ICYMI: Magruder elected mayor, city council takes shape

Magruder, 75, won the mayor's race with 67% of the city supporting his opposition.

*CORRECTED* On Monday, May 20, Connie Cain was declared the winner of the race for Ward 3 city councilor after a canvass of the votes. Cain beat Jerome Henry for the seat by three votes.

Wheeling, W.Va. – On May 14, Denny Magruder, former WesBanco Arena executive director, was elected the next mayor of Wheeling with 2,622 votes; however, 67% of voters chose someone other than Magruder to lead the city’s council. He will likely join an all white, all male council whose average age is 54 years old.

Magruder ran a clean campaign to become the next mayor of Wheeling for the soul of the city. The race’s margins were not as close as many thought they would be, but Magruder only managed to garner support from 36.96% of the city’s voters. 

This is not an indictment of Magruder, but, rather, an indictment of Wheeling’s election process. 

When Magruder is sworn in on July 1, he will lead the legislative body of a city where an overwhelming majority of voters did not support him. That is not a good position for him, nor the city, to be in during a tumultuous political climate the nation finds itself in. 

Ward 3 city councilor Rosemary Ketchum, who came in second, graciously conceded the race. Combining her votes with Magruder’s, 60% of voters supported their campaigns.

A mayor-elect has much more to worry about on day one than unifying a divided population. Some in the city have pondered if now is the time to review the city’s charter to examine how we elect our representatives.

One change could be to hold run-off elections wherein the top two candidates compete in November for the title. November general elections–especially those in presidential years–often see higher voter turnouts. And, with two names on the ballot instead of six, it all but guarantees the winner will achieve majority, rather than plurality. 

Another option would be to institute ranked-choice voting where voters–rather than choosing one name–would rank the list of candidates from most to least preferred. In the event that no candidate attains more than half of the vote, the last place candidate would be eliminated and voter’s second choices would be factored in. This process continues until one candidate receives 50% plus one of the vote. 

Insurance agent JT Thomas came in third with 19% of the vote. Vice Mayor Chad Thalman, who was expected to be in the top three, was a distant fourth with just 15% of the vote. Business owner Beth Hinebaugh and Warwood resident Carl Carpenter placed fifth and sixth, respectively. 

If the voters of Wheeling sent any message in the mayoral race it’s that they were strongly divided on the path forward for the city. Magruder campaigned on making the city great again and Ketchum led on a need for new faces. Thomas was the centrist candidate in the race, while Thalman advocated for a continuation of the last eight years. 

Ultimately, Magruder edged out his competitors. He will be sworn in as the next mayor of Wheeling on July 1. He will lead his first meeting the next day, Tuesday, July 2. 

It is important to understand that his role as mayor is largely ceremonial, and he holds but one vote on the council.

Wheeling’s mayor nominates members to the city’s commissions, committees, and boards, but the full council must approve each decision. As well, the mayor will select a new vice mayor who will also be approved by the full council. The mayor also leads meetings–enforcing decorum for the city council–and delivers a mayoral report. Mayor’s are the chair of the council, akin to the speaker of the House of Representatives in many ways. 

Councilors representing the city’s six wards can have a much greater influence on what business is taken up by the body. So, who will represent the city? 

Councilors Ben Seidler, Ward 2, Jerry Sklavounakis, Ward 4, Ty Thorngate, Ward 5, and Dave Palmer, Ward 6, were overwhelmingly reelected–each receiving over 60% of the vote. The results signal a continuation of the work that has been done over the last four years.

Seidler and Thorngate both faced two challengers, but in those races no competitor was able to break the incumbent’s support. Sklavounakis and Palmer each faced one challenger, but, again, it did not encourage voters to pick a new direction. 

Palmer, who ran unopposed in 2020, saw the largest vote win margin with nearly 72% of voters supporting his third term representing the ward on city council.

In Ward 1, Tony Assaro defeated his four colleagues. The ward had been represented by Thalman since 2016, but was left an open race after Thalman’s decision to seek the mayor’s seat. 

Assaro refused an interview with Wheeling Free Press, but he did speak with The Intelligencer. 

A business owner, father, and grandfather, Assaro told the paper that quality of life was a big issue for him. He got involved with the Warwood Terrace Community Association, later called the Grow Warwood Pride Community Association. 

He plans to advocate for improvement to Warwood’s parks and infrastructure. Other than that, it is unclear where Assaro stands on critical issues facing the city including homelessness, a massive drop in available funds after American Rescue Plan Act dollars have dried up, and small business retention and recruitment, among others. 

Ward 3 was also left open after Ketchum sought the mayor’s seat. As of publication, that race is still too close to call with Jerome Henry in the lead with 199 votes and Connie Cain in second with 197. A canvass of the votes will be completed by Monday, May 20.

Cain spoke with Wheeling Free Press and expressed a desire to tackle the issue of homelessness in the city, including seeking new mental health services in the city. She spoke against the demolition of camps, but said the city’s urban camping ban was a good thing.

Henry, who did not speak with Wheeling Free Press, told The Intelligencer the biggest issue facing Ward 3 was the condition of housing in its many neighborhoods. He advocated for an increase in police “protection” saying, “citizens deserve a safe, clean place to live.”

If Henry is proclaimed the winner of his race for Ward 3 it will mean no woman, person of color, or member of the LGBTQ+ community will be represented on the city’s council. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women account for 52.5% of Wheeling’s population. Non-white people account for less than 10% of the city. If representation matched populations, three to four members of the council would be women and zero to one member would be a person of color.

The average age of a member of council, including mayor, will be 54 years old. 55% of the voting age population in Wheeling is under 55. The body’s youngest member, Thorngate, is 36 years old. Two members, Seidler and Sklavounakis, are in their 40s. 

It is hard to theorize what the next council will prioritize; but, based on the personalities we know, this next council will likely be a “back-to-the-basics” type of government.