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WHEELING -- The Ward 2 race brings the largest field of contestants in Wheeling's municipal election, with five candidates vying for the seat on city council.
On June 9, voters will decide between incumbent Councilman Ken Imer and challengers Alex Coogan, Joe Key, Ben Seidler and Charles Ballouz.
Imer, of Indiana Street, has lived in Ward 2 for 25 years and works at Legacy Truck Center in downtown Wheeling.
He is married and has three daughters, and the family belongs to St. Michael's Parish. He is a member of the Wheeling Island Community Association, Knights of Columbus Carroll County 504 and Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority board, is vice chair of the Wheeling Public Safety Committee, chairman of the rules committee and member of the promotions and public relations committee.
"As a councilman, I have been improving our infrastructure from taking part in implementing a new water plant to paving our roads in Ward 2, removing 36 blight properties from Ward 2, improving our quality of life with new playground equipment and working with city officials on projects like moving the Health Plan to downtown and improving WesBanco Arena," Imer said. "I believe Wheeling's greatest asset is our people. We are full of unity and drive to be a family-oriented community all around."
Imer said the city's biggest challenges are maintaining its infrastructure and keeping a balanced budget. He added that the city needs to keep pushing forward with state officials to get the Wheeling Suspension Bridge reopened.
"In order to combat these challenges, we need to keep the issues on the forefront and make sure our budget reflects those needs," he said. "I also believe we need the community's help and have them be proactive with their specific community issues.
"I have had the unique opportunity of serving under two different mayors with two very different visions. I respect both and did what I felt was right for the citizens of Wheeling. I said 'no' when I had to and 'yes' to others with the end result looking at what impacts the citizens the most. My goals are to continue to clean up our communities and address our infrastructure needs."
Coogan, of Maryland Street, is an Ohio Valley investor, entrepreneur and employer, as well as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Wheeling board of directors.
"Wheeling needs a leader with tried and proven leadership skills, a person who consistently gets the job done and brings home results," Coogan said. "As a businessman and investor, I am aware of how to bring good paying jobs to the area, to entice young people to come and stay."
Wheeling's greatest assets are the river, its natural beauty, its diverse and talented workforce, and its kind gentle people, according to Coogan, who described the city's biggest challenges as being over regulation, over taxation and "short-sighted leadership that has made no progress in the last four years," as well as its "selective enforcement" of the rules.
If elected, Coogan said his efforts will focus on "gutting the codified ordinances to stream-line the way the city functions and end selective enforcement. I would work to get more businesses to Wheeling, therefore increasing the tax base and allowing us to lower the taxes on existing businesses. City leadership constantly ignores the fact that we are right next to two other states that are much more competitive than we are when it comes to bringing businesses in, causing us to loose out in the long run."
Coogan said he will work to make sure there are no new taxes, repeal the building height restrictions downtown, repeal the User Fee, open the Suspension Bridge, fix the pot holes and entice businesses.
Key, of Main Street, is a U.S. Air Force veteran, retired letter carrier, former women's basketball coach at Wheeling Jesuit University and current men's golf coach at Wheeling University. He has been a board member of the North Wheeling Boosters Association, a basketball and tennis coach at Mt. De Chantal Visitation Academy, co-founder and executive director of the Ohio Valley AAU, advisor to the President's Council on Physical Fitness, board member of the Wheeling Housing Authority and president of Wheeling Neighborhood Ventures. He has counseled student athletes and their parents through college recruiting and is currently a mentor at Madison Elementary School
"I've been active in the community for 40 years," Key said. "Running for city council is my way of wanting to give something back to residents of my community. I believe that my experience and leadership skills can have a positive influence on city council and the decisions affecting our city."
Along with the city's historic preservation, Centre Market and other highlights, the "professional and efficient" employees who provide essential city services are among Wheeling's greatest assets, according to Key.
One of our city's challenges is to improve aging infrastructure, including bridges, roads, water lines and sewers, Key said, adding that city leaders need to anticipate possible challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and be pro-active in dealing with them without affecting city employees and without increasing taxes or fees.
