Damakant Jayshi
The Wausau School Board on Tuesday voted to appoint local businessman Cory Sillars to fill a board position left vacant by Ka Lo’s resignation. The board did so after interviewing three of the four candidates who advanced to the final round.
Lo resigned her position on June 27, citing the “toxicity, disrespect and indifference” she said she endured by some of her colleagues on the board and their friends. In her resignation statement, Lo said she contemplated resigning many times throughout her term as a result of those attitudes. She also cited an opportunity that will take her out of the Wausau area.
Sillars, who is a builder and recently elected as a supervisor on the Town of Rib Mountain Board, was sworn immediately after the ballots of the six board members were tallied.
Besides Sillars, the Wausau School Board interviewed Brandon Jensen, who said he works in manufacturing industry and Dr. Gillian Battino, a radiologist in Wausau. Another candidate, Jo Ann Egelkrout, was not present for reasons that were not made clear during Tuesday’s meeting. After the news was published, the district officials told Wausau Pilot & Review that Egelkrout had written to them to withdraw from the process. She provided no reason for doing so.
Of the eight candidates who had expressed interest in serving out the remainder of Lo’s term, the board voted to move these four to the second and final round after hearing from them two weeks ago.
The three candidates made personal statements and were each asked four identical questions by Superintendent Keith Hilts.
Two members, Lance Trollop and Lee Webster were not present. The vote tally was not announced.
Sillars will serve until April 23, 2023.
