Field Set for Wausau School Board Elections

Thursday, January 8th, 2026 -- 8:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) The field is set for the 2026 Wausau School Board election on April 7th.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, six candidates will compete for four spots on the board: three full terms and one partial term.

Names will be listed on the ballot as follows:

• Kathryn Ruland
• Charles Burger
• John Huntington
• Cory Sillars
• Yauo Y. Yang
• Lance Trollop

Voters will select up to four names. The top three will serve a full three-year term, and the fourth-place finisher will serve one year and be up for re-election in 2027.

While a primary is not required in that race, voters in at least one Wausau alder district will need to narrow a list of three candidates for their seat on the City Council.

District six has three qualified candidates to replace Becky McElhaney, who is giving up her seat. That list includes former Alder Keene Winters, Kristin Solonski, and Mario Diaz.

The primary is February 17th, with the top two advancing to the April 7th ballot. As of Tuesday, four Wausau Districts will be uncontested. Those are District three (Terry Kilian), District eight (Sarah Watson), District nine (Victoria Tierney), and District 10 (Lou Larson).

The remainder of the Districts have two names on the ballot in April. Incumbents are marked with a *:

District one- Carol Lukens* and Mary Kowatch

District two- Michael Martens* and Nick Nowak

District four- Tom Neal* and Vylius Leskys

District five- Aaron Griner* and Andrew Wiskowski

District seven- Lisa Rasmussen* and Matt Hoenecke

District 11- Timothy Howe and Bruce Trueblood

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