"To be an effective member of city council, you need to be able to do more than voice complaints," Key said. "You need to be able to work with other council members and have the proven experience and leadership skills needed to bring people together, implement ideas and manage them to ensure their success.
"Transparency and honesty are the foundation of good government, and I'll strive to make council accountable to these ideals. I'll be available and prompt to your concerns and do my best to get a positive result, while also being completely honest with you."
Seidler, of North Front Street, is a lifelong Wheeling resident who has three daughters and a background in information technology. He managers the information system for Ohio Coatings Company and is actively engaged with multiple neighborhood community associations. He serves on the board of directors for the Victorian Old Town Association in North Wheeling.
"I push hard each and every day for positive change in our neighborhoods, and I get things done, Seidler said. "I live here, and I want my kids to come back here when they are grown. That will be my legacy ... not my name on a building."
Seidler said he is running for the Ward 2 council seat because "our neighborhoods should be safe and beautiful places to raise our families and enjoy life. The level of slum properties, burned-out buildings, overgrown lots and just blight in general across Wheeling Island, North Wheeling and Fulton is completely unacceptable. Our current council representative has allowed the city to turn a blind eye to the condition of these neighborhoods that we invested in and live in. That ends now. I am here to clean it up and help restore them back to their glory."
Wheeling's greatest asset is its people and their willingness to help one another in times of need, Seidler said.
"Our neighborhoods have some of the most beautiful and historic homes in our entire city, if we could just elect a representative with the courage to fight like hell for us, and deal with the properties that destroy the image and property values for the rest of us," he said. "We are flanked by an incredible number of wonderful amenities to make our neighborhoods the most sought-after places to live. We just need to clean them up. It is not insurmountable."
A big challenge the city must face, Seidler said, is changing the mindset that neglected neighborhoods are just going to stay that way.
"I am committed to being an engaged part of the solution, not just sitting in the chair," Seidler said. "I will not stop until we get fair and proactive code enforcement resources to clean up the blight, slum houses and drug houses that are destroying our property values and negatively impacting our quality of life. I take this very seriously. I invested in our neighborhood like so many others. This is my home. Regardless of who you are or where you live in our city, you deserve to be able to enjoy your quality of life just as much as anyone else in this city. I will fight for that. I don't own rental property or owe anyone any favors. I am not a politician. I am your neighbor and friend."
Ballouz, of Main Street, has lived in downtown Wheeling for 37 years and is making his seventh run for a seat on city council. Eight years ago, he lost the race by a single vote.
He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and has served as president of the Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority for many years through early 2005 and was instrumental in getting bus service to The Highlands. He's been active with issues in the downtown area and lead a grassroots petition against the move to create two-way streets. He volunteers at the Ohio County Civil Service Commission, has served as a board member of the Public Defenders Corporation and has been a regular at city council meetings for many years.
"I'm the more experienced candidate," Ballouz said. "I believe I speak on behalf of a lot of people. I'm known around the city from my volunteer work, and I have a good rapport with people around the city. I'm like an old country doctor – I'm willing to make house calls and prefer one-on-one contact with people. We need to have more citizen involvement."
Ballouz said the three-minute time limit during the public forum at the end of city council meetings does not offer enough time for people to get their point across. He said he is against the $2 per week User Fee or City Service Fee that was implemented this year and indicated he believed "double dipping" was happening with the fire service fee. He said the former Ohio Valley Medical Center is in an ideal location to be a veterans hospital. He said the city does need a place to relocate its fire and police departments in one area.
"We need to get rid of the B&O tax in stages," he said. "It should be on the net, not the gross."
The city would benefit from more exposure from the police department, Ballouz noted, and the drug problem needs to be addressed.
"Wheeling does have great potential," he said. "The waterfront is fantastic and needs to be utilized more."
Ballouz said regular ward meetings are important to keep citizens engaged and informed.
"We need to work together," Ballouz said. "I think this would be a very good start."