specialist .
You mean 25 years?
According to her sons linkedin he also has a county internship
Surprise surprise
So easy to NOT do these things.
Doing them takes conscious thought to think it’s not wrong.
What the pay for the summer ?
$10.K ? $15.K ?
Not bad work !
If you can get it
It’s hard to even get hired at the Co Public Works. They only want people related to the “farmer mafia”. THAT place is full of corruption too. A lot of those in charge had no experience and have no clue what the hell they are doing or what is going on. They hide in their office all day and only come out to take pictures to make it look like they care.
You sound disgruntled.
Former employee? FIRED employee?
Or, did you interview and they gave you a hard no? Probably had nothing to do with any imaginary mafia but more likely your negativity and poor outlook.
Hardly. Just someone who knows who not to trust at work, it’s pretty sad really. They wonder why they can’t keep employees, not that hard to figure out.
A quick review of committee agenda history from 2026 show huge hiring numbers as well as low turnover from January-current.
So, it can’t be that hard to get hired there. 2026 department reports from committee agendas show minimal separations- a couple of retirements and a couple of resignations, so your comment about not being able to keep people is easily disproven— unless you are implying that the department reports are falsified?
You say that public works only want people from some sort of farm club— all of those many names on the committee agendas, newly hired individuals month after month- all of those new hires are part of the same farming club? They only hire farmers? Kenosha doesn’t have that many farms anymore, so maybe the farmers whose land is now solar farms are looking for other jobs?
Again, you sound disgruntled, and anyone who cares to disprove your allegations can easily do so. All I had to do was look up committee agendas and department reports.
The logic behind your comments is lacking. It’s impossible to get hired at County Public Works, but you got hired, you know who not to trust at work, and they only want people related to some sort of farming mafia, so— do they not want you, or are you part of this farming club?
If you work there, and it’s so bad and so many people not to trust— why not leave? Lots of places are hiring.
I don’t have a horse in this race, but you really don’t sound like you’re that smart. Maybe you’re the person that your coworkers don’t trust and that’s why you’re so miserable?
A Kerkman doing a Kerkman……taking “doing a Kerkman” to an all time high. BWA HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa
Would be interesting to see a breakdown by department how much is allocated for intern employment year by year and if there are certain “interns” who are repeatedly hired.
Political patronage and nepotism…..nothing new. Other employees see it and get pissed off.
By Email
Just put in a Detailed Open Records Request.
Send it to Sam Directly. No form or format required.
She’s bound by Law to send it along to the people in charge of fulfilling those requests.
It is law to respond to them.
No driving.
No phone calls.
Just might take a week or two.
Sometimes more.
Asking Kevin for additional information is fine but any resident can do this directly from your phone and chair at home. It is Simple to do
Then send the results to Kevin.
He’ll take it from there
Trust fund babies never have to compete.
Yeah everyone hates the system until they are the ones benefitting. That’s why the “hated” Diversity, Equity, Inclusion stuff was developed. It’s not perfect either but it’s the opposite of the nepotism y’all are sick of. So maybe don’t throw out the DEI ideals but revise, cafeteria style. Take what’s good and dump what’s not. Dump it all and you get this favoritism again n again.
Judged by content of character, not skin color or genitalia…. Otherwise there is another word for that.. Racism, sexism.. If your great grandfather raped someone 100 years ago, its not acceptable for his family tree to be mistreated today. Accountability is for the person who did or did not do the deed. Just like it would not be possible for me to have PTSD from my great grandparents fighting in either of the world wars.
Go to school, learn, graduate, and be accountable for your own success or lack of. Nobody owes you anything in life other than equal treatment to all. I’m glad we live in a country where we all have the freedom to succeed, some people lack the drive to “pursue happiness”.
Bingo! I’ve never heard that phrase about getting my grandparents PTSD it’s so true!!
Why does she always look like she just rolled out of bed? Introduce her to a brush and comb.
Why are you obsessed by her hair. How many times are you going to post this? Post a picture of yourself so we can evaluate you too.
There are generations of people in public service and that doesn’t always mean nefarious nepotism.
When it becomes common that government employment becomes a family legacy someone might consider that inbreeding and low IQ is common with that particular family.
She always looks like she just got out of bed. She needs a new wardrobe and haircut and a brush
She’s always been a slob. Now we add turncoat, RINO, and corrupt
When are we finally going to get her RE-CALLED ? I’ve heard there was talk of this . The people of Kenosha County are tired of her! Someone out they has to be a solid candidate to fix our credibility and fix this corruption!
Food business owner here, the supervisor at the health department, a female by the name of Lorma Went (something like that) who just happens to be the biggest idiot, along with her idiot inspector (some guy that must might be a female) Kassie I think the name is. They have given me the hardest time during inspections just out of spite and being called out on their bullshit. I don’t know how this Lorma lady got her position there but she must be great on her knees in order to keep a job like that! They need to look into her and the way she conducts her inspections and the hard time she gives many people ( unless of course you’re one of her good friends). Then she will let things slide.
I think her name is Norma Went. I had the not so pleasantries of dealing with her on numerous occasions and I find that she treated my minority (latino and black) employees quite unfairly compared to my Caucasian employees. She seems to have something against other racial backgrounds (call it racist if you want). I, for the life of me, do not know how the health department can keep such an incompetent, racist employed there when they have to deal with the public.