The shocking amount spent to become Wausau Mayor

A last minute push that didn't work out

Candidates Doug Diny and Katie Rosenberg taken before the Wausau Mayor’s Race.

Campaign finance records released by the city of Wausau to The Wausonian last week show former Mayor Katie Rosenberg’s campaign expending hundreds of thousands of dollars (or spent on her behalf) in the waning days of the election.

That spend wasn’t enough to turn the tide — Doug Diny won the mayorship by a margin of more than 400 votes. The final tally was 5,222 to 4,798. That came as a surprise to many, as even some notable supporters of Diny didn’t think he could beat Rosenberg. Rosenberg had enjoyed a popularity among her base and even in City Pages Best of Reader survey, where she did surprisingly well in the category of local politician. (That survey hasn’t been released yet.)

It was already well-reported that a lot of money was spent to support Rosenberg in the final days of the campaign. But thanks to the campaign finance reports, The Wausonian learned just how much was spent.