WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Two local government groups with focuses on diversity met for an initial discussion this week.
Thursday afternoon a joint meeting was held between the Marathon County Diversity Affairs Commission and the City of Wausau’s Liberation and Freedom Committee. The two committees met to discuss joining together to work on diversity efforts. Diversity Affairs Commission Chair Yee Leng Xiong started the discussion by explaining the history of the Commission.
“In the past when the Diversity Affairs Commission was originally developed or created, it was created as a result of the Wausau 2000’s study that was conducted to try and address the new waves of Hmong individuals or refugees that were coming to the local area. And from my understanding and my recollection here, at that time the Diversity Affairs Commission was a joint collaboration between the County and the City of Wausau.
“As years went by, the City of Wausau ended up withdrawing from that group. And that’s how Marathon County continues to this day here. So I was approached by Mayor Rosenberg and during our discussions along with Administrator Leonhard and also Chairman Gibbs, there was a discussion about potentially bringing these two groups back together here in an effort to unite efforts in regards to diversity initiatives. Obviously, because diversity doesn’t end at the border of the City of Wausau, it continues onward.”
While members of both groups like the idea and theory of working together more often, most were opposed to completely combining the two groups back together. Wausau District 3 Alder Tom Killian was the first to express his opposition to becoming one Commission. “I think we’re talking about two distinct levels of government with different geographies, often different needs and dispositions.
“For example, I was elected to serve District 3 in the City of Wausau. That is my focus and what I am committed to doing while also serving the best interest of my hometown. Furthermore, it is my feeling that the municipal committee has been effective and has followed objectives, strategies, and tactics in an effective way in the policy realm. Therefore I would not support joining the two bodies.”
Another concern about combining the two groups together came from Diversity Affairs Commission citizen representative Lisa Ort-Sondergard. “Given the opposition that the County Board has seen with the various resolutions that have come out of the Diversity Affairs Commission it seems, and I’m going to make a generalization here which normally I don’t like to do, but it seems overall those have been opposed by people representing the rural parts of our county and supported by the representatives of the City of Wausau.
“So I guess I feel like maybe the City’s perspective is going to get swallowed up by the County’s if we combine these two. I think if we can somehow collaboratively work together to be efficient and to bring more ideas to the table and not have both entities reinventing the wheel, I think that makes sense. But I think it’s really important to keep those bodies separate.”
Some of the suggestions given about the two groups working together as separate bodies included a liaison between the two and working on projects collaboratively. No official action was taken by the two bodies following the discussion on Thursday. Another joint meeting will be held in the future to continue discussions on the idea of the two groups working together in some capacity.
