Hello Wausau,

I am Doug Diny, and I am a candidate for the Wausau City Council.  After graduating from St. Norbert College, I served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of Major, before settling in Wausau for a career in process control and automation. You can read about my background at www.dougdiny.com/

Without mincing words, I am running because I believe that our District 4 Alderman, Tom Neal, is uniquely responsible for placing Wausau on the wrong track. I contacted him directly and was dismissed out of hand, if he can’t respond in his own words, here’s my take:

  • Neal was one of three persons who represented the city in our disastrous negotiations with the Village of Maine and a proponent of the subsequent lawsuit that cost Wausau $250,000+.
  • As Chairman of the Economic Development Committee (EDC Chair), Neal supported sweetheart deals that unnecessarily enriched companies like Quantum Ventures and Wausau Chemical.
  • Neal supports using economic development funds to forge ahead on Thomas Street reconstruction, ignoring the potential health risks and environmental mitigation costs.
  • Once Neal took EDC Chair in April 2016, the mall got put on the back burner, diverted $4.1 million mall restructuring money and we lost two more anchors while his committee offered no direction.
  • Neal has supported the largest increase in debt in the city’s history. Under the last eight years of Mayor Tipple, debt stayed around $52 million per year. By the end of this year debt is forecast to surpass $90 million.

In sum, we cannot afford to keep getting out-negotiated, borrowing more money and spending it foolishly.  We need change on April 3rd.  See more details at www.dougdiny.com/

Sincerely,

Doug Diny, Wausau

Candidate for Wausau City Council, Aldermanic District 4

Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot and Review gladly publishes letters from readers and from candidates for local offices. The views of our readers are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot and Review. To submit a letter, email [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 532, Wausau, Wis., 54402-0532.