WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg and three members of the Marathon County Board of Supervisors called a shotgun press conference Tuesday afternoon to issue a proclamation declaring the city “A Community for All,” following the County Board’s Executive Committee voting down a similar resolution and in light of a recent New York Times article on the matter.
Rosenberg said her office spent much of Tuesday in damage control mode because of the story, adding that what was written was “heartbreaking.”
“The byline said Wausau, Wisconsin,” said Rosenberg. “It was devastating to read that about my community.”
Rosenberg deferred much of the comment at Tuesday’s event to Supervisors William Harris, Ka Lo, and Yee Leng Xiong who were all in favor of the resolution which failed last week. They also called the story a false representation of their experiences in the community.
“It’s not only me, but it’s so many people that don’t see this community like that,” said Lo. “That’s how the light was put onto our community, that we are seen as a community that is non-welcoming.”
Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg in front of City Hall. MWC photo by Mike Leischner.
Lo adds that the story, which included comments from those who spoke out against the resolution last week, also shows the need for the resolution. “It does matter. Words do matter, and we do care about this community. When people leave they do say ‘Wausau is a great community, there are good people there.'”
“What I read in the New York Times- that was not true. People need to show up and support this resolution,” she added.
All three Supervisors expressed a commitment to finding a workable “Community for All” resolution in the future that can pass the full Board of Supervisors. Harris, the lone Black member of the Board of Supervisors, blamed misinformation and propaganda for its failure. “We really have to stand up and speak out. We will really have to work hard and think about what we say to each other, and what we are saying to the world in terms of who we are and who we want to be.”
Xiong said the county’s resolution comes with no hidden political agenda or favoritism to one group or another. “Many of our neighbors who are struggling and face discrimination and hate crimes need some sort of validation. Our community needed a statement from our leaders reaffirming our commitment to the well-being of all citizens.
“It is imperative for me to note that this resolution is not declaring Marathon County or the City of Wausau as racist. We are not calling anyone racist. We are not talking about critical race theory,” added Xiong. He went on to say that the rise in hate crimes against the Asian community after the COVID-19 outbreak and results from community surveys such as the Marathon County LIFE report magnified the need for a statement.
According to Rosenberg’s proclamation, the LIFE report has shown an increase in incidents of discrimination; while the 2019 survey showed less than half of respondents were satisfied with the level of tolerance in the community.
According to the proclamation, the city remains open to all to live and work. Additionally, the proclamation declares that the divisive rhetoric that was published in the New York Times article “does not reflect the city’s opinions, values, or commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Rosenberg added that she was interviewed by the New York Times author, but it appears her comments didn’t make the final copy.
Members of the Wausau City Council, Weston Board of Trustees, and other Marathon County Supervisors also attended Tuesday’s event along with other community activists such as Kayley McColley who serves on the city’s Policing Task Force.
You can read the proclamation in its entirety at the above link, and view comments from all four participants in the attached YouTube video.
Tuesday’s press conference was announced with about two hours’ notice.
