‘Wausau’s Independent with Tom Kilian’ debuts this month

Wausau Pilot & Review

A weekly opinion column from former Dist. 3 Alder Tom Kilian will debut later this month in Wausau Pilot & Review, focusing on local issues of critical importance to the community.

“Wausau’s Independent with Tom Kilian” is the first-ever weekly opinion column for the Pilot, which regularly publishes letters to the editor and opinion pieces from people in the community. Kilian, who describes himself as an Independent, spent two terms on the Wausau City Council but chose not to seek a third term in 2024. His involvement in local civic matters stretches back nearly two decades.

While in office, his positions reflected community advocacy and citizen-driven government on multiple fronts, including public participation, transparency, and addressing environmental contamination. Quantitatively, he had the cleanest fiscal voting record of any member of the city council during his tenure in terms of debt, borrowing, and taxpayer subsidies to private upscale development.

Some of Kilian’s past recommendations and opinion pieces, such as on eliminating the water utility PILOT to reduce surging rates, significantly changed the way that certain key Wausau policy issues are considered and approached.

He has also been a vocal critic of – and has written about – Wausau’s “Good Ol’ Boys” culture and its adverse impact on policy outcomes for residents.

The weekly column will launch in the coming weeks.