Wheeling Mayoral Race: Meet the candidates

7NEWS is your Local Election Headquarters, and voters are going to make their voices heard on who should be Wheeling’s next Mayor.

There are 6 candidates running and 7News profiled each one of them for you.

Those running are: Chad Thalman , Denny Magruder , J.T. Thomas , Rosemary Ketchum , Carl Carpenter and Beth Hinebaugh.

Chad Thalman

Chad Thalman has spent the last 8 years serving as Wheeling’s Vice Mayor, and representing the 1st Ward on City Council.

He tells 7News that over the last 8 years the Friendly City has seen a lot of progress, and he wants to continue that as Mayor.

And while Wheeling has seen growth, there are still pressing issues facing the city, like homelessness, public safety, and outdated infrastructure. Which is why Thalman stresses the importance of government being able to multitask.

“As mayor, I want to continue the progress we’re experiencing. I want to continue to focus on paving streets and alleyways, I want to continue to focus on investing in our recreation facilities, I want to continue to work on underground infrastructure, I want to continue to bring investment into this city and grow our downtown. I want to continue to focus on bringing more housing into the city and continue to focus on neighborhoods where people most most of their lives.”

CHAD THALMAN, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Thalman also says that of the 6 candidates running, he’s the only one to have the endorsement of current Mayor Glenn Elliott.

Denny Magruder

Dennis Magruder is a familiar face in Wheeling.

For many years he was Executive Director of Wheeling’s Sports and Entertainment Authority, and now that he’s retired, he says he finally has the time to give back to a city he’s passionate about.
He says his time in the private sector taught him a lot about how government works.

One of his primary focuses will be to rebuild relationships, particularly at the state level. He thinks that breakdown is a reason for issues we’ve experienced with the Streetscape Project.

Magruder wants to make sure government pays attention each area of the Friendly City.

“We want to look at it as if it’s a wheel, and the hub is downtown. The spokes are the various neighborhoods, Elm Grove, Warwood, South Wheeling, the Island. And that wheel is most strong when all those spokes are taught and everything’s in place. And so it’s important that we look at Wheeling from a holistic point of view and all of our neighborhoods are part of this deal.”

DENNIS MAGRUDER, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

For future highway projects, Magruder wants to make sure business leaders and citizens have a seat at the table, to avoid the problems we’ve experienced the last 18 months.

He also wants to focus on homeless issues, economic development, and putting the spotlight on the many assets the city has.

JT. Thomas

JT Thomas is a life-long Wheeling resident that spent 27 years as a physical therapist, and now works as a commercial insurance agent.

Now that his children are grown, he finally has the time to give back to a city he’s passionate about.

He tells 7News that Wheeling needs to make recruiting businesses to the area a priority. As a commercial insurance agent that frequently travels around the state, he believes he’s ideally placed as a recruiter.

But he’s extremely concerned about public safety, which is says is critical for economic development.

“Priority number one for me would be public safety. We’ve been to a lot of porches and a lot of doors over the past four weeks, and alarmingly, the number one topic that’s come up to us is that people just don’t feel safe in Wheeling anymore, and that concerns me…People want to be where they’re safe, and businesses want to be where they know it’s safe.”

JT THOMAS, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Thomas also says he wants to continue upgrading infrastructure, which will help attract businesses, and young people to the area.

Rosemary Ketchum

Rosemary Ketchum is the currently on Wheeling City Council serving Ward 3, and has a long history in the non-profit and mental health sectors as well.

When she ran for council, her focus was on housing, small business, infrastructure, and economic development, and is doubling down on those issues in her mayoral run.

Rosemary believes that Wheeling is at an inflection point, and wants to ensure that the Friendly City’s current momentum continues.

“I absolutely love the strength of our small businesses, but there is more that the city of Wheeling can do to lean in, support them, incentivize them, and frankly, to streamline the process for what it looks like to start a small business. Wheeling should be the best place in West Virginia to start a small business. I already believe that’s true, but as mayor I want to make sure that is a primary focus of this candidacy.”

ROSEMARY KETCHUM, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Another key focus for the Ketchum campaign is making sure people that want to move to Wheeling can find affordable housing, and population retention.

Carl Carpenter

Carpenter has been a Wheeling resident since 1991, and describes himself as the “unknown, unconnected, unfunded” candidate.

His main campaign slogan is “Make Wheeling Paved Again.”

He also believes that Wheeling is not a big city, but rather a small town, and therefore should be governed accordingly.

As mayor, he says he will focus on making practical, realistic decisions.

“Even though I have never paid it, I strongly resent the two dollar privilege tax that people have to pay to have a job in this town to finance a ‘big city police station’ whenever the police station we had, that we recently vacated, was good enough for 53 or 55 thousand people that lived here at the time.”

CARL CARPENTER, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

For reference, Wheeling’s population as of the 2020 census was just over 27,000 people.

Beth Hinebaugh

Beth Hinebaugh is a mother of 8, and grandmother to 13, and has an extensive history as a businesswoman and first responder.

As Mayor, Hinebaugh says she wants to create a more permanent solution to the homeless problem, and tackle drug addiction: the two issues she says most voters talk to her about.

She also wants to continue economic development, focusing not only on the downtown area but the rest of the city as well. As a former police officer, EMT, volunteer firefighter and now the owner of 4 businesses and 50 properties, Hinebaugh believes she has a unique skillset to bring to the job.

“All of my experience gives me a unique perspective on becoming a mayor, and to running the city. I have a unique perspective on handling crime and safety for the citizens, as well as everything within the business district too.”

BETH HINEBAUGH, WHEELING MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Hinebaugh also says she wants to be an advocate for Wheeling residents, with a focus on childcare. She says she has connections in Charleston, and working with the state government will be crucial.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTRF.