COVER FEATURE
by B.C. Kowalski
NOT SO FAST
The New York Times put Wausau in damage control mode after a national story about the failure of the A Community for All resolution. But a new version is coming. It started with a tweet. A New York Times reporter who had previously worked at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel saw a tweet about the A Community for All resolution and decided they should check into it. They came to Wausau, asked around, met with the mayor, got a lay of the land. The reporter and a photographer were at the Marathon County Executive meeting last month in which A Community for All was discussed and ultimately defeated. It was a long meeting, and a good portion of it revolved around A Community for All. That was on Thursday, May 13. On Tuesday, May 18, the New York Times story “A Community for All? Not so fast, this Wisconsin county says.” came out. It wasn’t flattering. The comments were even less so. A few of them: “Another flyover state, so many and so little time flying time.” “Anyone who uses “the coloreds” and “the gays” and says they aren’t racist is - indeed - racist.” “Economic pressure seems to be the only mechanism to break these logjams. Boycott Mutual of Wausau Insurance and other local corporations.” “Wisconsin is definitely a racist state, particularly in its rural communities. The nuckleheads [sic] who deny this are either ignorant or lying. I’ve lived in WI for 30 years and have always been appalled by the racist tendencies of the “natives”.” Mayor Katie Rosenberg still hasn’t caught up with the emails coming in from all over the country about the article. (Though it was a county decision, many of the comments decry “Wausau” as having rejected the resolution.) “People were asking in emails ‘how does it feel to be the face of white supremacy and the KKK, and all those other subhumans you represent?’” Rosenberg says. “Part of me is working on not being defensive, but also I want to defend my community.” The fallout from the New York Times article, which Rosenberg called the most damaging since The Atlantic’s article, has put people on the left and right on their heels, reeling about what to do. Rosenberg felt that she needed to act, and later Tuesday afternoon held a press conference declaring the city A Community for All. She messaged many of the angry commenters back explaining that she was in favor of the resolution, and was introducing a similar measure in Wausau. That mullified many of them. But how much good that will do is anyone’s guess. What happens next is also anyone’s guess.
Economic development
A number of people from all political stripes reached out to me after the story ran, and they weren’t happy about it. Some felt it was unfair to the people quoted in the story. Others on the liberal side of the political spectrum, those who might otherwise have been the New York Times’ subscriber base, recognized the damage just as clearly. For them, the story set back efforts at making Wausau a more inclusive place. Rosenberg heard from many businesses happy for the city’s resolution in response, though many are keeping quiet about that support. Rosenberg says she didn’t want to speak for them but anecdotes from several businesses have reached City Pages ears. Getting people to talk about it is another matter. City Pages has had trouble getting business owners to speak about it beyond canned statements. City Pages reached out to Greenheck Fan Corp. after
Part-time (30 hrs/week) employee will operate a catering vehicle to deliver meals to homebound older adults throughout Marathon County. Normal hours of work are generally Mon – Fri, 8:45 am to 2:45 pm. Position is based in the Wausau Aging & Disability Resource Center-CW office. Starting pay: $13.45/hour + County benefits To apply, visit us at: www.co.marathon.wi.us 37816
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June 3-10, 2021
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A history with racism
It’s not like Wausau hasn’t had a rough history with racism. The Times doesn’t mention this context either, but prior to the 1970s Wausau was the major metro of what was the whitest Congressional district in the country. Bar none. That changed with the Hmong migration that started in
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hearing there were efforts around inclusion and diversity following the vote, but the company declined comment. What about the medical college? City Pages asked Lisa Dodson, Dean of the Medical College of Wisconsin, whether the medical school was concerned about the resolution’s failure and the subsequent New York Times article would have an impact on recruiting efforts. Dodson responded with a statement: “The Medical College of Wisconsin-Central Wisconsin campus maintains our strong commitment to helping create a diverse physician workforce to meet the needs of central and northern Wisconsin. We will continue to recruit and admit students who will help us meet that objective. We will continue to work with our many partners in the Central Wisconsin community who support these efforts.” Grand Theater Executive Director Sean Wright told City Pages says there hasn’t been an impact on booking shows yet and there hadn’t been any cancellations yet, but it’s something that’s on the Grand Theater leader’s mind. “Agents/artists/producers are always aware of where they are taking their shows and choosing to perform, so it’s certainly something we’ll have to be aware of and ready to have discussions with those respective shows as they come up.” City Pages reached out to Dave Eckmann, CEO of the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce. A big part of the Chamber’s focus in the past few years has been workforce recruitment and talent; and that means attracting people from outside the area. With so many municipalities competing for workers, and so few of them to go around, it’s objectively a bad gambit to say no to anyone based on their identity. Embracing diversity and inclusion, even from a purely Machiavellian strategic view, would seem optimal even if a company or municipality doesn’t agree with it. And likely that’s a calculation many businesses are making. As of press time City Pages had not received a comment from Eckmann.
