CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The message from Wausau voters appears to be this: the city’s finances, and to-the-moon debt are more important than weed-eating goats and the phony issue of inclusiveness. Katie Rosenberg got to the very bottom of the voters’ pockets, and when she did she was voted out of office.
Whether or not you are happy with the election results this morning, it’s undeniable that this mayoral election in Wausau marks the end of an era. From here forward, well-meaning local candidates will have little chance of becoming mayor in Wausau. It will be an office for the well-monied and the politically connected.
Katie Rosenberg started this trend when she invited Governor Tony Evers to come to Wausau and host a political fundraiser for her. What other candidate could hold a fundraiser to match that? Imagine a big-name Republican leader agreed to fundraise for her opponent; hypothetically someone like Scott Walker. The present-day governor would still bring in a bigger haul.
When Katie Rosenberg needed more campaign cash, she traveled to Madison for more fundraisers. National democrat groups from the East Coast and California funded a last-minute $191,000 advertising buy.
The point is, what local non-connected future candidate can compete with that? Look at our last three mayors. Robert Mielke is a working man. Jim Tipple and Linda Lawrence have some wealth, but money they’d spend on their campaigns went towards lawn signs. I wouldn’t expect them to empty their personal bank accounts to the tune of six-figures to counteract out-of-town money.
There will be a trickle down effect from this. Imagine if the “wrong” candidate wins. Will dark money then flow to city council races to thwart mayoral vetoes? You say that’s unlikely? Then explain political action group spending in school board races all over the state.
In this new landscape, you will never be mayor in Wausau. The door is now closed to an energetic local citizen who has good ideas and is willing to knock on doors to persuade people. Unless you are politically connected and have outsiders who are willing to spend big money on you, you’ll be drowned out by their cash.
That’s part of Katie Rosenberg’s legacy, and that makes it a sad day for Wausau.
Chris Conley
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