Zach Abraham believes in betterment, and he is confident Ohio County could become much more than the home of The Highlands.
And Abraham, the former president of the Ohio County Board of Education and the past chair for the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, is running for a seat on the Ohio County Commission so he can help lead to the improvements he believes are possible.
“I filed to be a candidate in the race for the Ohio County Commission because I feel we have a lot of opportunity ahead of us, and I don’t really feel as if Ohio County has been promoted as the great place it is to live and work,” Abraham explained. “We do have a lot of really good things going on, but there doesn’t seem as if there is a vision about how we get there and where we go next.
“Plus, a few of the good things that we have going now are not sustainable, in my opinion,” he said. “We need more sustainability here in Ohio County, and I don’t see a plan to accomplish that. That’s why I want to help in a different way, and I think one of my abilities is that I can see things, and I can collaborate well, and I think of that definitely needs to take place in Ohio County.”
The Life of Brick and Mortar
With the growing popularity of online shopping and the dependency on technology in the United States, the future of retail developments such as The Highlands seems more uncertain than ever before. The pandemic obviously has not helped during the last eight months, and now with growing COVID-19 numbers, the holiday shopping season may move to the safest approach possible.
In the past month, the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department has reported 167 new positive cases for COVID-19, and so far eight residents of Ohio County have passed away.
“Retail still is a good industry, and I hope we get to continue shopping the way we are now, and The Highlands has been terrific for a lot of years. Those businesses and those jobs, though, are not going to sustain families in Ohio County,” Abraham said. “That is why I think it is important right now to look into the future to see what kind of jobs there will be in five to 10 years and how we can bring those jobs here so Ohio County can be a hub for talent.
“The Highlands has been a good project, but one example I look at when comparing The Highlands to projects that are kind of similar is Southpointe in Cannonsburg,” he said. “I remember when only the golf course was there, and I have seen that area blossom. That is more of sustainable development than what we have, and how long will we have brick-and-mortar retail with so much online shopping taking place now?”
Just as most residents of the Upper Ohio Valley have heard about the possibility of a petrochemical “cracker” plant in Belmont County, so has Abraham, but in his opinion, Ohio County should not be waiting a yes or no from PTT Global-America before developing a plan for associated development.
“I believe we need to work diligently to recruit more sustainable businesses to Ohio County, and that is why I think we need to develop a master plan that includes development and infrastructure improvements,” Abraham explained. “Whether or not that cracker plant comes to this valley is one thing, but we still need to take a look at ourselves and take care of this county no matter what happens with the proposal in Belmont County.
“If we work with everyone in our county to determine what is possible and what is not, I think we can make a lot of progress for many years to come,” the candidate said. “We should want to be that place where people want to come to live and to work.”
Wheeling Is in Ohio County
For many years, the City of Wheeling and Ohio County Commission have been separated by a single floor inside the Ohio County Courthouse, but the amount cooperation between the two governments, Abraham believes, has been minimal at best.
He believes that would change if he is elected on Nov. 3.
“The city and the county do not collaborate very well, and I think we all need to be in the same rowboat,” Abraham said. “We all need to be going in the same direction, and that is something I do not see right now. Instead, we need to be pro-active, and we need to reach out to the city and to our villages, and not just when it is time for an election.
“I just don’t see what I believe we need to be doing now to help sustain ourselves for the next 20 to 25 years,” he said. “I don’t see a long-term vision or a plan that’s been put into place.”
Abraham has managed to campaign for the commission seat despite the pandemic, and along with social media, phone calls, and emails, the candidate has attended a few small events and has gone door-to-doo as well.
It has been during those interactions that has gained a better perspective on what is on the minds of Ohio County residents.
“I’ve had some great conversations with local voters, and I think it’s been very well received,” Abraham said. “Of course, we’re being very cautious about it by wearing masks and keeping the proper distance, but it has seemed as if those folks really appreciated the talks I’ve had with them.
“And I have heard three primary things from the voters. One is that I think people are itching for a change because being in that position for 24 years is a long time. Number two is that they are not happy that the county has not been very collaborative with the city and the villages, and the third thing I’ve heard is that some people think that too much time and energy have been spent on The Highlands,” he said. “They told me that they want to see more with the city, the villages, and in the outlying areas of our county.”
