Damakant Jayshi

With the results of the local elections for the mayor of Wausau, its City Council and the 38-member Marathon County Board of Supervisors certified, the stage is set for a new chapter to begin in local government.

The mayor serves a four-year term, but council and county officials serve two-year terms. Wausau will hold a training session for alders on Monday.

While Wausau will see three new alders along with a new mayor, the county board will see changes in 14 districts for a range of reasons. Some incumbents lost their bid for reelection and several incumbents chose not to seek another term.

While mayor-elect Doug Diny will allocate members for standing committees of the Wausau City Council, the chairs of those committees will be chosen democratically at their next scheduled meeting. A similar arrangement will also take place at the county, with its board chair nominating members to the standing committees.

There is one notable difference with respect to committees between the city and county. In Wausau, committee members are expected to be known on Tuesday, but at the county level the board chair typically seeks interest from members before appointments are finalized. That process is unlikely to be completed on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the 11-member Wausau City Council will also elect its president and an alder-representative for the Wausau Water Works Commission – both by a simple majority as well as an alder-representative for the Wausau Plan Commission. This requires a two-third majority.

Water Works Commission Member Joe Gehin’s term ends April 30, which opens the door for Diny to name a new member for a five-year term. Gehin, who has been under fire by some members of the community amid allegations of conflict of interest issues, could also be re-appointed by Diny, though the nominee is subject to full council approval. Gehin has been an employee of a consulting firm that conducts frequent business with the city including matters that fall under the purview of the utility commission. His current status with the company is unclear. Gehin has rejected any question of impropriety and refused to heed past calls for his resignation.

The county board on Tuesday will also elect its chair and vice-chair for a two-year term. In April 2022, Chair Kurt Gibbs was reelected by a margin of 24-13, with one incumbent supervisor could not vote due to a recount challenge in her district. Vice Chair Craig McEwen did not seek another term on the board.

Chairs of standing committees automatically become members of the executive committee at both the city and county level. In Wausau, if a city alder chairs two committees, a vice chair of one of those committees will serve on the executive body. And at the county level, an additional at-large member is elected to the executive committee, per current rules.

All but one standing committee at the county level has seven supervisors, while one – Environmental Resources – has 10 members, with eight supervisors and two additional members that include a representative of the Towns Association of Marathon County and another representing the Farm Service Agency.

Wausau’s Council meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday with the Marathon County Board meeting beginning at 7.