By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
Voters have chosen three representatives for the Wausau School Board from a field of five candidates in the spring 2023 election, a race that some voters hoped would change the trajectory of a hotly debated restructuring plan in the district.
Two incumbents, Lance Trollop and Cory Sillars, won re-election on Tuesday. But the top candidate was Jennifer Paoli, a political newcomer who ran together with Sillars in the race.
Dr. Gillian Battino and Frederick Tealey also campaigned for school board seats. Both, in detailed statements to Wausau Pilot & Review, spoke out against the current restructuring plan, which has drawn strong opposition from the public. More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition asking the Board of Education to hold a referendum on the issue and halt the planning process.
Sillars was one of two board members who voted against the restructuring plan earlier this year. Pat McKee was the only other sitting member to vote no. But Paoli’s position on the restructuring is unclear, and she did not respond to an invitation to share her views with Pilot readers in advance of the election.
Paoli and Sillars were both endorsed by Moms for Liberty, a group that is “fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government,” according to its webpage.
In all, 8,051 ballots were cast for Paoli, followed by 7,681 for Trollop and 7,612 for Sillars. Battino followed with 6,673 and Tealey had 6,341 votes.
All results are unofficial until the final canvass on April 10.
