KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman (R) has decided not to place courthouse employee and Clerk of Circuit Court candidate Brian Sheffler (D) on administrative leave or suspension while county officials investigate allegations that he was sleeping at his desk, according to information obtained by Kenosha County Eye.
The decision comes after KCE previously reported that Sheffler, Kenosha County’s Register in Probate and Juvenile Clerk, was photographed apparently sleeping at his desk. Courthouse sources told KCE that Sheffler had allegedly been caught sleeping at work on multiple occasions and that Human Resources initially questioned whether the photograph was AI-generated before determining it was genuine.
KCE is now told that Samantha Kerkman contacted her ex-husband, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman (D), about whether Sheffler should be placed on administrative leave or suspension.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
According to a source familiar with the conversation, Chad Kerkman opposed doing so because of Sheffler’s candidacy for Clerk of Circuit Court.
“It’ll look too political,” Chad Kerkman said, according to the source, referring to the upcoming election.
Sheffler is running in the Nov. 3 general election to succeed retiring Clerk of Circuit Court Rebecca Matoska-Mentink. County records confirm Matoska-Mentink filed a notice of non-candidacy and Sheffler filed to run for the office. Sheffler faces Zach Rodriguez (R), a longtime former Kenosha County Board supervisor and corporate executive.
County, Not Chad Kerkman, Handles Sheffler’s Employment Discipline
Sheffler wears two hats at the Kenosha County Courthouse: Register in Probate and Juvenile Clerk. Kenosha County’s current staff directory identifies him in both roles. The distinction between those positions is important to the controversy surrounding how the sleeping allegation is being handled.
As Register in Probate, Sheffler’s appointment and removal involve the judiciary. But Sheffler is also a county employee working as Juvenile Clerk, and courthouse sources say ordinary employment matters involving discipline, administrative leave and suspension are county personnel matters.
Courthouse insiders therefore say Samantha Kerkman’s decision to leave the question of suspension or administrative leave up to Chad Kerkman is unusual.
Chad Kerkman is the Deputy Chief Judge of Wisconsin’s Second Judicial Administrative District. He is not the district’s chief judge. That position is held by Racine County Circuit Court Judge Wynne Laufenberg. The Wisconsin Court System says the chief judge supervises and directs administration of the judicial district, while the deputy chief judge acts in the chief judge’s absence or unavailability.
Insiders characterize Samantha Kerkman’s decision to turn to Chad Kerkman as a way to avoid making a difficult personnel decision herself, particularly because Sheffler is currently running for elected office. Sources also allege Samantha Kerkman wants Sheffler to win the Clerk of Circuit Court election. KCE has not independently verified that allegation.
Sheffler Says He Was On Lunch Break
KCE is also told Sheffler has discussed the photograph with others, including former Kenosha County Clerk Mary Schuch-Krebs Kubicki, and has maintained that he was on his lunch break when the photograph was taken.
Courthouse insiders dispute that explanation. They maintain Sheffler was not on an authorized lunch break when the photograph was taken and allege that sleeping at work has been an ongoing issue involving Sheffler.
Complicating Sheffler’s explanation, courthouse insiders say his immediate supervisor, Clerk of Circuit Court Rebecca Matoska-Mentink, has implemented and strictly enforces a rule requiring employees who are on their lunch break to prominently display a sign indicating they are at lunch. Sources say Sheffler had no such sign displayed when he was photographed sleeping. Kenosha County identifies Matoska-Mentink as Clerk of Circuit Court and Sheffler as Register in Probate/Juvenile Clerk.
That leaves two possibilities, according to courthouse insiders: Either Sheffler was sleeping during working hours, in violation of workplace rules, or he was on his lunch break and violating Matoska-Mentink’s requirement that employees prominently display a lunch sign.
Insiders say they strongly doubt it was the latter. They maintain Sheffler was not on an authorized lunch break and allege that sleeping at work has been an ongoing issue involving him.
Will There Be Discipline?
It remains unclear whether Sheffler will receive any discipline for the incident.
Sources tell KCE that Samantha Kerkman has effectively turned the HR handling of the matter over to Kenosha County Human Resources Director Clara-Lin Tappa. The county currently identifies Tappa as its Human Resources director. Kerkman nevertheless remains the county’s chief executive. Kenosha County says the County Executive is responsible for most administrative and management functions of county government.
