WHEELING — Two candidates in the upcoming May 14 municipal election are seeking the seat on Wheeling City Council representing Ward 5.

Incumbent Councilman Ty Thorngate is running for re-election as the Ward 5 councilman. If successful, he will begin his third term in July. He is being challenged by Julia Chaplin, who has been a vocal Wheeling resident during city council meetings in recent years.

The pair in the race will not be the only names on the ballot in the Ward 5 race. Fellow resident Keltus Emmerth had filed to run in the race, but subsequently withdrew in light of new job commitments. Although his name will appear on the ballot, he said he will not be able to serve and does not intend to take the oath of office if he should win in this election.

In what is essentially a two-candidate race, Thorngate and Chaplin both said they had every intention of representing the citizens of the city of Wheeling and of Ward 5, which is made up of the neighborhoods of Edgwood, Pleasant Valley, Dimmeydale, Oakmont, Parkview and a portion of Springdale.

Thorngate, 36, resides in Wheeling with his wife, Jess, and 6-year-old son, Leo. He said he’s running for re-election to ensure that Ward 5 and the city of Wheeling keep moving forward with “responsive and fearless” leadership.

“One of the things I’m most proud of with our time on council is the fact that we’ve never shied away from tough decisions,” Thorngate said.

“If I’m fortunate enough and with Ward 5 families by my side, they’ll have a councilman on city council who will continue to focus on our infrastructure, enhancing our recreational facilities and supporting our first responders.”

Infrastructure and recreational opportunities are high on Thorngate’s list of priorities if elected.

“We’ve done a great job over the last eight years with replacing our storm water lines, sewer lines and water lines throughout the city,” he said. “But unfortunately, the city is old, and there’s more work to be done. One of my fears moving forward is that we might have people on council who are afraid to govern when it comes to making tough decisions. There are going to be times when you may have to raise water fees because we have $280 million worth of water and storm sewers to replace. We need someone on council who is not afraid to make those tough decisions.”

Thorngate said the city needs to continue to invest not only in recreation and broaden the potential use of city parks and playgrounds.

“One thing I think is important, on top of having just nice recreational facilities is programming — we want people to use them,” he said. “I think the city needs to put more emphasis and focus on getting people to the parks with all types of different programming — whether that’s for kids, or for families or even for seniors. Make it a place where everyone of all ages could go and hang out and enjoy. We want to try to expand what our playgrounds mean to our neighborhoods.”

Having a young family himself, Thorngate said he is in tune with what young families in the community want and need.

“I try to do everything possible to make our city welcoming to all young families,” Thorngate said, adding that his eight years of experience as a council member also give him a valuable advantage.

And keeping talented young professionals and families in Wheeling is the biggest challenge the city faces, he said. There are plenty of examples of young people taking the risk and investing in the city with great success, but Wheeling needs more people on board to carry that momentum forward, he said.

“We have people that have ideas – they get and education through high school and through college – yet they fell like they don’t have the ability to take that next step to be successful here, which is not true,” Thorngate said, noting that “brain drain” is not a problem that’s unique to Wheeling. “We have young people with fresh ideas who need to just take that risk and know that there’s a community there to support them.”

Chaplin, 64, has three daughters and three stepdaughters. She resides in the Wheeling Park-Edgwood area with her husband, James.

What led her to run for the Ward 5 council seat?

“My opposition — the bobbleheads,” she said. “You have a voice of six council members and a mayor — you have to voice opinions and let the citizens know about it.”

Yet Chaplin said she believes there are voices in the community that are not being heard or conveyed by the current representatives of Wheeling City Council.

Fiscal responsibility and a focus on the issues that matter are key priorities for Chaplin if she wins the support of the voters of Ward 6.

“I would say my main objective is focusing the taxpayer dollars on our citizens versus outside influences,” Chaplin said, noting that it’s important to try to keep money as close to home as possible when the city needs to spend it. “I believe that any money that the city spends is taxpayer money. It doesn’t fall from the trees. Coming from the government as grants, it’s still taxpayer money. I want people to focus on the fact that it just doesn’t come about. You have to earn it by helping your citizens that are in your city. And I would say that is a major thing.”

Political discord has become too prevalent in local public service that should be nonpartisan and apolitical, according to Chaplin, who indicated that polarizing issues that don’t belong in city government simply fuel infighting and unnecessary friction.

“I don’t want to focus on social issues that don’t manage to get anything done,” Chaplin said. “They cause people to disagree and have rivalries. To me, if you work together, you can get things accomplished, but when people have social issues that don’t focus on the problem, you don’t accomplish anything. And I don’t believe that this is a stepping stone to another political office.”

A good neighborhood makes a community feel like a family, Chapline said.

“I want this to be a wonderful place for kids to live,” she said. “This is a hometown.”

Churches encourage people to have family and friends, and to help one another — and that is one key concept that can help the city and its citizens move forward in a positive manner.

“One of the biggest challenges is getting Wheeling back to God,” she said. “Recognizing Him in city council with prayers would be great. I would love to invite local preachers to come in and say the prayer before council starts. But if we can’t get people in our city to focus on helping the city and asking for God’s guidance and direction for our city, we’re never going to be successful, because without Him, we have nothing.

“My challenge is doing what God wants me to do.”

Winners of Wheeling’s municipal election will take office on July 1 and will serve four-year terms.