Wausau’s Mayor Recommends City Manager Form of Government

Thursday, June 19th, 2025 -- 8:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Wausau Mayor Doug Diny has issued an editorial recommending a City Manager form of government beginning as soon as next year.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, Diny’s letter, published in the Wausau Pilot and Review on Wednesday, says the current structure at City Hall is holding the community back.

He adds that he doesn’t think that will change by simply electing new leaders. This is not the first time that Diny has been on the record in support of the change.

In November 2022, Alder Diny proposed a $129,000 addition to the 2023 city budget to recruit and hire a City Administrator with an anticipated start date of June 1st, 2023.

The proposal came in the form of a last-minute motion during the budget meeting, but was not voted on by the Alders due to a lack of a second. Then-Mayor Katie Rosenberg noted that she wasn’t against the change but said she’d like to see it vetted at the committee level first.

Then, in April 2024, after defeating Rosenberg in the Spring Election, Diny said the idea was still “worthy of discussion” but wouldn’t be a first 100 days priority.

Diny’s letter indicates that he will appoint a task force to help craft the job description and responsibilities of the position.

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