The two choices for Wausau City Council District No. 1
We interviewed incumbent Carol Lukens and challenger Mary Kowatch
Two candidates are vying for the District No. 1 council seat covering the city’s Southeast Side neighborhood. Carol Lukens, a reading interventionist for the Wausau School District, is running for her third term on the city council. This election, she will face challenger Mary Kowatch, an independent nurse practioner with a mind toward budgetary responsibility.
This preview is based on phone interviews with the candidates, which The Wausonian aims to do as much as possible. As always, The Wausonian provides all election coverage free of charge - we believe it’s our civic duty.
Read all of our election previews as we post them in our Spring 2026 Election Guide.
Carol Lukens
Lukens, who works as a reading interventionist for the Wausau School District and previously worked in the non-profit sector and for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, says her platform is built on four principles: stability in governance, stewardship, strategic growth and community.
“I think that municipal government works best when it’s steady and transparent and focused on core responsibilities,” Lukens told The Wausonian.
Lukens emphasized growing revenue for the city to help allay the tax burden on residents, which means attracting more development to the city. She also talked about staff members working together to find grants and other outside funding opportunities to help grow the city. And, Lukens said she wants to see stronger public-private partnerships.
Lukens, who has served on the city’s Economic Development, Transit, Public Safety and Sustainability committees, told The Wausonian she would like to see more diversity on the city’s committees, even amongst citizen members. That means a mix of seasoned and new city council members on each committee, and more varied residents serving on committees that have citizen roles.
Another idea Lukens put forth was to hold more council retreats - she said they could have multiple retreats focused on different topics aimed at educating council members.
Lukens said that, even more than her first term, she really learned a lot in her second term on the city council and she says that experience makes her the best choice for the District No. 1 city council seat.
Mary Kowatch
Mary Kowatch is an independent practice nurse who also has experience teaching math and anatomy. Though she doesn’t have municipal government experience, she currently serves as the president of a statewide nursing organization, a role that has her working with state legislators.
She was motivated to run to help decrease the tax burden on taxpayers — she says even small increases add up over time for families paying taxes in the city. Being fiscally responsible, developing the community and creating a city that residents can be proud of are her three priorities.
"Getting involved in local government, I see homeowners, especially the taxpayers, need good representation as far as their money is concerned,” Kowatch told The Wausonian.
As an example of fiscal responsibility for taxpayers, she also would have voted against extending TIF District No. 7 (the extension was voted down with Mayor Doug Diny breaking the tie). She said that would have been in the interest of the city’s constituents.
Kowatch said she would be happy to serve on any committee asked of her, but emphasized Finance, Public Works and the Water Works Commission as ones she would have interest in. She also wants to see more promotion of the arts and expressed concern about what she sees as the dismissal of citizen complaints and comments by some council members.
Kowatch says she is a person of integrity and has a strong history of being fiscally responsible, and cites that as reasons why voters should choose her in April.
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