Get to know the candidates for Wausau Mayor

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Wausau’s mayoral race has two candidates who emerged from the February primary to face off on April 2. Incumbent Katie Rosenberg is being challenged by Dist. 4 Alder Doug Diny, who is not seeking another term on the City Council. Below are their answers to a range of questions about the city’s processes and challenges ahead of the spring election. The mayor serves a four-year term.

What motivated you to run for office?

Rosenberg: I grew up in a family that believed it was critical to be engaged in the community. On both sides of my family, I’ve had relatives who ran for public offices of all kinds, who believed it was important to talk about politics and current events at the dinner table, and who volunteered on campaigns large and small. When I was in middle school, my dad ran for office for the first time because he wasn’t going to just sit around and complain about policies he didn’t support, he thought he would run for office so he could help effect change. From middle school to high school to college to being a young professional, I watched and listened to my dad as he served on city council and county board. I always appreciated the way he approached challenges and disagreements because he always centered his policy work around the people he was serving instead of collecting power. He didn’t care that not everyone agreed with him but he cared a lot about doing the right thing now and for the future. And he did it all with an optimism you rarely see in politics. He showed me that you could be in politics and still be a good person with a good heart who is in it for the community. When I ran for public office for the first time eight years ago, it was for county board because I wanted to make a difference for folks in our county who needed mental and behavioral health services and I was afraid the county was looking to dismantle North Central Health Care. When I ran for mayor in 2020, I had a list of priorities from building a strategic plan to get us all rowing in the right direction together as a community to collaborating more with other governmental and community partners so we could stretch our budgets further together and innovate for our shared constituencies. As I look to what’s ahead for our community over the next four years, the issues I will be focused on are water, housing, and economic revitalization. Ultimately, I am motivated to solve the problems Wausau residents bring to us so that we can continue to grow our community.

Diny: My wife and I were empty nesters. I was contemplating retiring soon, and I was looking for a way to spend some time giving back to a community that we loved. That lead me to volunteer for the Airport Committee six years ago.

Time on the committee got me more involved with city hall, and I ran for alderman. Running for mayor was not on my retirement bucket list, but as alderman, it became clear to me that we needed better leadership in the mayors office.

To be brief, I will give you one example. I have been to multiple meetings where department heads end up arguing with one another about whose job it was to do something. That tells me the mayor is not doing the basic supervisory functions of assigning tasks and following up. I will fix that in a heartbeat.

What people or organizations do you take guidance and advice from?

Rosenberg: Somewhere around 40 years ago my grandparents unwittingly started a decades long tradition of gathering together on Saturday mornings to drink coffee, discuss current events, and check in on each other. To this day, our family coffee hour occurs every Saturday and I continue to appreciate the thoughtful dialogue every week.

But beyond that, I’ve found that when we have policy challenges, it’s best to cast a wide net to find solutions that meet the needs of our community. I regularly attend community meetings to both ask for feedback and listen to what people say they need.

I have great relationships with the folks who work for the Wisconsin League of Municipalities and I find myself asking a lot of questions to their staff. It’s no secret that I have a good relationship with our governor and I regularly ask his brilliant staffers for information related to upcoming policy discussions and to suggest policy I think would help Wausau too. Representative Katrina Shankland has been an incredible leader in the assembly and I find myself calling her office to ask questions about bills and how to give feedback to the legislature. I also consider former Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger a mentor and when I’m stuck on something, I know I can pick up the phone and ask him for advice. He’s able to help me take a step back and reframe the challenge. Wisconsin is full of mayors with great lived experience and I regularly reach out to see how they are working on challenges from insurance to water to budgets.

But ultimately, it’s the people I work with every day who I confide in and seek guidance from. I’ve found extremely meaningful relationships with many of the city department directors. Many of the city’s directors are operating at the top of their game and have not only experiences but connections to draw on as we navigate solving our city’s problems together.

Diny: First and foremost, I bounce a lot of things off of my wife, Jean. I know I can count on her to be in my corner and still give me a thoughtful and unvarnished opinion.
Going door-to-door has been an eye-opening experience. I am hearing from liberals and conservatives. I am hearing form long-time residents and new arrivals. And, it has been a very enjoyable experience. I will continue to make every effort to be open and approachable to conversation with all; I’m willing to listen to anyone. You don’t need a political litmus test to talk with me. I read a lot on leadership. I’ll challenge our professional staff with a book per quarter to read for professional development sessions that I will lead.

