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Last week, we joined Mayor Glenn Elliott in honoring the lengthy and impactful public service of Wheeling resident Mike Nau. But Nau is far from the only person working in creative ways to make Wheeling a better place to live, and Elliott, during his annual State of the City address, honored eight additional residents and one group for being voices of positive change in the Friendly City.
His first honorees were Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble and Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo. Elliott thanked both men for guiding the county through the challenges of the past 18 months.
"From the (pandemic's) beginning, those of us in public office looked to both Howard and Lou for guidance," Elliott said. "Tough decisions were inevitable, but looking back, I believe our community was served very well by these two gentlemen."
The mayor then honored the Rev. Michael Linger, executive director of House of the Carpenter on Wheeling Island. The agency's board has invested more than $3 million into its facilities to better serve children, youth and families.
Another honoree with a long career in public service is Jeff Mauck, a 20-plus year member of the Wheeling Planning Commission. Elliott praised Mauck for how he handles commission business and also for chairing the GC&P Development public hearing last summer.
Ellen Gano was the recipient of the city's Community Spirit Award. Gano, a Wheeling native who left the area after college and returned in 2018 following her retirement from the U.S. Treasury Department, founded Volunteer Wheeling, an organization that "calls upon area residents to participate in group projects, such as litter cleanups, curb painting, and streetscape beautification projects," Elliott said.
Next to be honored was the Men of Change organization, a group of 14 professional Black men in Wheeling who are working "to make a difference by uniting the community instead of tolerating division," Elliott said.
North Wheeling's Ray Carney has worked to improve his neighborhood. He and his wife, Diana, have acquired 30 North Wheeling properties, with some being renovated and others that were in total disrepair, demolished. The Carneys also donated land for a new church.
Elliott then moved into the sports realm, honoring resident Doug Costain for his "indelible impact on the lives of countless Wheeling youth."
Costain, among other things, founded the Pinto Challenge at the Chambers I-470 complex, and also founded the Foundations Baseball Organization.
The final honoree was Susie Nelson, executive director of The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley. While noting the work she's done in growing the foundation's assets, Elliott's goal was to point out her work in helping to solve the city's homeless problem.
Elliott told of how Nelson facilitated meetings and training for city leaders that ultimately led to a recent decision to create a position for a city homeless liaison to help tackle the issue.
It's people such as Nelson, Costain, Carney, Gano, Mauck, Linger, Vargo and Gamble, and groups such as Men of Change, that give our city hope for the future. We join Elliott in thanking them for their efforts.