Wausau City Council Decides to Fill Vacant District 5 Seat Through Application/Interview Process

Thursday, September 11th, 2025 -- 9:01 AM

(WAOW & Mike Leischner, WSAU) The Wausau City Council has decided to fill the vacant District Five seat through an application and interview process, despite pushback from some Alders.

According to WAOW and Mike Leischner with WSAU, the council chose this method over holding a special election or leaving the seat vacant. Three alders opposed the decision, arguing it wasn’t right for the council to decide for the district. However, the seven alders in favor said it was important to provide representation until a new alder is elected next April.

“If we have qualified applicants from that district that show up seeking to serve, and we select one of those applicants, rather than have that seat sit in silence, I think it’s fair that we would put an interim alder in place and let that person communicate on behalf of those citizens, give that district a voice,” said Council President Lisa Rasmussen.

Interested District Five residents can apply for the seat once Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde posts the vacancy on the city’s website. Qualified candidates will then be invited to an upcoming City Council meeting, where the ten remaining Alders will conduct interviews with them.

One will be voted into the seat and serve the remainder of the late Gary Gisselman’s unexpired term, which runs through next April when the entire 11-person body is up for reelection. Any resident of District Five who is 18 or older and has no felony convictions is eligible.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.