The city’s debt is making many residents uncomfortable. How do you view the city’s borrowing history, and what – if any – changes are necessary to reduce the city’s debt?

Rosenberg: In the last four years and in the decades prior, the city has certainly borrowed quite a bit. That borrowing has been used for everything from public infrastructure projects to economic development efforts. Right now, we’re having a lot of discussions about the debt doubling. That’s largely due to the huge drinking water and sewer projects. Those projects alone account for more than $130 million in borrowing. And while that’s a lot of money, we’re seeing our neighboring and peer communities start planning for their own major water project upgrades. Serving on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee has given me an up close and personal look at both the hundreds and hundreds of public infrastructure projects just like ours that are happening across the country and a look at what happens when municipalities don’t maintain or plan for these projects. I am relieved that Wausau was able to solve the PFAS contamination in our drinking water as quickly as we did and I remain grateful that the previous councils and utility commissions planned for these critical improvements.

When it comes to paying down and off the city’s debt, you can see the aggressive plan in every budget over the last four years. The city council votes on this budget and the debt paydown plan every single year. The reason that debt paydown plan is discussed in the budget is because the public has told council members and mayors that they want to see promissory notes and TIDs closed, early if possible, to continue making progress.

If we continue sticking to those debt reduction plans, we will pay down half of the current general obligation debt in the next six years and to below a million dollars in the next twelve years. As someone who just recently paid off a masters degree and a car, I know that paying down debt is a matter of prioritizing it and cracking away at it dollar by dollar.

Diny: The city’s burgeoning level of debt should have people concerned. It is poor fiscal policy, and we are courting serious consequences. Brokaw effectively went bankrupt. They had $3 million in water utility debt and a population of less than 300 to pay it off once the mill closed. The state constitution suggest that municipalities should not borrow an amount that exceeds 5% of its equalized valuation. In total debt, we are way over that benchmark, and there seems to be no end in sight.

We use debt to fund operating costs, and the number keeps rising. For a dozen years we carried an average debt load of about $50 million. Katie Rosenberg has taken that to $274 million and is eagerly pushing an accelerated lead service line replacement plan that could add $80 million in new debt.

Debt payments are now the second largest item in the budget. The police department is number one. Public works is number three. At some point, lenders are going to downgrade our debt and stop lending to us.

Immediate restraint is needed. We should talk about a moratorium on new debt. The city owns a lot of property which we should sell and put back on the tax rolls. We need to lower taxes and return to a business friendly environment to ignite some growth. I don’t want to sugar coat this. Mayor Rosenberg has created a real mess, and we will spend years digging ourselves out of it.

The mayor often takes credit or gets the blame for the city’s economy. What exactly is the mayor’s role in economic development, and what will you personally do to spur growth in this area?

Rosenberg: The mayor’s role in economic development depends on the mayor. I’ll share a couple of the ways I plan on continuing supporting economic growth in Wausau.

First off is advocacy. I’ve invited our state and federal policymakers to Wausau to discuss a variety of economic issues from pandemic-era recovery dollars to workforce development needs to trade discussions. All of this requires a lot of broad knowledge about what is actually moving the needle here in Wausau. We’ve supported our local organizations by applying for state funds and acting as their passthrough agent. Two big wins were the $250,000 CDI grant secured for the Children’s Imaginarium and a $1.5 million Neighborhood Investment grant.

But we’ve also supported several housing developments by holding steady on projects that received federal tax credits to build affordable housing. Those include the Landmark renovations, the West Side Battery apartments, and the Thomas and Grand Avenue parcel that Commonwealth is working on.

With most of the credit due to the Community Development Office, we’ve aggressively pursued opportunities to bring developers in to see what makes Wausau so special. We’ve hosted events with Centergy, McDevco, and the Wausau River District to bring in new potential partners. We hosted a WEDA conference that brought in developers from across the Midwest. I’ve also personally participated in panels aimed at Wisconsin developers to sell our community. It’s slow moving to cultivate these relationships but we have had some very productive discussions about what our community wants.

There are also some specific types of businesses that Wausau residents are asking for. I’ve reached out personally to some of those businesses and introduced myself and our community to them. Those conversations continue but some are looking for sites that don’t exist in Wausau either because of space or proximity. We’re not done knocking on every door yet.

