Wausau School Board's Mary Thao to run for City Council
Mark Treinen
WAUSAU - Mary Thao, who was elected to the Wausau School Board in 2016, says she now plans to run for a seat on the Wausau City Council.
Thao, 39, said she will seek the council's District 10 position in the April 3 election.
The seat currently is held by Sherry Abitz, who caused a stir last year when she told Thao in an email that a Hmong peace march was equivalent to a KKK rally. Abitz, who made the comment as a Marathon County Board member, later apologized to Thao.
Thao was elected to the School Board in April 2016 and remains a member. Her announcement Friday did not say whether she plans to leave the School Board if elected to the City Council.
“We must build a quality of life here in Wausau that will attract young professionals, businesses, and families to Wausau," she said in a statement announcing her candidacy.
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She is a former Aspirus Foundation Board member and graduate of the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce Leadership Excellence Program. Thao has a master’s in business administration from Hamline University and 19 years of experience in information technology, currently serving as an IT consultant for Marshfield Clinic Health Systemc.
Thao and her husband, Yeng, have four children and operate a tropical fruit business seasonally at the Wausau World Market.