Mayor asks welcoming and inclusivity committee member to step down

WAUSAU PILOT AND REVIEW

WAUSAU — One approved member of his new committee to promote diversity in the city has been asked to step down, according to Mayor Rob Mielke.

In an email to Wausau Pilot and Review, Mielke said he asked David Deon Stuart to withdraw from the committee.

“I did speak with him at length and asked that he withdraw …he had already started to consider it and had been writing a resignation letter,” Mielke said.

The committee to promote inclusivity and diversity in Wausau was met with a mixed response last week by city council members but ultimately passed by a vote of 7-3.

Alderman Tom Neal, who represents Dist. 4, will represent the council’s efforts to seek out ways Wausau can be more diverse. Mary Thao, the only minority and one of five women on the council, was not chosen to serve as a committee member. The mayor said members were chosen because they have been involved in community and diversity issues in the past.

The remaining community members chosen by Mielke for the committee are Blake Opal-Wahoske, Paige Heinrich, Tony Gonzalez, Fong Moua, and Tom Rau.

Mielke said he is actively seeking a replacement for Stuart, whose criminal record for sexually assaulting a child came under scrutiny once the committee was announced. Two additional community representatives are also being sought to participate.

Read the original story here.