Lastly, I’ve navigated through federal government bureaus and departments to connect our local ginseng farmers to partners in international diplomacy, trade, and administrative review. Since the 2019 tariffs, Marathon County ginseng farmers have been slammed with both harsh international duties in addition to new, non-tariff regulations and it’s severely damaging our local ginseng economy. Last May, a local ginseng farmer and I participated in a virtual forum with staff from the US Department of State, US Trade Representative, and other federal bureaus to talk about the challenges we’re seeing in the ginseng industry. I also invited the US Department of State to visit us and hear directly from our farmers, and they did in July. I’ve talked to trading partners from all over Asia about our ginseng and participated in the celebratory trade deal between our Marathon County ginseng growers, the state of Wisconsin, and Taiwan for fresh ginseng with the now Vice President of Taiwan.

Diny: Good things and bad things happen on a leader’s watch, they own them all… As a company commander in the U.S. Army, the idea that the officer in charge takes the credit and gets the blame is not foreign to me. Our current mayor has all sorts of excuses for everything.

The mayor’s role in economic development is a bully pulpit. I spent 26 years in the private sector as an account executive. You have to make the call and put in the time to cultivate customers. For example, when Footlocker, the mayor’s former employer, was contemplating moving its headquarters out of Wausau, the mayor should have made some calls. She should have taken the lead in putting together a package to keep them.

She thinks a more welcoming mission statement will bring people in droves, that didn’t happen. Mayor Rosenberg got a story in the New York Times trashing Wausau as a backward place. Progress was not made on the mall. Progress was not made on the riverfront. Footlocker moved its headquarters, and no new major employers came to down. The poor results are a direct result of how the mayor fritters away her time. I will put in the time and make the calls.

Some residents complain that Wausau lacks a clear vision. What is your personal vision for Wausau and how do you plan to integrate it into the programs, priorities and budgets of city government?

Rosenberg: In Wausau’s first ever strategic plan, the community and the strategic plan steering committee created the city’s mission and vision. The city’s mission statement is to “enhance our community’s quality of life and foster a sense of belonging for generations to come.” The city’s vision state is that, “Wausau is a fun, vibrant, and highly connected community providing diverse and accessible social, arts, cultural and outdoor recreational experiences and a thriving economy where everyone has the opportunity to achieve success and happiness. The five strategic goals include developing a thriving economy, creating innovative public services, fostering a cohesive and connected culture, cultivating a fun and vibrant community, and leading strong regional alliances. This vision was created by the community and I agree with it. However, it’s hard to track progress without some changes to city processes. I shared my thoughts on how we could track progress on our objectives and Wausau’s new deputy clerk shared some ideas. As he works through revamping agenda and resolution management, we’re going to add a section to every resolution so we can track progress on each goal and ensure every resolution and ordinance is adding to our collective community goals.

Diny: My wife and I love Wausau, and we think it has some marketable advantages. It is a regional medical center and a vocational education center. It has a wonderful aquifer, giving it access to abundant clean water (assuming we drill new and deeper wells). It is a major active sports tourism destination.
The city should be more active in attracting and cultivating more residencies and medical education programs. The UWSP Marathon County facility is an underused campus.
Next, we should research the kinds of businesses that need clean water and market to them.
Regarding the active sports, I think we absolutely must start a campaign inviting people to “work where they play.” There are now a lot of people who can work from home. Why not have that home be located in the place where you go biking, skiing and kayaking

What leadership do you plan to offer to the problem of rising water and sewer rates in the city?

Rosenberg: City staff and elected officials have already agreed to an August timeline when it comes to reassessing the financial standing of the Wausau Water Works utility. This was spurred by a budget-time discussion about the utility’s payment in lieu of taxes to the city. Beyond the PILOT assessment, we should also have a better understanding of where we are when it comes to the PFAS lawsuits we’re involved in. We’re expecting to hear more on the first settlement in the multi-district litigation in the next few weeks to months and we’re also expecting movement on other PFAS multi-district litigation suits the city is engaged in along with the local suit against the manufacturers of PFAS and their insurers. We will also have more than a year of operations costs. All of this together will help us get a true understanding of the utility’s financial standing and help us determine if a new rate case is feasible.

