Doug Diny
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau Mayor Doug Diny has issued an editorial recommending a City Manager form of government beginning as soon as next year.
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
“When I took office, I truly believed that through hard work, collaboration, and—yes—sheer force of will, we could change the tone and direction of local government,” said Diny. “I believed that with enough effort, we could overcome dysfunction and personality-driven politics. But I have come to realize that it’s not just a matter of effort or goodwill—it’s about structure. And our current structure is holding us back.”
WSAU News has reached out to the Mayor’s office for further comment, but has not heard back. But this is not the first time that Diny has been on the record in support of the change.
RELATED: Wausau City Council Adopts 2023 Budget, Last-Minute Administrator Proposal Fails
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.
RELATED: Mayors Monday: Wausau Mayor-Elect Doug Diny
“There are reasons why a guy asks a question. Either you don’t know the answer and you just want to know, you know the answer and want to test the theory, or you know the answer and you want to put it on the record. If you don’t, and you sit on it, [it may not] go anywhere. Did I think it would pass? No. Did I think we could at least discuss it? Yes,” Diny said in the days after his win. “We’ll see. Once I get a few things in place and we see how this looks.”
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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