Wausau elects Doug Diny for Mayor

WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – Incumbent Mayor Katie Rosenburg loses by 424 votes, as Alder Doug Diny pulls ahead taking 52% of voters.

A tight race as number began to roll in around 9pm Tuesday night. Doug Diny pulled enough ahead just an hour later with 52% of the Wausau residents votes. Beating incumbent Mayor Katie Rosenburg.

“We’re going to return order to city hall. We’re going to take sound management. Reduce the water bills and we’re going to get to work.” Diny said on Tuesday night.

It came down to a difference of 424 votes. Katie Rosenburg received 4,798 and Doug Diny took 5,222.

Over 78,000 people registered to vote. However, voter turnout was only at 40%. This was likely due to the timing of the Winter Storm Warning and deteriorating road conditions after work.

6,000 more Republicans headed to the polls than Democrats.

Following the election results Diny released this statement:

“I want to thank the voters of Wausau for electing me to be their next mayor and I want to thank Mayor Rosenberg for her years of service to the community. Thank you also to my supporters and all of the grassroots volunteers who made this possible. I want every Wausonian to know that I will be a mayor for all. I am ready to get to work and help make Wausau an affordable place to live, start a business, and grow a family.”

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming also released a statement following Diny’s victory:

“Congratulations to WisGOP-backed Doug Diny on his triumph in the Wausau Mayoral election. His stunning victory over incumbent Mayor Katie Rosenberg marks an unmistakable repudiation of failed Democrat policies and is a win for Central Wisconsin values.”

Other election results in the Central Wisconsin area included…

The Wausau School Board where three seats needed to be voted in. Patrick McKee took 19% of the votes. Sarah Marie Brock and Jane Rusch filled the other two seats with 16%.

Wausau City Council:

District 1: Carol Lukens 62%

District 4: Tom Neal 75%

District 5: Gary Gisselman 56%

District 6: Rebecca McElhaney 71%

District 8: Sarah Watson 51%

District 9: Victoria Tierney 53%

Marathon County Board:

District 1: John Kroll 57%

District 3: Kody Hart 56%

District 5: Gary Gisselman 55%

District 6: Stacey Morache 58%

District 7: Deb Hoppa 51%

District 10: Randy Radtke 58%

District 11: Randy DeBroux 52%

District 14 Rick Seefeldt 65%

District 15 Randy Fifrick 56%

District 16 Bill Conway 50%

District 23 Chris Voll 52%

District 32 Kurt Gibbs 54%

District 36 Scott Poole 56%

District 38 Brandon Jensen 72%

Voters approved a Stevens Point Area School District referendum. The Portage County Clerk says the measure passed with 75-hundred yes votes to 69-hundred no votes. The referendum asked for $14 million-dollars for operating costs for retention of staff, enhanced school security, mental health support and more.

Zacher wins by a landslide in the Wisconsin Rapids mayoral race. With all eight of the city’s precincts reporting at 8:40 p.m. Zacher had 77% of the vote to defeat Tom Terry Mews. Zacher’s Facebook page says he has lived in Wisconsin Rapids for 18 years. He served in the military and was deployed during Desert Storm. He graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a Masters Degree in Social Work and Juvenile Corrections. He’s worked multiple jobs in the Juvenile Corrections field, ending with a job as a school social worker in Milwaukee. He is also a co-owner of Express Recycling Solutions and has served on City Council since 2021.

Also today, Wisconsin voters took part in a statewide referendum on two proposed new amendments to the state constitution. Both questions were approved and will ban private cash donations to election operations in Wisconsin. As well as clarify who can and cannot be an election worker in the state.

The Presidential Primary Election also took place with President Biden and Donald Trump already clinching their parties’ nominations. Now, Trump is challenging President Biden to debate him. The former president campaigned in Green Bay Tuesday night.

President Biden is coming to Madison on Monday.

Critics of President Biden’s support of the war in Gaza urged Democrats to vote “uninstructed” in Tuesday’s elections. They said they want to pick-up 20,000 votes, the same number Biden beat Trump by in Wisconsin in 2020. ‘Uninstructed’ dems matched that at 23,000 at 10pm.