In the meantime, I plan on continuing to look for alternative funding sources for our water projects. We’ve had some successes already, including a congressionally directed spending allocation thanks to Senator Baldwin. We received millions in forgivable loans through the DNR’s revolving loan program, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I’m expecting some good news shortly from our partners at the federal Housing and Urban Development Department on a lead remediation capacity-building grant. I’m also continuing to talk to every foundation I can about our water projects, particularly our lead service line removal project, and those conversations continue to be productive. My goal is to secure as many non-taxpayer, non-ratepayer dollars as I can so that our policy bodies – the utility commission and the Wausau City Council – have as much flexibility in their decision making as possible.

If it were up to me, I would prioritize paying down some of the water project debt while also setting some of the PFAS lawsuit settlement dollars aside for future PFAS remediation when the EPA and DNR begin regulating PFAS in groundwater, biosolids, and soil.

Diny: Number 1, get rid of the HIDDEN TAX on our water bills known as the PILOT, The city actually taxes the utility as if it was a private for profit business. One out of every eight dollars citizens pay on their water bill never goes to the utilities. The arguments against it are that we would have to put that money on the levy… well if it was good enough to charge you behind your backs, shouldn’t it be justifiable to tell you up front that they are charging you?

In the more intermediate term, we need to take a look at drilling new and deeper wells, and we need to explore solution in partnership with neighboring communities that all have the same problem.

What will you do to ensure an open government that responds to media inquiries and open records requests in a timely way, doesn’t play favorites with the media, doesn’t blacklist any reporters and insists that the Wausau Police Department do the same?

Rosenberg: I’ve made an effort to cultivate relationships with media, local, state, and national. Several reporters have set up regular check-ins with me so that we can talk about what’s going on in Wausau and it’s helped provide steady dialogues with those reporters and their audiences.

We get many requests for interviews and comments a week. Since we don’t have anyone dedicated to communications, we’ve tried to funnel these requests through a specific email inbox that is monitored by Jean in my office so she can connect the media to the right city employees. Many, but not every, media outlets use it, adding to some of the missed requests for comments. I don’t know that anyone at the city has a favorite media outlet and nobody is blacklisted from either City Hall or the Wausau Police Department. I know of a specific back and forth between this publication and a member of city staff where that person asked to have a conversation and be interviewed, rather than having to type out answers so that the reporter could copy and paste.

When it comes to open records, at any given moment, the Wausau Police Department and City Hall combined have more than 100 open records requests. Some of those are simple, others require a lot of effort. The Wausau Police Chief successfully requested another clerical staff member to help address the growing open records requests, particularly for body cam video that needs to be sorted through frame by frame for any sensitive information. That should help address the body cam video.

Diny: On Day One, the mayor’s office will take operational control of open records requests and press releases. I will instruct the city clerk to create log of all open records request, when they came in and when they were fulfilled. The general rule is that request should be fulfilled within 14 days. I will review the log monthly, and I will expect department heads to have an explanation why any request was not out-the-door in a timely manner.

Next, the mayor’s office is going to issue all press releases. There will be no department level press releases, just city press releases. I don’t care if someone has to wake me at three o’clock in the morning because there has been a fire or a law enforcement action, I will on top of what is going on, and I want the city to speak with one coherent voice.

What will you do to ensure that public-private partnerships, including but not limited to development agreements, are in the best interest of taxpayers and residents?

Rosenberg: The beginning of every partnership concept starts with discussions with the policy body. Often those concepts start as a reaction to a need the city council has articulated, whether that is support for our unhoused population or large scale redevelopment. That public kickoff is important so that the community can offer feedback on how they think public dollars should be used – or not used.

When it comes to RFPs, city staff put the scoring criteria into those requests so the public and the council are aligned on those priorities. Those RFPs form the basis of development agreements. Development agreement negotiations are often the most challenging part of the process. Every project has a different set of facts, stakeholders, and investment needs so there isn’t really a template that can be followed for every project. You will often see economic development items that require closed session discussions so city staff and I have an understanding of how far the council is comfortable with us negotiating. We’ve had a couple projects hit the floor because nobody was comfortable with the amount of money that was requested on behalf of the city.

In general though, the council and staff like seeing projects that eventually support themselves and create tax base. In the past they’ve liked seeing projects that request 10% of the costs or less from the city. That seems to be changing with many projects requesting between 15% and 30% of the project costs on average. The council and public also like to ensure they are not going into business with charlatans and shysters. The city has typically vetted partners for conflicts of interest, though it seems that council members may be looking for more. When the new council is seated, I’d like to have a frank conversation with alders about the kinds of information they would like on potential development partners so we can create a process and meeting the council and community’s expectations.