Courthouse insiders say Kerkman has effectively conceded HR authority in this matter to Tappa, despite the County Executive’s authority over the Human Resources director.
The question now is whether Tappa will impose any discipline related to the sleeping allegation, something courthouse insiders allege Sheffler has done repeatedly, or whether the county will accept Sheffler’s reported explanation that he was on his lunch break.
Sheffler will face Rodriguez in the Nov. 3 general election.
45 Responses
If you’re a county favorite, you can do no wrong. If you’re not an ass kisser… oh boy, the hell fire shall fall.
I tend to vote Democrat but I will be voting for Zach Rodriguez
I tend to vote Democrat too but I’m voting for Rodriguez
Didn’t they fire someone for having an Alexa on their desk? So you can sleep on taxpayer dime. Just don’t have a music device at your desk.
Sure did…. That sounds like a lawsuit a lawsuit waiting to happen
If a County Highway worker was sleeping in his truck when he get fired? Would a Sheriff Deputy sleeping in his car get fired?
No that was just stamborski being a cunt to try moving up the ladder. Didn’t work.
She is an evil person! She wanted to be assigned as the intake clerk & got the girl fired with the Alexa all over a child’s mistake. It backfired on her, she didn’t get that job.
She burned a lot of bridges with her bitchy power trip. I wonder why the courts keep her? She’s pure whackadoodle.
Everyone featured in this article is incompetent and needs to be removed. everyone.
Interesting how some can be fired for “code of conduct” violations & then here we have a perfect example of favoritism at its best!! Alexa vs. sleeping… very interesting!! WAKE UP VOTERS!!
Sam must allow some time for rest-what a great boss. We all need a nap now and then, or maybe even every day.
Sam’s still trying to figure out why she didn’t get asked to be in the picture…. Considering she looks like she woke up from a nap in most of her pictures anyways.
I speak from firsthand experience at the courthouse. When an employee is at lunch a sign MUST be posted that says on lunch. It’s a toxic, retaliatory, micro managed place to work. There is so much favoritism that goes on openly…it is rules for thee not for thou.
And the leader of all of the chaos is the warden herself. I also speak from first hand experience. I am an ex employee. I still suffer from anxiety due to the behavior that was exhibited toward me and many others that were victims. Yes I said victims. A big revolving door of really good employees leaving because of this.
This picture is shameful and an embarrassment to the county! On lunch? Really? How many times has he done this? I’m sure this isn’t the first time
I bet all of the likes on this post are ex employees! Just a hunch and a good hunch. They ALL know how it is there!
But other people that work there and that have worked there have gotten in trouble for far less. And have been written up for far less. It’s amazing to me that this is another part of a corrupted system. You are correct it is rules for thee not for thou. If the public only knew what goes on there!
So it’s okay to sleep at your desk but somebody gets fired for having an Alexa with family pictures that was displayed for several years on a desk. And one day apparently they were bothered by it?
I have a feeling this may not be the first time he’s had nappy time
The Alexa thing was nothing. No one got fired. It was just a trouble maker stirring up shit.
Somebody did get fired for an Alexa! It’s not a trouble maker stirring up shit. This is a person’s livelihood and it was a really good employee. Dependable and hard working, it’s horrible what happened. Know your facts
Some did get fired for having an Alexa! I know them personally!
Someone absolutely got fired over it and it wasn’t “nothing”. An excellent employee got fired because of a vendetta. Oh and the policy to not have these devices was made AFTER the firing. Circuit court employment and fair treatment is based off of how well you suck up.
Here we go again with the courthouse… What an embarrassment! Bad enough the place has a revolving door of employees. There’s a reason for that I’m sure. Now we have Rip Van Winkle catching some zzzz’s as his desk?
Women in administrative and political roles ruin everything they touch. Kerkman and Tappa are cancers to this county. Nothing either of them do has any consistency or value. Overpaid bird brains
Accurate. The combination of those two have made a real mess of things.
You pick the two dumbest women in the land and use that for your hatred of all women? Go make yourself a sandwich dumbass. The adults are talking. No Incels allowed.
Boy oh boy, people jump to “hate” so quickly.
There’s a difference between men and women. They were not created the same, and it’s a biological FACT that women experience more frequent and pronounced hormonal shifts than men, which make us more prone to being emotionally driven rather than fact driven.
