Marathon County
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Marathon County’s Diversity Affairs Commission took advantage of the summer-like conditions on Thursday to hold a town hall meeting on the proposed “A Community for All” resolution at the Whitewater Music Hall in Wausau.
Commission Chairman Yee Leng Xiong and the rest of the members were hoping to gather feedback to better understand the backlash against the measure, which he says is often misinterpreted.
“[We want to make sure] every individual regardless of your political preference, gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. is welcome in Marathon County,” he said. “That is the whole purpose of this resolution.”
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He adds that somewhere in the process the issue became politicized for some while others seem to think there is a hidden political agenda somewhere in the text. Xiong says that’s not the case.
“This resolution was meant to be a good resolution. It was not meant to be controversial at all. It was meant to declare Marathon County as a community that’s welcoming for everyone.
“To an individual who has not walked in the shoes of someone from a marginalized community or a person of color- to them, this is just a document. But to individuals who are people of color or are marginalized community members, this statement means everything. It is a statement from their government saying they are welcome here; reaffirming the commitment to ensuring that everyone is welcome in this community,” he added.
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In addition to being a way to support those who don’t always feel welcome, Xiong says much of the resolution is already written into the County’s comprehensive plan. But since not everyone has read that document from cover to cover, many may not even realize it’s there.
“It’s nothing new. It’s a standard that we have already put out and that we have said we are going to follow, and that we are going to do everything we can to a reasonable extent to make sure everybody feels welcome.”
Xiong said they chose to hold the meeting at the downtown facility on purpose to create a “less governmental” atmosphere in hopes of making the event approachable for everyone including those who may not interact with their government very often.
Commissioners plan to gather the feedback from the event into a reworked resolution that will be considered during their meeting next week. Should the resolution pass the committee, it would then be taken up by the full board at a future meeting.
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