Diny: “Public-private partnerships” is such an overused buzz word. What it often means is that local governments are being called upon to be venture capitalist and to invest public dollars in risky and unsound projects. The problem is that Tax Incremental Financing Districts and other public-private partnership consume public dollars that otherwise could be used to deliver services.

What we need to do is get back to our lanes. The revenue collected by government should be used to deliver public goods like roads, parks, police and fire protection. The private sector should do what it is good at, making balancing risk and rewards.

For too long, the city has bought-up and held too many properties in hopes that an investor will come along and fund the city’s vision for development. Wausau should sell those properties, put them back on the tax rolls at market value and leave the private sector to make decision about how to profitably invest.

The city’s homeless population has grown considerably. Some people say we aren’t doing enough to serve and protect our most vulnerable residents, and have criticized Wausau’s actions such as fencing beneath the Scott Street Bridge and prohibiting people from sleeping in parking ramps as criminalizing homelessness. What should the city be doing to address the homelessness issue in Wausau?

Rosenberg: This is what the former health officer would have called a wicked problem. There are multiple reasons folks find themselves unhoused from addition to mental health to bad luck to all three. There is no cookie cutter way to address each individual experiencing homelessness and each person takes time to work with on their needs. Since becoming our Outreach Specialist, Tracy has found stable housing for dozens of people. But finding housing is only part of the issue. Staying housed is just as important and that requires intensive management in some cases and treatment in many cases as well.

The actions we’ve taken already like hiring Tracy, supporting and directing funds to Community Partners Campus, and planning for more housing are good but it’s not enough. Our partners at Catholic Charities are sharing information with us that shows our unhoused population is growing – this year by 50 new faces a month. We don’t have enough resources.

In April, the police chief and I are attending and presenting at the Marathon County Health and Human Services committee because we need our other local partners to help us with things like mental health care, treatment, and case management. We cannot do this work alone and the county is uniquely situated to serve some of these needs.

Lastly, I’ve heard from business owners, people who work downtown, and residents that they don’t feel safe in some of our public facilities and spaces. I don’t think it’s because they lack compassion but they are calling police regularly about situations and people that are alarming.

When it comes to what we should do, I think it comes down to a multi-pronged approach of housing, treatment, and support. Last week I worked with our team to apply for funding that would support a pilot project to house and treat women who are experiencing homelessness. As we try new things, we will be able to learn and pivot to address the needs of our community.

Diny: At the beginning of her term, Mayor Rosenberg announced that Wausau was going to participate in a pilot program for Universal Basic Income (UBI). UBI would have guaranteed people a minimum payment of $500 per month. The program was aborted before it ever came to council, but word went out that Wausau was going to be in effect a sanctuary city for the homeless. And, like a lot of missteps that happened during the Rosenberg Administration, we are going to be paying for it for years.

I opposed fencing the bridge because we didn’t have a plan for what happened next. In reading about the topic, I do not think anyone has found a silver bullet for homelessness. In my first 100 days, I would like to sit down with the six district court judges and talk about diversion programs or alternative sentencing. Then we could give people the choice to accept help. I would then follow my conversation with the judges with a conversation with our state legislators to make sure local law enforcement and county courts have the tools they need to help people help themselves.

We need more treatment beds and that’s an overdue conversation with the county and NGOs.

What should our city do to increase housing supply?

Rosenberg: According to the latest North Central Regional Planning Commission report, Wausau needs 525 new housing units to keep up with current housing needs. With leadership from the Affordable Housing Task Force that I requested and council approved, we’ve had a handful of suggestions that the council has already approved. Those include allocating dollars to close the financing gap on single and multifamily homes on city-owned infill lots. The team has gotten creative in identifying opportunities and has brought several forward. I’m very excited that the city just received notification that we are receiving the DNR’s WAM grant to address contamination testing and remediation for the parcels on Thomas Street.
But we’re also seeing solutions brough forward from the private sector. Kolbe and Kolbe just announced plans to build more than 100 units on lots they own to support both their employees and the greater community. I’m interested in how that goes but so far we’ve seen positive reactions from the neighborhood on up to the Governor.

