A former city of Sioux City employee has filed a lawsuit against the city and former City Manager Bob Padmore, asserting that she was a victim of several forms of discrimination.
The employee, Semehar Ghbrekidan Arguello, worked for the city from 2021 to 2024 as an inclusion department employee. She was placed on administrative leave and then terminated in 2024.
She filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in December 2025, saying the city and former city manager Bob Padmore retaliated against her for reporting alleged financial misconduct by city personnel to federal officials.
Ghbrekidan also asserts in the lawsuit that she was discriminated against during her tenure, on the basis of pregnancy, disability, race and sex. She further said she worked amid a hostile work environment.
Her position was to work as a liaison between city leadership and community stakeholders on issues related to equity, inclusion and accessibility.
Ghbrekidan did not respond to recent inquiries to update the status of her lawsuit.
During her city tenure, Ghbrekidan publicly clashed with Karen Mackey, the Human Rights Department leader. Mackey later told Siouxland Public Media News that Ghbrekidan made “patently false and defamatory statements directed at me.”
The lawsuit cites numerous incidents where Mackey allegedly publicly criticized Ghbrekidan for her job performance, and says her race as a black person “played a part” in the decisions to place her on leave and then fire her.
The city has been sued in several past instances for discrimination.
Also in 2024, the University of South Dakota settled a lawsuit brought by Ghebrekidan, a former employee who alleged that she was called a “whore.”
USD and the South Dakota Board of Regents agreed to pay Ghebrekidan $100,000 – which included back pay and a nearly $25,000 fee to her attorney.
