Mayor Katie Rosenberg pictured in high school (left) and as Mayor in 2020 (right) to show young adults that anyone can run for office. (Photo courtesy of Katie Rosenberg/Twitter)
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — What started as a little mid-week humor on Twitter, turned into a unique bonding experience for local Central Wisconsin Mayors.
Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg said she shared a Facebook memory on Twitter Wednesday morning to let teenagers know that they can do anything when they grow up even if they don’t currently know what that is. “I had a memory pop up on my Facebook page about myself in high school, sharing kind of a throwback vibe.
“And I just thought, it’s pretty funny that kind of a weirdo goth kid can grow up to be Mayor. But it turns out there are a lot of weirdos that are Mayors in our surrounding municipalities. And I mean that in the most endearing of terms.”
The next afternoon, Rosenberg posted a follow-up tweet, after receiving pictures from two other Central Wisconsin Mayor’s about their fashion choices when they were younger. “So then I got a picture from Chris Frederickson who’s the Mayor of Rhinelander looking like Boy George, pretty good. And then of course Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza had a picture of himself looking very much in the Kiss vibe here.”
Apparently I sparked a little competition with Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza and Rhinelander Mayor Chris Frederickson.
I still think I win because I'm not in costume but these are pretty convincing arguments that the @LeagueWIMunis needs to create a Weirdo Mayor Caucus. pic.twitter.com/wQbAgAHBb2
— Katie Rosenberg (@katierosenberg) February 11, 2021
Rosenberg who has been Mayor of Wausau since April of 2020 says she’s looking forward to working more closely with other local Mayors like Frederickson and Wiza after this exchange. She hopes those will become in-person meetups as most have been virtual over the past few months with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Along with getting photos from other local Mayors, Rosenberg said she heard from others that resonated with the message that you can grow up to do anything you want, whether you fit a mold or not. “You look at politicians in their suits and it doesn’t feel like something that you are or you can be. But really anybody can do anything here if that’s what you want to do.”
Friday morning the League of Municipalities responded to the tweet about a Weirdo Mayor Caucus saying many others would be apart of the group as the League of Municipalities is welcome to any and all.
Welcome to any and all!
And to your idea @katierosenberg that would be an amazing group of people that would include not only @mikewiza Chris Frederickson and @zachvruwink but many others. 👏 https://t.co/EPmE4kMVyj
— League of Wis Munis (@LeagueWIMunis) February 12, 2021
Former Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Zach Vruwink also shared a photo of himself dressed in drag for an LGBTQ+ Pride celebration in Wisconsin Rapids. Several other Mayors from across the country also shared their “Weirdo Mayor” pictures on social media as well.
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