Communication Breakdowns Frustrate Wheeling City Leaders
Photo by Eric Ayres Trending
WHEELING - Miscommunication among city leaders in Wheeling was ironed out in an awkwardly public way during the most recent city council session. Confusion over a committee meeting left a number of council members frustrated about city officials not being on the same page with one another.
During the March 21 meeting of Wheeling City Council, Mayor Glenn Elliott - whose second and final term in office ends after June 2024 - took city staff to task during the open public session, expressing his frustration over a meeting that apparently was called by Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum yet never officially took place.
"A few weeks ago, Councilwoman Ketchum called a Health and Recreation Committee meeting that was scheduled for yesterday at 4:30 p.m.," Elliott said following a routine report to council by City Manager Robert Herron. "Five of us made the trip in to have that meeting. One of the topics was to discuss the city’s Master Plan for parks and recreation. We learned at that meeting that city staff was told not to participate."
Before council and a room full of people during a public meeting, the mayor asked the city manager to explain why this happened.
"I wondered if you could clarify why," Elliott said.
Herron said he was familiar with initial discussions about the meeting, but never received a formal request to provide members of the administrative staff - in this case, Parks and Recreation Director Rochelle Barry.
"The way that was approached a couple of weeks ago was the Rec Director informed me that she had been telephoned and asked to attend a committee meeting which I was unaware of, and my response to her was ‘What are the items on the agenda?’ and that I would get back to her," Herron said. "As you know, the city charter is very clear that administrative matters are to be funneled through the City Manager’s Office."
The city manager said he intended to follow up with Berry and Ketchum on the issue, but noted that he had never received a formal notification about the meeting.
"I actually did not receive notice of that meeting except for through the clerk secondhand later that day," Herron said. "And then I basically was unaware that the meeting was going to occur - or forgot that it was going to occur on Monday, other than the fact that items on the agenda would have been representing an administrative position - which I felt that I should have been involved in as part of the discussion on behalf of the Rec Director."
The mayor inquired about the lack of notification. In fact, there was no evidence that the public was notified about the meeting, and it was not posted on the city’s website or public calendar. Not only did three committee members appear at the March 20 meeting that technically did not take place, but a total of five council members were also gathered there.
In either case, they were situations that would require a 24-hour public notice and availability of the public to attend, according to the West Virginia Open Meeting Law or Sunshine Law. With no public notice given, the meeting would have been in violation of the Open Meeting Law.
"Wasn’t there an email that went out several weeks ago? Was the city manager not included on that email?" the mayor asked.
"He was not, sir," responded Brenda J. Delbert, former City Clerk who in February was named the city’s new Director of Building and Planning but has continued helping with administrative duties in her former position while a search for a new clerk was ongoing until just recently. Jessica Zalenski was named the new Wheeling City Clerk on March 21 and began her first full day in the position the next day.
"Well, that should have happened," Elliott said, clearly frustrated. "I would certainly think and expect that as a legislative body of council, that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan would be something that this body should have some input on.
"One reason I ran for mayor was the condition of our playgrounds across the city. In my opinion, there wasn’t a good plan. I think we changed that in 2016, and I think we’ve continued in making parks and rec a priority. I certainly don’t want to overstep any administerial boundaries, but I think there has to be room for members of council to have discussions on our Parks and Rec Master Plan. I would hope we can do this in the near future."
The city manager concurred.
"Absolutely, and I agree 100%," Herron said. "But again, I would ask that in accordance with the charter that the city manager be notified of the meetings and request for the availability of the staff, which I certainly will provide."