Once the downtown project and the westside project are online, that will go part of the way in addressing our shortages but one of the places we are struggling is when it comes to affordable housing in neighborhoods specifically. We’ve had a couple of rezoning requests that have been voted down because of intense feedback. I’d like to replicate some of the work we’ve done to engage the neighborhood on the southwest side of town to learn from neighbors about what they would like and accept in their neighborhoods. It does slow down the development process but it also builds up the community.

In general, Wisconsin municipalities are limited in how they can fund development of all kinds, which is why TIF is such a well-worn topic. Many developments, but particularly affordable developments, have gaps in financing they need to fill and that’s how the city has traditionally engaged – as a funding source.

Diny: I think we have been upside down on our priorities for a while now. First, we should focus on job creation. When people have good paying jobs, it creates demand for housing, and builders will supply that demand.
Next, it is important to understand that high city taxes, tax incremental districts that never close and now sky-high water rates are key drivers to the affordability problem. When we bring our numbers back in line with our neighbors and our peers, more people will want to live here. Again, that demand will bring in supply.

Where do you see people struggling in our community?

Rosenberg: Since the pandemic, we are seeing an increase in mental health service requests from every part of society. Waiting lists for psychiatrists are anywhere from six months to a year. We certainly need more practitioners in our community and especially for our kids.

I’ve also seen many people struggle to meet their own basic needs. One illness or accident can be devastating for people who are living on the edge. I heard from a woman who was injured and had to quit her part-time job to regain her health. Her two hour a day job was providing enough money for her to buy food but without it, she has to visit a pantry to ensure she has food.

In my own peer group, I have more friends deciding not to have children than having children. They are opting out because they are still trying to support themselves. Those decisions made now will have big consequences for our city’s population and workforce in the future. And it’s also sad for folks who want to have children and feel they cannot.

Lastly, long-term care is extremely expensive. I’m seeing people who in the past might have moved into senior living to get support for themselves who are now deciding to stay in their homes. We’re seeing more seniors who are lonely and not getting what they need to keep thriving as older adults.

Diny: Inflation has hit people hard. People have been losing purchasing power, and they feel it. This is a time for the people’s government to cut them a break and be more austere.
In this environment, the mayor never should have replaced the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant in the same year. Now she wants to lay on top of that an aggressive lead service line replacement program. It is not the time for grand plans.

What are your transportation priorities?

Rosenberg: Wausau Metro Ride’s new Transit Director started at the beginning of March and I am enthusiastic about his leadership already. We have a variety of community, consultant, and partner-driven plans along with a new initiative through the Metropolitan Planning Organization aimed at addressing some of the transit gaps we have in our community. Right off the bat, we are looking at ways to partner with organizations in the business park to meet their needs a little bit better. We’ve also had conversations about what expansion could and should look like. Since we don’t have anyone banging down our door to give us money to roll through their municipality yet, our conversations are centered around what we can control internally. That might look like different types of routes, different hours, and looking at technology to enhance riders’ experiences.

At the end of 2023, the state announced millions in planning grants to study Amtrack expansion in Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee, and Eau Claire. I immediately set up a meeting with the Deputy Transportation Secretary to discuss how Wausau could participate. I also reached out to our friends in Eau Claire municipal government to see how they planned and advocated for this opportunity. It turns out all of these municipalities are decades ahead of us in these discussions but we have the details on how we can get to the table to participate in these discussions.

When it comes to roads, the council approved increased spending for asphalt which will help the team with materials to fill more potholes and patch more roads. I’ve also advocated for reducing the number of years we have to wait to rebuild some of the state highways that cut through our city. I’ve heard more about East Wausau Avenue than any other road and we were able to get the DOT to commit to a timeline where we were previously just waiting.

Diny: In four years, nothing has changed with the bus system. People don’t ride because it does not take them anywhere they want to go. Our one and only hub take you to the site of the former downtown mall.
Where do people want to go? They want to be able to go to work, and they want to shop. So, the bus system needs to go to the Rib Mountain shopping district and to the Wausau Industrial Park. We can do the latter internally and maybe find a place for a hub out by Aspirus Hospital. Then, a conversation should be had with Rib Mountain and the Rib Mountain merchants. A business improvement district could be used to pay for a bus line. That way only the businesses who benefit from the bus would pay towards it, and the neighborhoods of Rib Mountain would not pay anything.
The lack of progress on the transit issue is another example of the mayor’s misplaced priorities. Leadership means picking up the phone and getting the ball rolling

What should the city be doing to address its municipal staffing shortages?

