District 9 on the Marathon County Board is set to get new representation, as the board considers an appointment to fill the vacant seat.
The board will consider appointing Lee Peek to complete the current District 9 term at 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Assembly Room at the Courthouse, 500 Forest St. in Wausau. If approved, Peek would be sworn in at the end of the meeting and take office Nov. 11, according to Marathon County Clerk Kim Trueblood.
Peek has lived in District 9 since moving to the area from Missouri in 2001 to work as a morning radio host for WDEZ, a job he held until 2011. He still works in radio production. He was first elected to the County Board in 2012 and served three terms, through 2018, including service as board vice-chair in 2014-15 and 2016-17. He has also served on the boards of local nonprofits including The Women's Community Inc. in Wausau and Gospel TLC in Weston.
A committee including Board Chairperson Kurt Gibbs and Vice-Chairperson Chris Dickinson interviewed applicants for the vacancy on Oct. 27 and Nov. 2. The candidates interviewed were Ethel Quisler, Lee Peek and Dawn Herbst, and one other candidate withdrew before an interview.
Current District 9 Supervisor Chantelle Foote is resigning because her husband recently retired and the couple plan to spend winters in warmer regions, and she said the district would be better represented by someone who lives there full time. Foote was elected to a second two-year term in April 2026 after running unopposed.
Under Wisconsin law, a county board vacancy is filled by appointment for the rest of the term or until a special election. About a year and five months remain in the District 9 term, and all 38 Marathon County Board seats will be up for election in April 2028.
