Four Leave Fargo Communications Department, Resignations Allege Toxic Work Culture, Other Issues
FARGO (KVRR) – Four employees of the Fargo City Communications office have resigned.
Those who resigned include Chief Communications Officer Gregg Schildberger, Creative Services Manager Ryan Green, Emily Groth and Katie Ettish.
“I would respectfully defer to the comments I offered within my resignation letter as my overall response at this specific time,” Schildberger told KVRR News.
“I am incredibly proud of the work of the CommaGA Team and will always look back at our time in the organization as a period of tenacity, transparency, selflessness and a commitment to excellence. I gave Fargo all I had and did my absolute best to meet the demands requested of me. Public service is not easy, but it is work worth doing.”
Mayor Tim Mahoney referred further questions to City Administrator Mike Redlinger, who has yet to respond to a request for further details.
When asked by text whether he has a comment on the resignations, City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn responded “Nope.”
City Commissioner John Strand said “I’m referring any requests for comments to our city administrator, but thanks for reaching out.”
Commissioner Michelle Turnberg, who was out of town, responded “I don’t know any details yet. Let me get a better understanding of what happened.”
There was no response from Commissioner Denise Kolpack or Mayor Tim Mahoney.
The department has several employees and handles media relations for most city departments and also is in charge of social media, news media relations, and the city’s website, among other responsibilities.
