A recent opinion piece in The Intelligencer about Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder left me scratching my head, so much so that I felt compelled to respond.

It took an unusually aggressive tone and read as the grievance of someone still disgruntled over the outcome of Wheeling’s recent mayoral election.

At the risk of drawing attention to something that lacked depth and insight, I’d like to offer a different perspective on the issues raised.

The piece began by stating that it was not a personal attack on the mayor, but it proceeded to do just that. The writer raised concerns about Mayor Magruder’s age and offered a comparison to Joe Biden’s removal from the Democratic presidential ticket last year.

But age is just a number, and what really matters is the mental and physical capacity of one to perform the job. Many — including members of his own party — questioned whether Mr. Biden was up to the challenge. That is not the case with Mayor Magruder. As one of the mayor’s opponents last spring, I saw firsthand his energy and enthusiasm on the campaign trail. He was relentless, never slowing down, and because of his hard work he secured victory by a wide margin.

The writer also suggested that Mayor Magruder’s age will hinder his ability to attract younger residents to Wheeling. While I agree that drawing new residents — particularly young families — is one of the city’s greatest challenges, this issue has persisted for nearly five decades, even under much younger mayors. The age of the mayor will not determine Wheeling’s ability to attract new residents. Progress, development, and policy changes will. The solution is multi-faceted and requires collaboration from many, not simply electing a young mayor.

What matters is choosing a leader who can facilitate meaningful change, regardless of age.

The writer stated that Mayor Magruder received the lowest number of votes in Wheeling’s mayoral election history, citing a total of 2,700 votes. This is very misleading, as the 2024 voter turnout was among the lowest in history, largely due to uncontested primaries.

Furthermore, the votes were spread amongst six candidates, a larger field than typically seen in the race for mayor.

Mayor Magruder received nearly 1,000 more votes than his closest competitor and thus, one could argue that he achieved one of the most decisive victories in our city’s history.

Another claim made was that Mayor Magruder is “coat-tailing” on the accomplishments of previous administrations. This accusation is laughable, as the mayor has consistently acknowledged the efforts of past and present officials for ongoing projects that began before his election.

Transitions in leadership naturally involve an overlap of projects initiated by one administration and completed by another. Moreover, many of these projects were the collective efforts of city leaders and constituents, some of whom still serve in their roles today, including the city manager and several members of city council.

Regardless of whom you supported in 2024, the election is over, the people have spoken, and we should all rally behind the city’s new team of leaders. Mayor Magruder’s term is still in its infancy, and it is premature and unfair to judge his effectiveness at this point. Instead of dwelling on divisive rhetoric, we should focus our time and energy on transforming Wheeling into a city where current residents and businesses want to stay and where others aspire to move.

J.T. Thomas was a candidate for Wheeling mayor in 2024. He is a proud, lifelong resident of the city.