New Wheeling Council Holds Organizational Meeting
Sklavounakis Named Vice Mayor, Committee Appointments Made
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WHEELING - Following Monday’s ceremonial swearing-in formalities, the new Wheeling City Council got down to business Tuesday night with the panel’s first regular meeting.
Council’s order of business came with a typical agenda that included a number of purchases for the city’s Water Pollution Control Division, acceptance of various committee reports and commission minutes from previous months, and standard city affairs.
Despite a few procedural hiccups indicative of the newness of the team that will serve the city for the next four years, the new-look council breezed through the meeting’s agenda smoothly and efficiently.
"I want to take a minute to thank everybody - all of the councilors and all of the people in the chambers - for their patience with me tonight," said new Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder. "I know I may look old, but I am a rookie and I apologize, but we’ll get this ironed out."
Magruder kicked off Tuesday’s meeting by settling some organizational requirements for the new 2024-28 council term. The mayor made several appointments of members to committees of council and to positions as council representatives of various boards and commissions. Magruder also named Ward 4 Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis - an attorney by trade who is entering his second term on council - to the position as vice mayor.
"I look forward to serving with you all and to working with (Wheeling City Manager) Bob (Robert Herron) and the rest of city staff as we move forward to continue to ensure our quality of life is not only wonderful but keeps getting better," Sklavounakis said. "I’d also like to thank you, Denny, for choosing me to be vice mayor. I look forward to doing anything I can to help you and everyone else, and I appreciate that you thought of me. I really feel that it’s an honor and a privilege to be on this city council and to be the vice mayor."
The members of council unanimously accepted all of Magruder’s 2024-28 appointments to committees of council and to the various boards and agencies.
They included: Magruder as chair of the Development Committee with Sklavounakis as vice chair and Ward 5 Councilman Ty Thorngate as member; Ward 6 Councilman Dave Palmer as chair of the Finance Committee with Thorngate as vice chair and Sklavounakis as member; new Ward 3 Councilwoman Connie Cain as chair of the Health and Recreation Committee with new Ward 1 Councilman Tony Assaro as vice chair and Thorngate as member; Assaro as chair of the Promotions and Public Relations Committee with Ward 2 Councilman Ben Seidler as vice chair and Cain as member; Seidler as chair of the Public Safety Committee with Cain as vice chair and Palmer as member; Thorngate as chair of the Public Works Committee with Sklavounakis as vice chair and Seidler as member; and Sklavounakis as chair of the Rules Committee with Palmer as vice chair and Assaro as member.
Wheeling City Council members Tony Assaro, Ben Seidler and Connie Cain listen Tuesday night during the first meeting of the 2024-28 council term. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
For board and agency appointments, Cain was named as the city representative on the Centre Market Commission and Wheeling Arts & Cultural Commission; Assaro was named to the Historic Landmarks Commission and Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation; Palmer was named to the Greater Wheeling Sports & Entertainment Authority Board; Seidler was named to the Ohio Valley Regional Transportation Authority and to the Wheeling Planning Commission; Thorngate was named to the Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health and to the Recreation Commission; and Sklavounakis was named to the Wheeling Hall of Fame Board.
By ordinance, the mayor or his designee is to serve as the chairman of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority Board. Magruder said that by code, he technically is the chairman at this moment, but the board does not have a meeting this month, and he planned to select a designee to serve as chairman in the near future. He noted that he served for 36 years working under the direction of the GWSEA - where he served as the longtime executive director of WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre - and he noted that it would not be fair to retire from that position, then soon afterward end up serving as chairman of the board.
Each of the veteran members of city council took time during their individual reports to welcome the new members - Magruder, Assaro and Cain - to their first public meeting. All expressed excitement about what the future holds for the city and for the collaborative work that lies ahead for the new council.
Wheeling City Council got a new look as the new panel for the 2024-28 council term held their first meeting Tuesday night - complete with new nameplates for all of the city leaders. From left are council members Tony Assaro, Ben Seidler, Connie Cain, City Manager Robert Herron, Mayor Denny Magruder and Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
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Wheeling City Council got a new look as the new panel for the 2024-28 council term held their first meeting Tuesday night - complete with new nameplates for all of the city leaders. From left are City Manager Robert Herron, Mayor Denny Magruder, Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis, and Councilmen Ty Thorngate and Dave Palmer. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
"Thank you everyone for being warm and for helping and answering the questions that I’ve had," Cain said, noting the different perspective of speaking from the council table as opposed to addressing the city as a member of the audience. "It’s nice to be on the other side instead of at the podium."
Assaro added, "It’s an honor to be working with you all, and I really do appreciate all of the help and support that you’ve given me coming in."
During Tuesday night’s meeting, Herron reported to council that he had just been informed earlier in the afternoon that the West Virginia Division of Highways' planned schedule of finishing the Downtown Streetscape Project’s paving work on Main Street will be slightly delayed.
"Initially the schedule was to have the remaining portion of Main Street milled and resurfaced beginning on July 8," Herron said. "They’ve pushed that to July 15. There’s an additional delay of one week on that."
Herron added that the WVDOH has requested that the access to the Wheeling Suspension Bridge be limited during the upcoming July 4 Independence Day celebration at Heritage Port, which will include a patriotic performance by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and the annual fireworks display over the Ohio River.
"They have requested that access to the Suspension Bridge not be completely shut off, but restricted to a certain number of people during the fireworks celebration," Herron said. "They are concerned that if the bridge were packed full of people that it may be over the weight limit. So, we don’t know what that means yet, but they have asked for the city’s assistance in trying to restrict pedestrians on the Suspension Bridge during the Fourth of July festivities."
Wheeling City Council got a new look as the new panel for the 2024-28 council term held their first meeting Tuesday night - complete with new nameplates for all of the city leaders. From left are council members Tony Assaro, Ben Seidler, Connie Cain, City Manager Robert Herron, Mayor Denny Magruder, Vice Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis, Ty Thorngate and Dave Palmer. (Photo by Eric Ayres)