In this exact case, Sam, Becky, and Clara have made a real mess of things. Any county employee can confirm that. Kenosha County, as an employer, is MOST DEFINITELY NOT better off now, than when Jim Kreuser and Bob Ruidl were in charge.
Bullshit ×10
Women also generally score higher on average on IQ tests and other skill testing. While most men are trying fight their own insecurities by trying to belittle women.
Shut your whore mouth Incel.
Ha! Of course they wont suspend him. When I worked at the courthouse, I used to see Becky Mentink sleeping in her office EVERY DAY!! Obviously she was/is too stupid to close her blinds all the way!! so its only natural for the other clerks to start napping now because if their boss (Becky) does it, it MUST be ok. Lol
What a complete fkn shit show that place is turning into 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️😂😂
I wish for all the ex employees and current employees to comment on this article! It’s like therapy to let the truth come out! I know there is anxiety and fear to speak up because of the way certain people are treated. It’s a dictatorship!!! It is totally a shit show ! I think Becky thrives on employees being afraid of her
I am a ex employee and left because I just couldn’t take seeing some people being treated differently and better than the rest. It is not fair across the board. Micro managed, so retaliatory it is unbelievable, the constant micro managing emails. It’s eyes forward and all about survival or you’ll be picked on by the bosses. And yes a on lunch sign has to be up when on lunch always. I was so happy to leave there. The most terrible place I have ever worked.
It’s the classic pattern, the “moderate” wing of a revolutionary movement is almost always devoured by the militant wing the moment the power grab begins.
Only explanation is the results of inbreeding have consumed County government.
1. Please send Samantha a hairbrush.
2. Samantha’s alleged lavender marriage is no concern unless she is asking him for advice re: employee H.R. issues. Is she that incompetent?
3. Mr S. needs a sleep study evaluation. He needs to abide by the result.
4. No employee should ever shoud be sleeping on the job. Get a good night’s sleep, lose weight, no boozing it up before bed.
Yet ANOTHER example of “democrat” leadership. Clusterf**ks everywhere.
It ain’t fun getting old.
I remember when I was on night shift, dosing off, and getting caught by a camera. The photographer bypassed all Chains of Command and went straight to HR which levied a 14 day off, no pay discipline, and spared me from directly being discharged. This is how private industry works.
In the public sector, they circle the wagons to protect one another and never fire anyone unless you’re not in the Good Ole Boy click.
The Rules are definitely not the same and your tax dollars reward this.
Sam is trying to get others to do her Job instead of making a decision and abiding by it !
The election and Candidacy of any employee is just that, them deciding to do something else with their life and Career.
Getting a suspension in the course of his existing job is just a mistake he has made and no one should withhold those consequences because of the timing of something else.
Sam actually could be accused of “illegally helping” this candidate by giving him a pass on discipline that he rightly earned and deserved.
She is manipulating another person’s work history to make them look better than they are.
Look for him to claim a disability down the road that will then allow him to sleep while at work anytime !
This truly is what has become of our world. Especially in Government.
Perhaps a cot in a storage closet might be a solution?
Leadership is NOT a title but an ability to INSPIRE FOLLOWERSHIP.
There is NO LEADERSHIP IN THESE three people.
For falling asleep at a desk job? That’s hardly grounds for firing. It calls for a warning and nothing more.
It violates the counties code of conduct policy!
The county code of conduct policies are only used on those who do not kiss the ring.
“Bring him Princess Leia.”
Isn’t he a supervisor there?! That’s absolutely insane that someone who is supervising county employees and also getting allegations harassment type behavior should be elected as the person in charge there! Do better voters!!
Yes he is a supervisor and as an ex employee I do recall getting harassing emails on a regular basis stating the following: after an employee punches in at 8am there is no getting coffee, coffee needs to be gotten prior to the 8am punch in time, no breaks there is a one hour lunch that is your lunch and your break, DO NOT get your coat on, boots on, or get your purse out prior to punching out at 5pm, work hours are 8-5. An employee has micro management like the ones I stated and we have a supervisor taking a nap? Not right at all!
IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE THERE – GO ZACH!
AI can accomplish 97 percent of what these usless eaters (sleepers) do. We need a massive overhaul.