Wheeling City Leaders Blasted Over Bluefield St. Venture
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WHEELING -- Wheeling City Council members attending their second in-person meeting of the year Tuesday were publicly excoriated at the end of the meeting by presidents of three local colleges, who continue to express disdain over the city's proposed venture with Bluefield State College.
Speaking during the open public forum portion at the end of the council meeting, West Virginia Northern Community College President Daniel Mosser carried the torch on behalf of WVNCC, West Liberty University and Wheeling University.
The three institutions came out last week in a united front and publicly criticized the city's plans to bring another college to the area.
Earlier this year, the city entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Bluefield State with plans to open a new Engineering and Manufacturing Center for educational purposes at the former Ohio Valley Medical Center campus, which is now owned by the city.
Mosser alleged that city leaders have not disclosed "inconvenient truths about who is really footing the bill" on the Bluefield State College proposal.
"You might want to hold onto your wallets," Mosser proclaimed.
"Construction plans for the remodel of OVMC space in question are currently out for cost estimates. These costs, to be paid by city taxpayers, exceeds $1.5 million."
Additionally, Mosser claimed that city leaders planned to charge no interest on the lease and build-out of the new center, and the MOU requires no monthly payments for the first year.
"The estimated cost to city taxpayers is $20,000 per month or $240,000 in one year," Mosser said.
"The estimated undisclosed year one direct costs to Wheeling city taxpayers is approximately $2 million.
"In other words, our Wheeling city tax dollars will be used to subsidize the poaching of Northern, WLU and WU students, costing local colleges enrollments, revenue and possibly local jobs. This scheme actually positions Wheeling city tax dollars in direct competition with West Virginia state tax dollars -- one block apart."
Guests signing up to participate under the agenda item of "Those Wishing to Speak" are limited to three minutes. When Mosser exhausted his time, Wheeling University President Ginny Favede and West Liberty University President W. Franklin Evans -- both of whom also signed up to speak -- yielded their time back to Mosser to continue his speech.
Evans did speak briefly, noting he took his position at the beginning of this year and was immediately met with the situation facing Bluefield State College possibly entering the same market. Evans said his staff at West Liberty University knew nothing about it.
"To this day, I've not been contacted by Bluefield State to learn anything about their plans," Evans said. "It is still my belief that our three institutions can provide all of the educational needs of this area."
Evans yielded back the remainder of his time to Mosser, who continued to lambaste city leaders who have publicly supported the Bluefield State venture. Mosser described the deal as a "Friends and Family Plan" for Mayor Glenn Elliott and City Manager Robert Herron, involving their "ethically challenged and politically connected friend" in Bluefield State President Robin Capehart.
Mosser asserted that Wheeling Vice Mayor Chad Thalman was the "family" connection.
"Deputy Mayor Thalman -- perhaps you should disclose for your city council colleagues and Wheeling city taxpayers that Robin Capehart is your uncle," he said. "Did you disclose this little family connection prior to the Jan. 5 signing of the MOU?"
According to Mosser, the three local college presidents learned about the "scheme" for the first time in The Intelligencer on Jan. 6 after the MOU was already signed. He alleged that Herron, Elliott and Thalman "dragged city council members into their scheme (unknowingly) providing Robin Capehart endless time to pitch this scheme in private session and without any of today's revelations on the table."
Although city leaders do not typically respond to statements made during the "Those Wishing to Speak" segment of a council meeting, officials addressed some of the accusations. They also met in closed-door session after the meeting, citing "acquisition of property" as the reason.
"This is not something we solicited," Elliott said. "City staff brought this proposal to us. Nobody solicited Bluefield State at all. City council, when presented with this, saw it as an opportunity to take vacant property which we came into ownership of -- a decision that was made last year that was a very risky decision, taking on 800,000 square feet of real estate -- we saw this as an opportunity to feel a need which as we understand was not currently being met with respect to this particular program here in the community."
Elliott noted that the MOU is not binding, city council has not agreed or voted to spend a dime on any related project and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has the ultimate decision on whether or not Bluefield can enter the Wheeling higher education market.
"Throughout this process, everyone on city council has been motivated solely on what we believe to be in the best interest of the citizens and the taxpayers going forward," Elliott said. "I do not appreciate suggestions of anything improper. Quite frankly, I find them offensive." Thalman responded to the accusation of the "family" connection.
"Robin Capehart is not my uncle," Thalman said. "He was previously married to my mom's sister. They divorced several years ago. Everyone on city council is aware of that. The city manager is aware of that, and before we took a vote, the city solicitor said I had no conflict of interest."
Brent Benjamin, executive vice president and general counsel for Bluefield State, also spoke during the explosive meeting.
"We look forward to working with the city in helping to develop a program which is not offered in this area -- an accredited program," Benjamin said. "There is a demand for these degrees. It's about academic opportunity, and if the well has not been poisoned, it's an opportunity for collaboration."
Benjamin said Bluefield wants to bring needed programs to the Wheeling area not to the exclusion of the three existing colleges but through collaboration. He said if colleges within the state don't collaborate to provide this need, students will look outside of the state to get their education.
City leaders emerged from the closed-door session announcing that no decisions had been made. Herron said none of the financial figures stated by Mosser about the cost of Bluefield's plans were true.
"We have not been presented with any proposal from Bluefield State," Herron said. "I have no idea what Dr. Mosser was talking about in regards to his numbers. Those numbers have not been presented to the city of Wheeling."
The mayor noted that the city officials' consensus is to continue moving forward with the MOU, let Bluefield State do its due diligence and assess the feasibility of the OVMC campus proposal.
Some city leaders expressed disbelief that the situation unfolded as it did in what was viewed as a public and personal attack during the meeting.
"I find it highly inappropriate that a local college president came to a council meeting, lied and accused members of this body of crimes," Thalman added after the closed-door session.