COVER FEATURE
by B.C. Kowalski
PRIMARY COLORS VOTERS IN WAUSAU DISTRICTS 1 AND 4 WILL HAVE CHOICES AHEAD OF THE SPRING ELECTION IN APRIL.
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ext Tuesday voters in District 1 and District 4 will have the opportunity to narrow pools of candidates down to two contenders who will face off in April. While April’s elections will have a ton of contested races, including nearly half the county board seats, there are comparatively few primaries. Three candidates vie for District 1, which covers the southeast side neighborhood by the Wausau airport. The seat is currently held by Pat Peckham, who is not running in April. Four candidates will compete for District 4 which covers an area north of downtown. The seat is held by Tom Neal, who announced last year he wouldn’t be running in April. The candidates represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds and ideas. None of them have served on city council or spent much time in the public eye before this election, though some have experience with municipal government.
District 1 ___________________
Carol Lukens Carol Lukens is a 57-year-old charter school teacher in the Wausau School District, teaching children grades 6-12, but mostly high school students, she tells City Pages. She’s also worked as a paralegal/legal assistant, working with buyers/mortgagees, real estate agents, sellers, creditors, LUKENS county and city departments in the course of her work. Lukens says she’s running for office because she believes strongly in the importance of local government. It’s something she tells her students, and believes in “walking the walk.” She believes a variety of voices is important in a society. “A society can’t exist if we’re all thinking the same thing,” Lukens says. Lukens says she likes that the city has formed an affordable housing task force and that it’s focusing on public transportation because both issues are something she sees firsthand as a teacher. She likes the positivity of the current mayor, though is quick to add that’s not a diss on past mayors. Lukens says she is hesitant to be too critical of the current council, since things are usually more complex than they seem on the surface and since she has served on school governance and watched a lot of school, city and county meetings; But she says she really wants to focus on affordable housing, transportation and employment. Lukens says she worked with Peckham as a teacher when he was at City Pages, and heard good things about his responsiveness to residents. She hopes to fulfill her role similarly if elected, and feels she would bring a different professional background to the council. That experience in the public and private sector, plus a willingness to listen, is why she believes voters should choose her in the primary.
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February 10-17, 2022
John Kroll
Kroll is a 38-year-old energy auditor, helping residents become more energy efficient. Kroll and his wife came to Wausau from the Twin Cities to move closer to family. Kroll says one of the appeals of Wausau was that it would afford more opportunities to become involved in the KROLL community, and running for city council is one such example. Kroll currently serves as the chair of the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee, and a resident member of the Citizens Advisory Committee. He’s looking to take his involvement to the next level in running for council. Kroll is very much in favor of the city adopting a strategic plan, something the city is currently undergoing at the behest of Mayor Katie Rosenberg. Kroll had some involvement in the environmental justice resolution that was pushed by Ald. Tom Kilian. Affordable housing is also a very important issue to Kroll. Kroll says one of the issues he sees is communication — he’d like to see better communications channels between the council, the mayor and residents. Kroll says better communication would be something he’d bring to the table as District 1 alderman. Although Peckham was always available and a good representative, Kroll says, feedback he’s heard is that information wasn’t made as readily available as some residents would like. He’d like to improve that. Kroll says sustainability is really important to him, and something that is a major part of his vision. He brings the perspective of a young father, something that sets him apart from the other candidates and makes him a representative of the demographic Wausau is trying to lure back to the city. He cites his experience with city staff and representatives, and experience serving on city committees, as reasons to vote for him.
William Bublitz
Bublitz is a 67-year-old retired resident who worked jobs as diverse as working in a foundry, a printing factory, in restaurant management and for a phone company. He’s lived on the SouthEast Side for five years, and in Wausau since 2007. Bublitz’s main concern is affordable housing, and he feels the city has done a lot for high-end apartments to bring in workers in that pay range (but feels the city hasn’t done enough to bring in the appropriate jobs to that level); but he feels not enough has been done in affordable housing. He also feels strongly about sidewalk maintenance and safety. He cites issues with the crosswalks available to cross Sturgeon Eddy, especially for those in wheelchairs. He says there aren’t enough city workers to keep the sidewalks clear, and not enough bus drivers; he’d like to take a serious look at the city’s employment levels and recruitment tactics. He likes that the city started the affordable housing task force and that it passed the A Community for All resolution. Bublitz also says he’d like to see more things for young
people to do in Wausau. He mentions getting a movie theater back or holding dances. He cites the video game arcades of his youth as an example of having a place for young people. Bublitz says he wants to be an active force on the council, and cites his love of Wausau more than his hometown of Fort Atkinson. He feels he can put more time into the job than other candidates since he’s retired. He says he would like to get back to common sense, which he says is greatly missing. (We have did not receive a headshot from Bublitz.)
District 4 ___________________
Doug Diny
Doug Diny is a 60-year-old industrial salesperson. He’s lived in District 4 and Wausau for 22 years. Diny has been something of a regular on the city council scene since around 2016, attending meetings and sometimes speaking at them. “I got more involved when I saw DINY the $4.1 million the city was going to give to CBL,” Diny told City Pages, referring to a deal with the former mall owner and its plans to use the funds to move Younkers from one wing to another to free up the building HOM resides in now. Diny felt the city has had troubles with how it handles economic development, citing Riverlife and its dealings with Mike Frantz as another example. Diny liked that the city is taking a proactive approach to affordable housing, citing Mayor Katie Rosenberg’s initiative to create the affordable housing task force. Diny himself lives in the East High Apartments; its owners recently announced that it would be cutting its subsidized housing stock. Diny’s biggest critique of the city is its transit system, something the city recently hired a consultant to study and make recommendation for improvement. He also cites staffing shortages, especially in police and fire (as well as transit) as a major issue. Diny said he often disagreed with Neal, who isn’t running in April, especially on economic development issues; but always thought he listened and was respectful. “He was always respectful, even when I would zing him with rough emails,” Diny says. Diny cites his business and military experience, his 22 years in the district and his knowledge of city government from attending so many meetings in suggesting voters choose him.
Jesse Kearns
Kearns is a 42-year-old inside sales rep for Heartland Business Systems of Little Chute, a technology company with Wausau offices. Kearns was born in Wausau, and lived in Wausau at various points in his life between stints in La Crosse, Maui and Madison. The Community for All discussion sparked
KEARNS