Rosenberg: There is an assumption in this question that I’m not sure reflects the current reality. There are currently eight open positions and four of those are seasonal summer positions.

However, as we look ahead, we do see places where we will need critical employees to serve the community. That’s why we’re currently working on a first in the state apprenticeship program for firefighters to help Wausau and the rest of Wisconsin address firefighter shortages. We’re partnering with NTC on a curriculum and talking to our partners in state and local government to figure out how to fund this program long-term.

There is a lot of discussion about employee pay, particularly at the utility and those conversations have begun at both the HR and utility committees. But the city has also invested in a couple of studies to ensure we have the right data to make decisions about staffing levels and pay. That work is a continuous and sometimes contentious process.

Diny: I am going to argue a bit with the premise of the question which assumes there is a material staffing shortage. The number of city employees has repeatedly grown over the past eight years while the population of the city has not. We have significant debt to pay. We are going to have to take a close look at staffing levels.
What you hear from city hall is that we have a staff shortage, and, therefore, the city needs to start paying top dollar wages. In truth, city positions come with a fantastic retirement systems, great benefits and your employer is never going to move to Mexico or China. We need to do a better job of marketing the whole package, salary, benefits and the quality of life in Wausau.

What will you do to promote transparency in government, if you are elected mayor?

Rosenberg: The number one way to promote transparency is to be honest, all the time. This campaign cycle has been the wildest campaign cycle I’ve ever been a part of and a lot of that has to do with people lying about me and spending tens of thousands of dollars to spread those lies. Just this weekend, the entire 85th Assembly District was mailed an attack flyer, accusing me of being the reason Wausau Insurance is no longer here. To be clear, Liberty Mutual acquired Wausau Insurance when I was a freshman in high school. But if people are willing to lie to get the job, I worry about what that means if they were to get it.

If I am re-elected, I will continue meeting with constituents, other elected officials, members of the media, and local businesses to hear and address concerns. I will continue attending neighborhood and community meetings when invited. I will continue sharing updates with the community through press releases, social media updates, videos, and letters.

The city also invested in translation services that just about every employee has access to. I used it just recently when I was talking to someone who spoke Dari and they needed help, it took no more than two minutes to get a translator on the line and get her questions answered.

Diny: The lack of transparency has turned into a real pet peeve of mine. You would be surprised how hard it is to get timely information even as an alderman. The problem is that sub-optimal decisions are made when council and their constituents are deprived of the whole story.
On Day One, I will issue an order to staff that the 6 Day Rule will be rigidly enforced. That means that staff will be required to complete council and committee packs and post them for viewing no less than six days prior to any meeting. Both the alders and the public need time to review and research the materials. Every decision cannot be a “rush job” like it is under Mayor Rosenberg.

What are you most enthusiastic about when it comes to Wausau’s future?

Rosenberg: I am excited for a number of things. I am excited to continue redevelopment in our downtown so we have more housing and retail options in the heart of our city. I am excited for the permanent PFAS system to go online so we don’t have to keep making expensive interim investments. I am excited as more connections to the pedestrian trails are approved, planned for, and constructed. And I am excited to be a part of our historic firefighter apprenticeship program because I think it will be so successful that we’ll want to duplicate it for other municipal roles.

Diny: Going door-to-door and meeting people has been an incredibly uplifting experience. I am enthusiastic that Wausau wants change and good government is on its way.

What else would you like voters to know about you? Is there anything you wish we would have asked, but didn’t?

Rosenberg: I just want to thank the people of Wausau for electing me four years ago. It has been the honor of my life to serve the community where I was born and where I grew up in such a meaningful way. I’ve enjoyed being a part of our community’s joys and being a shoulder to cry on during our challenges. If you elect me to another four years, I guarantee I will keep advocating for you at the state and federal levels, that I will continue pursuing new funding sources, and I will continue sharing the individual and collective stories of our community.

Diny: If there is a question missing, it would be on roads. Sometimes I bring with me a giant color-coded map that shows all of the streets in below average condition. The poor condition of our roads is another example of the misplaced priorities of the current administration.

Road maintenance is the basic blocking and tackling of city administration. If residents and potential residents drive down well-maintained roads, they have a good feeling about the community. City hall has its act together. Conversely, if you are dodging potholes, it makes you feel like things are crumbling.