Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.

Dear editor,

There are many good things about Mayor Katie, however, she has pushed the can down the road on the problems with City of Wausau Metro Ride Transit System and it’s bad actor drivers. Nothing gets done about correcting certain bad apples or letting them go unless there’s a threatened lawsuit against the city. If every city department did nothing about lazy, ineffective, rude, abusive and negligent employees unless there was a lawsuit against that department where would our City of Wausau departments and services be?                    

When there are multiple complaints by Metro Ride Bus/Paratransit passengers of the same bus driver and nothing gets done about it, you wonder – where are our tax paying dollars going? When passenger complaints are ignored, overlooked and the complainant bus passengers are insulted, retaliated against, demeaned, given excuses for the bus drivers bad driving and bad and injurious behavior, how is this good City of Wausau bus service? 

The new Metro Ride Director Matthew Bloomberg resigned after only a few months of working for the city. His reason was that he wasn’t getting the support needed by the Mayor. What does that tell you?

I’ve been riding the city bus several times a week in the late 1970s when I didn’t have a car, and then from 2017 to the present. I’ve personal experience as a Metro Ride Bus and Paratransit rider and I’ve seen rudeness and how certain bus drivers treat other passengers too. After continued retaliation to those who call in with complaints, many now don’t call in at all for fear of continuous us driver retaliation.           

I’ve employment and personal experience in the transportation field and also years as an automobile driver with an excellent driving record. I know when a Bus/Paratransit driver is out-of-line and is unprofessional at his/her job and should be corrected or let go. 

Mayor Katie has refused my requests to meet with me a County Board Supervisor of six years and a Metro Ride Bus/Paratransit rider. She doesn’t respond to my emails, either. She’s not met with any other unhappy bus riders I have spoken with either and passes the buck down the road to her HR people who basically haven’t done anything about the situation.

While some areas of Metro Ride have improved like better busses, better new hires, increased bus driver pay and a couple bad actor bus drivers have left or been fired, there are still problems that need to be remedied. I’ve tried bringing some of these issues to City Council members in the past at City Council meetings, at the Marathon County Transportation Committee meetings and in emails too, but as I mentioned, it is just ignored. 

No remedy to these issues has occurred.  Do citizens have to have an attorney and a million bucks to get Mayor Katie’s attention to the City Metro Ride bus driver issues, staff and administration problems? She now not “kicking the can down the road”, she’s ignoring the fact that there’s even a can in the road to kick. 

Sincerely, 

Donna Krause BS Ed., MBA

Marathon County Board Supervisor for District 10, Wausau, WI